Acupressure to induce labor… What is acupressure? This method is based on the same medical philosophy as acupuncture and it involves the application of pressure onto specific, sensitive points along the human body. The practitioner uses their fingers and thumbs, as opposed to needles (like in acupuncture), to stimulate specific acupressure points.
Is Acupressure Safe Way to Induce Labor?
For women who are trying to endure the last leg of their pregnancy and are past their due date, natural labor induction is a very tempting option. Yet even the conventional remedies like Castor Oil and black and blue cohosh can come with risks. In fact, cohosh increases the risk of severe bleeding during labor. Using acupressure to induce labor is a favorite technique among pregnant women and it is incredibly soothing and there are no side effects.
Shiatsu to Induce Labor
Many studies show that acupressure and the Japanese brand of it — shiatsu — induce labor quite effectively. Actually acupressure is one of the only natural labor inducing remedies that has been scientifically shown to actually work effectively. In addition to that, there are no harmful effects.
Natural ways to induce labor can be helpful when you have passed your estimated due date. The last days of your pregnancy can be a very anxious time, just waiting until you go into labor and delivery. However, once you are “over due”, not only the wait can make you anxious, but also your doctor, if he or she starts to talk about medical labor induction.
If you want to avoid being medically induced, you probably are eager to try any natural labor inducing remedy. Yet, no matter how impatient or desperate you may be, it is essential not to just rush out and try any remedy. Sometimes, well meaning people may give false advice and you might end up trying something that is potentially harmful when all you wanted to induce labor naturally. A great example of this is natural herbs, either in tablet or a tincture form. Many people suggest taking herbs for self inducing labor, however without knowing the risks or the exact amount to take. Taking herbs in an attempt to induce labor but without good knowledge of what you are doing may cause more harm than good.
Therefore, when it comes to considering whether you should induce your labor naturally or choose labor inducing medications, it’s your advantage to educate your self. There are some rare pre-existing medical conditions that could require medical induction in a hospital under a strict control. It’s, however, important to carefully consider the potential risks, as compared to the benefits, that medical labor inducing drugs may have to the mother or the baby. There are many natural ways to induce labor and they could help you to avoid the medical labor induction.
First, you should realize that many natural methods for inducing labor are powerful, when used appropriately. Therefore, they should never be used before you are full term, and should not be attempted without agreement from your midwife or obstetrician. Secondly, some natural labor inducing remedies may not be as safe as commonly thought. In fact, just because a medicine or remedy is “all natural” doesn’t mean that it is without harm, risk, or side effects. Shortly, natural doesn’t always mean safe. However, some methods, such as maternity acupressure, have actually been proven to be safe by modern science and have no side effects.
When you are past 40 weeks pregnant and might need to induce labor, some natural methods have far less risks when compared to labor inducing medication. Safe ways to induce labor naturally include maternity acupressure, walking (when are in condition that you can walk), sexual intercourse (when your membranes have not ruptured), and gentle breast stimulation. These methods help to start labor through different mechanisms.
Maternity acupressure might be the most studied method regarding how effective and safe it is. A vast number of midwives and doulas use acupressure for pregnancy and labor because of its benefits and also because it has been proven to be safe for the mother and the baby. Read more about maternity acupressure…
A normal full term pregnancy lasts between 38 to 42 weeks. Pregnancy weeks are divided into three periods called trimesters: first, second and third trimester. The third pregnancy trimester affects the pregnant mother’s body the most out of the three stages of pregnancy.
The third trimester of pregnancy is the period from 28 weeks to birth. The natural onset of labor and birth after a full-term pregnancy can take place anytime between the 38th week and the 42nd week of pregnancy.
VBAC refers to the vaginal delivery of a baby by a mother who has previously delivered by Cesarean section. Another term, which means the same thing, is Trial of Labor after C-section (TOLAC). The use of the word ‘trial’ in TOLAC implies that vaginal delivery after you have already had a Caesarian is not always possible. It is something you try to do, which may or may not be successful.
VBAC Benefits
1) Safety
Successful VBACs are safer than planned C-sections (no surgery, lower risk of infection, no serious blood loss or complications from anesthesia). If VBAC fails, however, you will undergo an unplanned C-section, which is slightly riskier than a planned repeat C-section.
2) Short recovery time
Recovery from VBAC is shorter than that of a C-section.
3) Emotional satisfaction
For some women normal, vaginal delivery is an important part of their pregnancy, and they feel that they have accomplished something importnat for them when they give birth vaginally.
4) The cost factor
Successful VBACs are less costly than planned repeat Caesareans.
5) Health
Each subsequent Cesarean delivery increases the risks to the mother’s health, particularly the risk of developing placenta previa. Therefore, attempting VBAC has more long-term benefits for a woman who plans to have more children than for a woman who does not intend to.
6) While repeated C-sections are increasingly more risky, repeat VBACs tend to become progressively easier. Read the whole article about VBAC.
Shortly about using maternity acupressure for inducing labor naturally. It’s a fact that labor induction has become a very common medical intervention. It’s well known that medical labor induction can increase the chances of a cesareansection, as well as the risk of uterine hyper-stimulation, fetal distress and a greater likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage. This is why nursing staff needs to closely monitor the labor and the unborn baby during medical labor induction and a physician able to perform a cesarean section must be on hand.
