How to Use Maternity Acupressure

While anyone can use maternity acupressure, it should be noted that this is a very powerful tool. It can be used for inducing labor and for controlling and managing pain during labor. It is also used by women that have had Cesarean births or are trying to avoid Cesarean births. It can even help position the baby in the womb if the baby is not positioned correctly for a normal healthy birth. All this can be done without surgery and the painful recovery times that result from Cesareans.

People use maternity acupressure to apply pressure to the same pressure points located on the body that are used in acupuncture. When pressure is applied to these points:

Contractions can be started or strengthened

Pain can be managed or controlled

The baby can be positioned in the womb for birth

The baby can be guided down the birth canal

Anyone that wants to use maternity acupressure should practice finding the pressure points on a partner, someone who will be with the expectant mother in the birth of the baby. Although it is safe to find the points on the mother’s body, these points should never be massaged before it is time to induce the labor.

Three main areas of the body that are used:

On the skin between the thumb and index finger- this point is useful for inducing labor and pain management

On the inside of the leg, about one inch above the ankle bone

On the small of the back, about A� inch above the dimple over the buttocks

In practice, and at the time of labor, people who want to use maternity acupressure should remember to use lotion, as well. This helps the fingers to slide across the skin smoothly and helps to keep the skin from getting raw from the constant pressure of being rubbed. The position the birth mother should take would be one of comfort, but for the third point, on the small of the back, it has been suggested that it works better when the mother is on her hands and knees.

Those that want to use maternity acupressure should also remember that it could take time for these points to work. After labor is induced, each point should be massaged one at a time, with periods of rest every five minutes. Any one point should only be worked for up to 30 minutes before moving on to the next one.

To use maternity acupressure safely, the birthing partner should practice on him or herself and on others to find the points before labor. The areas, when found should feel tender, like there is a bruise there. Once labor has been induced, the tenderness should leave.

Use maternity acupressure to give birth naturally, without the need for drugs or long, painful recovery times in expensive hospitals. Women all over the world use maternity acupressure every day to safely deliver their children, whether it is one at a time or multiple births, as in the cases with twins or more. Expectant mothers and their birth partners can confidently use maternity acupressure to increase the chances of a well-managed birth.