Approaching the upcoming birth of your baby? Worried about what labour will be like? Acupuncture can be extremely beneficial for preparing both mom and baby for an optimal labour/delivery. In fact, there are even points that are traditionally used to help promote the turning of a breech baby! During both of my own pregnancies I received acupuncture starting at week 36 to help prepare my body for the incredible and overwhelming event of birth. As an ND and a mom, acupuncture for labour prep is something I commonly recommend.
While treatment is usually individualized on a case by case basis, there are some common points used in preparatory acupuncture, some of which include:
Stomach 36: a point to nourish blood and tonify Qi; important to build up strength before labour.
Gallbladder 34: helps to encourage relaxed ligaments prior to labour.
Urinary Bladder 62: regulates energies in the penetrating and conception vessels. These channels are important energetically during pregnancy and labour especially.
Urinary Bladder 60: this point has a descending action, it helps to draw energy downward – which you want to promote nearing the end of your pregnancy.
I highly recommend getting in touch with a licensed naturopathic doctor or acupuncturist who can design a pre-birth protocol for you if you are approaching your due date. There are also protocols to help induce labour naturally and as I mentioned above to help turn breech babies. The use of induction drugs like pitocin have actually been shown to increase the risk of caesarean section in first time mothers. (1) The fact that acupuncture can help with induction/breech and simple labour prep is something many mama’s-to-be are unaware of!
Knowledge is power mamas – if you’d like more information, contact us to book your appointment today!
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