Usually the first a pregnant woman hears about acupuncture is when she has reached her due date and nothing has happened. Her midwife or OB may then suggest she try acupuncture to help kick start a natural labor. And this is the first time I see a lot of pregnant women – unfortunately.  

From a Chinese medicine perspective this means your spleen, kidney and liver energy need to be strong and balanced. This usually takes a couple of weeks to treat.  In this process, your cervix will be supported to soften, ripen and do the preparation work for labor.  Your cervix needs to soften, ripen and open to complete.  It can do this over a period of weeks gently or more intensely in a shorter period of time.  We will work to coax your baby into the best possible position for birth, relaxing the muscles and tendons in your low back and pelvis preparing you for the work of labor.

 In 1974, a study was published in The American Journal of Acupuncture that concluded that acupuncture as a form of birth preparation helped to reduce the average time a woman spends in labor.
 
"A randomised controlled trial in 2001 by Rabl and team involved 45 women and studied the effect of acupuncture on cervical ripening in the hope of reducing inductions. The authors concluded that acupuncture helped to ripen the cervix and it shortened the time between the due date and the actual delivery date, thereby decreasing the need for a medical induction."
 
"In 2006,  an observational study was published in the Medical Acupuncture Journal. It involved fourteen midwives who recorded their acupuncture treatments with 169 women over a four-month period. They recorded how many weeks gestation the women were at the time of labour, whether or not they received a medical induction, the length of labour, the type of pain relief used and ultimately what type of delivery they had.
 
When they compared their results to other women in the same region, they found: There was a 35% reduction in the number of inductions for women overall, for first-time pregnant women this was reduced by 43%. There was a 31% reduction in epidural rate and when compared to the local midwifery practice. There was a 32% reduction in cesarean sections and a 9% increase in normal vaginal births. The study concluded that it looked very promising for women to receive acupuncture prior to their birth."
 
As a result of these studies, pregnant women have evidence that weekly acupuncture treatment in the four weeks prior to birth reduces the liklihood of induction and increases healthy vaginal births. The acupuncture treats for any imbalances in the organ systems according to Chinese medicine, as well as help the baby to engage if need be, startsto ripen the cervix, relax muscles and tendons and calm the mind and spirit.
 
How Chinese medicine sees your body during pregnancy
From a Chinese medicine perspective, if a woman experiences excessive swelling in her last trimester, this is a sign that her Spleen energy is weak and needs strengthening. Her body is working hard dealing with the extra fluid.  Acupuncture will help support her spleen according to Chinese medicine and support her to bring the spleen energy back into balance. If a woman is stressed or irritated, this indicates her liver energy needs addressing. In Chinese medicine we refer to it as “stuck” Liver Qi (energy). Acupuncture and diet can help the Qi to flow smoothly and hence help labour to go smoothly also.
 
If a woman is afraid, this indicates her kidney energy needs strengthening as this may affect labor.  A woman’s biology is set up so that she does not labor when she is scared. When a woman is in a comfortable place and of a positive mind set for natural spontaneous labor to start and then progress. Every though we have, every emotion we experience has a direct, biochemical reaction in the body.  Acupuncture, meditation/visualization and diet can help dispel fears and nourish the kidney energy helping prepare for labor and postpartum recovery.