Lainey Smallwood Pedley

Lainey is the business director of Bub & Bloom and Family Tree, a registered Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist, a registered midwife and nurse. Her motivation is to assist women and their families to achieve optimal mental and physical health.

Lainey has a Masters in Applied Science (Acupuncture) and presently undertaking a Masters in Chinese Herbal Medicine. She uses an integrated approach with her patients’ other health and medical practitioners. Both Western and Chinese medicine have their strengths. At Family Tree it is believed that an integrated, multi-disciplinary treatment approach ensures each individual receives the best possible outcome for their health.

She confidently supports the needs of all men, women and children throughout the ages, using acupuncture and Chinese medicine therapies to successfully treat many areas of internal medicine, muscular and mental health concerns.

Lainey’s acupuncture technique is gentle and effective and may incorporate cupping, moxibustion (heat therapy), dietary therapy and lifestyle advice to restore the body to a state of good health. Distal Needling Acupuncture therapy allows Lainey to relieve chronic or unresolved painful syndromes, whether muscular, gynaecological or physiological.

Women’s health issues are one of her many interests. She uses Chinese Medicine to help couples through the challenges of infertility and provides natural fertility and IVF support. Her emphasis is on preconception and pregnancy care; vital to a healthy mum and baby. Of course Lainey manages all pregnancy related conditions, postpartum and breastfeeding issues.

Pregnancy Health

Family Tree Acupuncture can recommend natural and practical steps to contribute positively to a healthy pregnancy. We believe healthy people make healthy babies and consequently your health, lifestyle and environment take on even more significance during pregnancy.

You are what you eat – a principal never so important as during pregnancy. For example, we know that if your diet is lacking in certain B vitamins, and/or iron, that the quality of your blood will suffer and you may become anaemic. We also know that exposure to certain toxic substances can cause cellular damage – possibly affecting your fertility and the health of your baby.

Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy can read more

Common Pregnancy Complaints

• Threatened Miscarriage
• Fatigue
• Morning sickness
• Nausea & vomiting
• Anaemia
• Constipation
• Heartburn
• Haemorrhoids
• Leg cramps
• Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
• Gestational Diabetes
• Stress and anxiety
• Insomnia
• Oedema
• Carpal tunnel

Pain in Pregnancy

• • Musculo-skeletal pain for women and their partners
    • Lower back pain & sciatica
    • Upper back & neck pain
    • Hip pain
    • Headaches
    • Pelvic pain – coccyx, pubic and pelvic instability
    • Carpal Tunnel
    • Rib pain,

Musculoskeletal pain
Back pain, rib pain, sciatica and symphysis pubis pain are common in later stages of pregnancy and can all be markedly reduced with acupuncture.  Back pain in early pregnancy can be due to other causes and should be thoroughly check out by an obstetrician of midwife.

Acupuncture works by bringing more circulation to the area and helping to reduce inflammation, reducing swelling and relaxing the muscles so that spasms cease. Acupuncture also affects the nervous system and helps to reduce the pain response being elicited from the troubled area.

Birth Preparation

Factual information about preparing for birth is essential for a woman to achieve the best outcome during labour, birth and beyond.

No one has a crystal ball to predict how a labour might turn out. What every pregnant woman has at her disposal, however, is the power to prepare herself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually for giving birth. Appropriate education can help women gain confidence so that she can more toward birth free of fear. Lainey is midwife, antenatal educator and calmbirth practitioner and provides much information and many techniques to dispel fear, dissolve adrenaline and release endorphins.

• • Restoring Mental health – stress, anxiety, depression and grief
  • Assistance to turn a breech position or posterior baby
  • Induction and birth preparation (initial physical assessment at 35 weeks )

Lainey facilitates workshops for doctors and midwives at tertiary hospitals. She also teaches weekend classes and provides private classes for couples with special needs (physical, mental disability, vision or hearing impaired). Please book online Bub & Bloom Birthing Masterclass

She talks about

• Birth preparation
• Reducing anxiety
• Induction of labour
• Breech presentation
• overdue for dates / natural induction
• Pain relief in labour

Postnatal Health

Acupuncture has techniques to promote recovery; these include “mother warming” treatments that can be given by her partner, advice on diet and use of specific strengthening and blood building herbs.  In Chinese medicine the post-natal period is merely a point on a continuum which actually starts up to 12 months prior to pregnancy as part of the preparation for producing strong, healthy, robust mothers and babies.

The health of your baby relies fundamentally on the health of yourself. As we know this wonderful new addition to your family brings not only joy and wonder, but sometimes mental and emotional exhaustion. Preemptive measures can be taken before the birth of your little one to ensure that supports are in place to make this transition into parenthood a smooth one in the first few weeks.

Following the birth of your little baby, debriefing can often assist you to move through any grief or concerns that may be troubling you. An understanding of your experience through a professional perspective can often allay unwanted trauma or sorrow and if required referrals can be made to any number of resources to assist you.

Lainey can assist with breastfeeding lactation and attachment with referral to lactation consultant in the clinic for tricky attachment problems and further support.

Breastfeeding Support

At Family Tree Acupuncture we will assist with any breastfeeding issues using acupuncture and herbal treatments.

Choosing whether to breastfeed or formula feed your baby is one of the first decisions expectant parents will make. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends breastfeeding as best nutrition for babies. Breastfeeding helps defend against infections, prevent allergies, and protect against a number of chronic conditions.

The general medical consensus is that babies should be breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months with further breastfeeding until at least 12 months or longer if both the mother and baby are wanting to.

Although experts believe breast milk is the best nutritional choice for infants, breastfeeding may not be possible for all women. For many women, the decision to breastfeed or formula feed is based on their comfort level, lifestyle, and specific medical considerations that they might have. There are many strong views of breastfeeding which can leave new mums feeling conflicted, confused and under unnecessary pressure. Overwhelming feelings of guilt accompany those who, for whatever reason, have decided to formula feed.

When coming from a midwifery background, it is in the interest of all mothers to know the pros and cons of both breastfeeding and artificial feeding. Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed as the health & nutritional values outweigh that of formula feeding. In saying that however, the joy of your baby should take precedence and the pressure of breastfeeding moderated.

We have educated and treated hundreds of women including,  mums with low milk supply (maybe after postpartum haemorrhage or caesarean section), dealing with tricky attachment and also to assist with lactation suppression.

The information given below is based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principles. Family Tree Acupuncture integrates TCM with midwifery expertise to assist with any breastfeeding issues. Choosing a practitioner who is experienced treating women during pregnancy and post-partum is important if you are facing lactation challenges.

A lactation consultant is helpful.  A referral can be made to a qualified lactation consultant if breastfeeding issues are particularly challenging.