Beginning around the 36th week of pregnancy a weekly acupuncture treatment can really help first-time moms. With acupuncture support they have a better chance of avoiding a long, drawn-out labor.
A midwife in New Zealand in the early 2000s kept track of how women having their first baby responded to acupuncture. Over a 4-month period she found the moms who’d had 3 pre-birth acupuncture treatments, coming in once a week, spent less time in active labor. With acupuncture support labor lasted 5 hrs, 9 hrs, 7 hrs, 7 hrs, 6 hrs and 7 hrs. Without pre-birth acupuncture the average labor was 14 hrs. That’s quite a difference.
In an observational study in 2004 of 169 women who’d received prebirth acupuncture compared to local population rates, acupuncturist Debra Betts and midwife Sue Lennox found that with acupuncture there were 35% fewer inductions and a 31% reduction in epidurals. For first babies it was even better with 43% fewer inductions. In the group of babies delivered by midwives there were 32% fewer emergency c-sections and a 9 % increase in normal vaginal births.
With weekly acupuncture treatments labor typically progresses well without stopping and starting, usually beginning before 42 weeks. If a medical induction is necessary it often goes more smoothly for people who’ve had regular weekly acupuncture sessions to help their body prepare for labor. Some points support cervical ripening or release tension in the hips and pelvis. Others can help the baby move into a good position, ready for birth.
At anytime in pregnancy acupuncture can address discomforts like heartburn, insomnia, anxiety, back pain, swollen hands & feet, nasal congestion and constipation. Plus it’s also a good support for the western treatment of pregnancy-induced hypertension or gestational diabetes, coordinating care with your obstetrician or midwife.
So, to increase your chances of a natural, efficient labor consider adding acupuncture support near the end of your pregnancy. Look for an experienced acupuncturist who specializes in pregnancy care like the ones who practice at A Woman’s Time.
Janene Mitchell, LAc, FABORM
