How can I reduce the risk of being induced? Around 6 weeks before the birth of your baby your cervix starts to ripen. Just like a juicy pear it softens and prepares the birth of your baby when it will start to thin and open. Starting to calm your life down and relax at this time is beneficial.
Studies have shown that using acupuncture from your 37th or 38th week of pregnancy may reduce your risk of induction by around 20%
And if you are already under pressure from your hospital for being post dates?
We have successfully treated many women in speeding up the cervical ripening and inducing natural labour with acupuncture and have demonstrated the use of acupressure during labour to help keep labour going. Again this is all backed up with medical trials. (Research has shown that the average length of labour in women who had given birth for the first time was reduced from eight hours and two minutes to 6 hours and 36 minutes in the group of women who had prebirth acupuncture).
How can I help turn my breech or transverse baby?
A baby starts to migrate head down from about the 28th week. If the baby is still not head down by week 34 you should probably look into doing something to encourage them.
There are many things you can do to help turn a baby who hasn’t gone head down yet. These include:
- Dropping to all fours and putting your chest on the floor when you feel your baby moving.
- Having your pelvis checked for any misalignment by an osteopath and corrected. A misaligned pelvis can change the shape of the uterus making it unfavourable for your baby’s head.
- Use acupuncture and moxibustion (the application of heat) for 14 days continuously.
Here at The elbowroom clinic we provide acupuncture services including moxibustion sticks so you can do the treatment yourself at home.
We recommend you book into us for a consultation if:
- You experience any pregnancy related symptoms
- At your 37th week to start your cervical ripening treatments
- And from 34 to 39 weeks to help breech presentation.
