Acupressure Can Induce Labor
Are you nearing the end of your pregnancy? Are you eagerly preparing for the arrival of your new baby? Are you also feeling a little anxious at the thought of having a medical induction? Well, you don’t have to. You have probably heard of many tips and remedies to induce labor naturally and I am sure you have come across acupressure. Acupressure can induce labor but not only that, it is also a very effective pain relief method during labor that works without slowing down labor.
The theory behind acupressure is similar to that of acupuncture but without the needles. Acupressure stimulates specific points in the body which in turn stimulates the nervous system to release hormones that start contractions and induce babies head is encouraged to descend and engage earlier.
Is there any evidence that it works? The Complementary Therapy and Medicine Journal published a study in 2005. Women using acupressure went into labor more often and for a shorter time than the women were not using any acupressure techniques.
With respect to pain relief, acupressure not only relieves the pain but also does not slow down labor. This is one of the concerns with using medical pain relief such as epidurals. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published a study in 2004. This study showed that by stimulating one single pressure point, labor pain was significantly reduced.
Maternity acupressure is an extremely simple hands-on involves the use fingers and thumbs to apply pressure onto specific, sensitive pressure points on the body called acupressure points. During labor, acupressure can be used to strengthen contractions and help the cervix to dilate. These shortens the labor process.
With simple basic instructions on where the pressure points are and how to apply pressure to them, you can safely use maternity acupressure at home to naturally induce your labor.Acupressure can induce labor and is now a recommended method of self inducing by midwives and health professionals.
