At Northern Beaches Integrative Practitioners we support women from pre conception through to birth. Everyday we are supporting women in the lead up to their births. We often get asked if we induce labour when there is time pressure. The long and short answer to this is Acupuncture does not induce labour. Medicine – and more specifically – syntocin and other medicines – induce labour. What Acupuncture DOES do is support a women’s natural hormonal physiology and nervous system, naturally promoting the hormonal cascade into labour. Structurally, we work on relaxing the muscles and tendons around the pelvis and back, helping a woman to feel more relaxed and comfortable. The impact of a more relaxed body helps to keep a woman feeling more relaxed.
Effectively using acupuncture to prepare for labour has been shown to reduce the amount of time a woman spends in labour and has been shown to reduce intervention rates. Using Acupressure during a woman’s labour has been shown to increase effectiveness of contractions and to help with modifying pain perception.
Supporting women through pregnancy and helping to align her to have the best birth possible is the aim of our game and something every woman should have access to.
If you’re curious to know more, reach out to any of our fabulous practitioners.
