Last time in my Making Babies blog post series, I talked about estimated due dates and synthetic oxytocin for induction. In this post I talk about Acupuncture for labour induction, a great natural alternative if you want to encourage the onset of labour... In my practice I have induced quite a few ladies with great success. Acupuncture is an excellent alternative to medical induction as it has zero adverse affects and works by helping enhance the body’s own natural processes. In parts of Asia, it has been used for centuries to encourage the onset of labour. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses acupuncture on specific points of the body to stimulate the natural release of hormones that soften and ripen the cervix which help prepare the body for birth. Most women who have reached 40 weeks + of pregnancy need between 1-3 treatments before labour begins, which typically starts anywhere between 6-24 hours after a treatment — although, I have seen a few women start contractions during the 1 hour session. With doctor or midwife approval, it is safe for a low-risk mother who is post-due to receive Acupuncture Induction Treatments on consecutive days. Pregnant woman can benefit from labour induction acupuncture with no prior acupuncture experience. It’s important to note that because Acupuncture is a natural way to encourage labour, needling will NOT cause contractions before the baby is ready to be delivered. The latest research suggests the process of labour is actually triggered by signals from the baby’s body — but Acupuncture works on preparing the mother’s body to be as ready and supported as possible to receive these signals. Acupuncture keeps a mother’s body open, strong and relaxed so that when the baby is ready, labour progresses smoothly. Acupuncture Labour Induction also decreases a mother’s stress and anxiety which is crucial in promoting a healthy, complication free delivery. In some cases, Acupuncture has been said to reduce active labour time and helps mother and child experience a gradual, less-traumatic onset of labour than with medical induction. If you are pregnant and are looking for gentle alternatives to oxytocin induction or just want to encourage baby to hustle and help prepare your body for birth, book in for Acupuncture for Labour Induction. I’m on maternity leave until July 5th — but you can book in with me for Acupuncture now and reserve your space! Click here to book or call my clinic at (613) 235-7243 for more info.
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