Pre-labor Acupuncture

Pre-birth, or pre-labor, acupuncture refers to a series of acupuncture treatments given in the last weeks of pregnancy. Ideally, weekly pre-birth treatments would be once a week starting at 36-37 weeks. Acupuncture treatments are centered on decreasing anxiety, aiding the baby into an optimal position, cervical ripening, and relaxing of the pelvic muscles. Recent research has shown that pre-birth acupuncture can lead to a shorter active labor time and a reduced need for medical interventions. Though acupuncture is a natural way to encourage labor, acupuncture needling will not cause labor before the baby is ready to be delivered. The process of natural labor is actually triggered by signals from the baby’s body. Acupuncture needling works on the mother’s body, not the fetus; so acupuncture merely prepares the mother’s body to be as ready and supported as possible for when the baby is ready to trigger

the labor process.