How Maternity Acupressure Method Can Help You to Naturally Start Labor?
When the delivery is passed the due date or the mother is facing the risk of being medically induced, the maternity acupressure method can catalyze the onset of natural labor. As opposed to many other labor inducing remedies, maternity acupressure can be used even if the cervix is not fully dilated, because maternity acupressure helps the cervix to dilate and thin down. During childbirth, maternity acupressure can be used to strengthen the labor contractions and make them more frequent. Maternity acupressure is also very effective in alleviating labor pains, without the risk of slowing down labor. Furthermore, acupressure helps you to relax and stay calm.
Labor induction is on the rise and too many expectant women face the situation when their doctor wants to induce labor. It is essential for every pregnant woman to educate themselves of the consequences of medical labor induction. A failed labor induction can potentially lead to caesarean delivery. When the labor is induced too early it may cause your baby to born prematurely.
The Bishop Score is used primarily as a pre-induction cervical assessment tool. For a expectant woman to have a successful vaginal birth, her cervix must be soft, effaced and dilated. One of the things you should know prior to labor induction is what your Bishop Score is.
Giving birth to a baby, labor and delivery is one of the biggest events in your life when you have babies. The way you deliver, the way your supporting partners are there for you, and how well you have educated your self about the birthing options play a big role on how you experience your childbirth.
I came across with a great blog post by a labor nurse
…. I personally feel that a great birth is what the woman wants. Some women want the traditional midwife birth- unmedicated, no epidural- and they are very happy with that. Others are open to how things go- and either get an epidural, or use IV medications- and are very glad they did that to help them. And others want an epidural right away- and are very happy with their birth when they get to have an epidural. Should I tell them that what they want is wrong because of what I believe? No.
But I do want one thing: please be educated about your options.
It does bother me that women don’t take any childbirth classes or read any books because their sister, friend, mother, etc, said just get the epidural because birth is not possible without one. They come in thinking the epidural will be immediate and are unaware that there are risks involved with the procedure. They are completely ignorant to other methods of laboring, like use of a jacuzzi, or being out of bed, or even a birth ball. (to read the whole pot visit the Rebirth blog.
Stalled labor, or also known as “failure to progress”, is very slow labor, and can be a result of many things. Most common reasons seem to be weak contractions, birthing mother is exhausted, cervix doesn’t dilate, or the contractions are strong and painful but the baby doesn’t descent or “come down”.
Also, sometimes the birthing mother is holding the baby back due to stress and fear. Tension restricts cervical dilation and effacement creating non-productive first stage labor.
Because “according to the medical books” the cervix dilates 1cm every 1-2 hours, the obstetricians easily use Pitocin to stimulate the labor process, to increase the strength and frequency of the contractions - or do a C-section.
Studies by the University of California, San Francisco show, however, that pregnant woman whose labor stalls should wait out the delivery process for an extra two hours before letting the doctors administer Pitocin. This can reduce health risks to the birthing woman her self and her unborn baby as well.
Also natural remedies for stalled labor, such as maternity acupressure, can be extremely helpful to get the labor to progress again. Specific combinations of labor acupressure points have been proven to be very effective in helping the cervix to dilate and to strengthen the contractions.
Childbirth, labor, delivery… Pregnancy ends to the much waited moment of giving birth and it always creates a lot of excitement.
If you want to have a happy and healthy childbirth or you, as a supporting partner, want to be as helpful as possible, Easier, Shorter and Safer Birth by Lena Leino, is one of the best guides you can have. For years, expectant mothers ready to give birth, husbands, partners, friends, relatives, and doulas have turned to this book for guidance on getting the labor to start and being a supportive partner in the delivery room.
The Easier, Shorter and Safer Birth maternity acupressure guide includes the most up-to-date information about labor acupressure techniques for encouraging the labor to start, help the cervix to dilate, stimulate labor contractions and easing labor pain. The maternity acupressure guide also includes techniques to help labor progress. And, with its easy-to-use format and photos, the knowledge in Easier, Shorter and Safer Birth guide is the essential have on hand at home before the labor starts and in the delivery room.
Delivering a baby is feared by many pregnant woman to be unbearable painful, even excruciating. Commonly it’s thought that labor pains start out manageable, and later on most women reach a point where they cannot imagine any more pain.
In December 2008 ABC News covered the film Orgasmic Birth, which shows that it may be possible to have a pleasurable, even orgasmic, childbirth experience. This is said to be midwives’ best kept secret. In some surveys midwives have revealed that upto 20% of birthing mothers could have an orgasmic childbirth. To see the ABS News video about the orgasmic childbirth here.
The key to pleasurable childbirth is relaxation. Breathing methods, visualization, hypnosis, and acupressure for labor are excellent relaxation methods.
Maternity acupressure points can be used to deeply relax the birthing mother. Maternity acupressure techniques are also extremely effective in directly relieving the labor pains. There are multiple acupressure points that your support person can massage to bring you relief from labor contraction pains. Some women will use only one, and some will find that many or all must be stimulated at different points of their labor nd delivery.
