How To Induce Labor With Acupressure

Heather Dessinger

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How to Induce Labor Naturally with Acupressure

I was fine until someone mentioned oysters

How To Induce Labor With AcupressureAt 41+ weeks pregnant I’ve been pretty content to grab every extra minute of sleep that’s possible, ugly cry my way through random t.v. commercials, and generally enjoy myself. In fact, I hadn’t really noticed how huge my belly had become until I accidentally knocked a kitten off the deck railing with it . . . oops.

Then someone had to go and mention oysters on the half shell, and now I am counting the seconds until my first post-pregnancy meal. When I mentioned this to Dr. Jeremy, my chiropractor, he offered to show me some acupressure maneuvers that are thought to help induce labor. To my surprise, his demonstration turned me into an ooey gooey blob of relaxation in just a few minutes. Which is great, but the question is…

Does it really work?

Though the studies are limited, the answer seems to be yes. Acupressure and its cousin, acupuncture, have both been shown effective for encouraging labor and reducing discomfort during labor. (see sources below)

In some cases acupressure has even been shown to reduce active labor time, yay! For me, the real question is not whether it works, but whether it is something that is right for me.

Because I have never had a medical situation which indicated the need to induce labor, I have let my babies choose their own birthdays. I love the thought that my little one initiates our very first interaction (sending the hormone HCG to my pituitary to say “Hey, I’m here! Please build me a comfy little home!”), then wrapping up the process by triggering another hormone that says, “I’m ready to come out and meet you now!

“Recent research has pointed out that labor actually begins when the baby’s lungs mature enough and secrete a protein called surfactant. Surfactant is essential breathing outside the womb. The release of this protein signals a cascade of hormones in the mother telling the mother’s body to initiate labor. (Dr. Carole Mendelson, Dr. Jennifer Condon and Dr. Pancharatnam Jeyasuria, 2004). As the baby prepares and lowers in the mother’s body it puts pressure on the cervix causing a release in the hormone, oxytocin. Oxytocin is a very important hormone in labor and delivery. It thins and dilates the cervix, causes contractions, and moves the baby down and out of the birth canal. It also releases breast milk and triggers nurturing and bonding feelings.” (source)
How does acupressure play into this little symphony between mama and baby? Many of the pressure points listed below are thought to encourage baby to move down into the birth canal, which would cause mama to produce oxytocin – the “labor hormone.” Unlike induction with pitocin, which is synthetic oxytocin, acupressure is thought to encourage the body’s own natural processes. Many practitioners believe it will only work if the baby is ready, but it is only recommended after the 40th week of pregnancy as a precautionary measure.

So how does it work?

In other words, sometimes due to baby’s position or other less-than-ideal circumstances there can be “blockages” in the natural flow of things. For those cases acupressure may be helpful in getting things moving again and helping mama progress smoothly through the stages of labor. Obviously, no one stays pregnant forever, so eventually things move forward no matter what. However, if you are “overdue,” considering a medically indicated induction, or have a sense that something is blocking the natural progression of labor you may want to give the techniques below a try!

Foot & Ankle Pressure Points Thought to Induce Labor

Here are the four points covered in this video (plus what they do):

Spleen 6

Also known as Sanyinjiao, spleen 6 has been shown in this clinical study to shorten labor time and reduce pain. Acupressure experts also say it helps to encourage labor by ripening the cervix and strengthening weak contractions.

Bladder 60 / Kunlun

Bladder 60 is considered particularly helpful for inducing labor when your baby hasn’t dropped yet. It’s also helpful for encouraging baby to descend in the first and second stages of labor. (source)

Bladder 67 / Zhi Yin

This point is thought to be helpful for encouraging breech babies to reposition. It’s also considered generally beneficial for inducing labor.

Kidney 1 / Yongquan

According to licensed Acupuncturist Debra Betts, “This acupressure point has a useful relaxing effect and can be used at any time during labor. It has been noted as being especially useful effective in producing a calming effect during transition. It is easily accessed at this time if the woman is positioned on her knees.

  • This acupressure point is especially useful during a labour where there are feelings of panic (for example, going into a labour with a unpleasant previous birth experience).
  • This acupressure point can also be utilized by placing a seasickness band over the foot so that the plastic press button lies over the point. In this way the point is stimulated as the women walks around during labour. ” (source)

41AtkjZQaEL._SY450_ (1)Note: This is the sea band mentioned above.

Upper Back & Hand Pressure Points

Large Intestine 4/ Hoku / Hegu

One of the most popular points for stimulating and supporting labor, the hoku point can make contractions more efficient and help make contractions of irregular intensity more consistent. Also very helpful for pain management.

Gallbladder 21 / Jian Jing

Can stimulate contractions. Helpful for encouraging baby to descend into the pelvis. (source)

Low Back Pressure Points

Bladder 32 / Ciliao

Helps cervix ripen and dilate. Also known for producing “a pleasant ‘anaesthetising’ effect on the strength of the contractions, noticeably ‘wearing off’ when the pressure is discontinued and building up again when recommenced.” (source)

Not Covered In The Video: Buttock Point

“This point can be used as the women enters transition, either with direct pressure or combined with strong downward massage from Ciliao BL-32 out to this point” Learn how to use it here.

Pain Relief During Labor

For more information on how to use these pressure points for pain relief during labor check out this PDF.

My Approach

I am still perfectly fine waiting on Babypotamus so I’ve only educated myself about these techniques. However, if he/she is still hanging around in my belly around the 42 week mark I will give them a try!

Have you ever tried acupressure or acupuncture? What was your experience?

Additional References: Smith CA, Crowther CA. Acupuncture for induction of labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002962. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002962.pub2. Smith CA, Collins CT, Cyna AM, Crowther CA. Complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003521. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003521.pub2. Betts D Lenox S (2006) Acupuncture For Prebirth Treatment: An Observational Study of its use in Midwifery practice. Medical Acupuncture. Vo 17 No 3 Betts, D The use of acupuncture as a routine pre-birth treatment, Journal of Chinese Medicine, No.76, Oct 2004 Cardini F, Weixin H. (1998). Moxibustion for correction of breechpresentation”. Journal American Medical Association. 280:1580-1584. Cardini F, (2005)Lombardo P, Regalia AL, Regaldo G, Zanini A, Negri MG, Panepuccia L, Todros T. A randomised controlled trial of moxibustion for breech presentation BJOG. 112(6):743-7 Wei Wen, Clinical Observation on the effects of version by moxibustion, Co-operative Research Group on Moxibustion Version, 1984 Chung UL J.( 2003) Effects of LI 4and BL 67 Acupressure on Labour Pain andUterine Contractions in the First Stage of Labour. Nurs Res. 11(4):251-60

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About HEATHER

Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world.