Has anyone had success inducing labor with acupunture?

[CrunchyBikerMama]

i'm 41 weeks and babe is still showing no signs of coming. i've done castor oil 3 times, tried black cohosh, as much nipple stim as i can tolerate, walking, sex, pineapple -- nothing is working. i'm very afraid of coming up on 42 weeks, because then i believe that legally (in FL), my midwives are not allowed to attend the birth. i do NOT want another hospital birth and i'm not opposed to UC, but i'd rather have the birth i've been planning for so many months. if i haven't given birth by Sunday, my midwives want to sweep my membranes. i'm really trying to avoid any kind of intervention, even that one, so i've scheduled a session with an acupuncturist on Friday afternoon.

has anyone here had good luck inducing labor using acupuncture? if so, did it work right away, or hours later?

[ChillMom]

Hi,
I can share my personal experience with you. I was facing induction at 40 weeks due to GD, so I decided to try accupunture. After the first treatment, I definitely felt alot more pressure in my pelvis that night. I went back for a 2nd treatment and my water broke the following day. Unfortunately, I still didn't go into labor and ended up being induced 24 hours later. That said, once I was induced it was only 6 1/2 hours from the 1st contraction to when my baby was born.

Overally, I really think the accupuncture helped get things moving but just didn't get me over the last hurdle.

[AugustLia23]

Not me personally, but I did attend a birth a few weeks ago with a mom, 42weeks+ whose labor started with acupuncture.

Often it can take more than one session, but it can work. I had my membranes stripped at 40w2d and that's what put me into labor. You do have to be at least a bit dilated for this to work, but I don't think it's the worst thing out there, definitely better than a hospital birth IMHO.

[koru]

i had acupuncture & cupping on my first dd's due date....and she was born about 18 hrs later.

[mamabadger]

I haven't myself, but several of my clients have used acupuncture to start labour. One went into labour before leaving the office, a couple of others within hours, the rest in the next 2 or 3 days.
I spoke to a local acupuncturist who as also a MD back in Beijing. She said that when induction was necessary back in China, it was almost always done with acupuncture rather than Pitocin or other drugs.

[bobandjess99]

a lady in my local moms group did....unfortunatel, labor stalled and then the acupuncturist actually went to the hospital, and got things going again......but unfortunately, later it stalled yet again, and the mom finally got harassed into a C/S. But she said the acu did work to get labor moving.

[mezzaluna]

i was being pressured about medical induction after 40 weeks when i had elevated blood pressure, and started showing protein in my urine and blood tests. i did two treatments - 40w2d and 40w4d. they were very relaxing, at least! there were some points on my back that did cause some contraction of my uterus - and later i had DH rub those spots on my back to produce the same effect.

my cervix did efface substantially over those couple days - although that might have happened naturally at that time anyway, right? the acupuncturist did say she was not trying to induce labor, but to help me be as ready as possible...

i lost my mucus plug after the 2nd treatment, had mild contractions the night of 40w6d and throughout the day on 41w0d... went into labor that night and delivered 6 hours later at 41w1d.

i had scheduled an induction for 41w1d but postponed it the day before because i felt things were underway. the increased effacement would probably have made for an easier induction anyway... so i think the acupuncture would have been worth it whether it helped bring on natural labor or not.

sending you natural labor vibes!!

[mezzaluna]

oh, one more thing - what position is your baby in? a posterior positioning can delay onset of labor and of course slow down labor... the better the head is applied to the cervix, the better effacement and dilation happens. check out www.spinningbabies.com if you know the baby is posterior or if you're not sure!

[Momma Aimee]

YES

I was faceing induction at week 38 due to a failed placenta --

I was a pin cusion --

and labor started within 12 hours.

Aimee

[jengacnm]

According to an acupuncturist I just met, attempting induction doesn't work so well prior to term. For example, trying to stimulate labor at 38 1/2 weeks due to preeclampsia or something.

She said it works PHENOMENALLY well between 10 and 14 days potdates, however.

Easy birthing vibes!

Jennifer

[Momma Aimee]

I was at week 38 and 2 days.

Dr Beth told me, it coud not FORCE labor is my body was not ready, but as 38 weeks is generally considered term, if my body was ready it would "kick start it" and it did.

It was great.

NExt time i will use it if labor stalls too.

Aimee

[Qalliope]

It did not work to start my labor (2 sessions) but it was the most relaxing thing I had ever done, and definitely worth it, regardless.

[charmander]

It worked for me. My labor started 1 hour after the acupuncture treatment.

[babycatcher01]

I had two week of it three times a week, I relaxed but no labor.

[sevenkids]

Acupuncture doesn't actually induce labor, it shifts the qi (energy) towards the uterus and makes the body more conducive or accepting to labor. Sometimes, if a mama is just on the edge, it will kick labor in right away, sometimes it softens the cervix, sometimes it brings the baby down lower.
If there is a lot of stagnation or blockage of qi, it takes longer, so your acupuncturist shuold be helping to treat your emotional issues as well. Then there's lots of stuff about yang channels and jaio defincies and ascending ying that I don't really understand well enough to explain.
In short, don't expect acupuncture to actually put you in labor, but expect it to move the qi down and into your uterus. You will feel the energy shift, for sure.

[MidwifeErika]

I had no luck with it.

[zek_grrl]

I was scheduled to have accupunture on my due date and while I had a treatment for other things (BP, hemroids) we also used some of the "inducement" points but didn't stimulate them. I didn't want to start labour if my body wasn't ready. Anyway my water broke and bub was born with 48hours of the treatment. I would definately have treatment again throughout my pregnancy for general well-being.

[SwissMama]

Worked for me.