Acupressure For Labor

Acupressure is a holistic system that builds on what the body is already doing right. In this way, the use of acupressure can be remarkably beneficial during labor.

Acupressure can be very helpful in descending your baby, dilating your cervix, and making the contractions more frequent and successful. Acupressure shortens the delivery time by helping your body to use its remarkable underlying capabilities better, thus reducing the risk that your baby gets distressed or suffers, in any other way, from a prolonged labor.

Additionally, acupressure can be used to induce labor of a full-time pregnancy. Encouraging your labor to start is a very tempting option when you have reached your 42nd pregnancy week. Studies show that acupressure and the Japanese technique of “shiatsu” induce labor quite effectively. Actually, acupressure is one of the natural labor inducing remedies that has scientifically been shown to work effectively. This is why acupressure is a favorite technique among pregnant women to induce labor.

Acupressure is easy to master without previous experience. Most importantly, it has no side effects. Thus, acupressure is strongly recommendable than medical induction, or the many other “at-home” remedies, which could be dominated with side effects.

Read the whole Acupressure For Labor story here.

Read this before you give any cough or cold medicine for your baby!

Just read this article about how dangerous cough and cold medication could be for babies. Quite shocking!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 11 - After investigating the deaths of three infants between 1 and 6 months of age linked to cough and cold medication use, officials with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are emphasizing that these drugs should be used only after talking with a physician.

Dr. A. Srinivasan and colleagues at the CDC note in the January 12th issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that during 2004 and 2005, approximately 1500 children less than 2 years old were treated in US emergency departments for adverse events associated with cough and cold medications.

For each of the three dead infants, a medical examiner or coroner determined that the cough and cold medications were the underlying causes of death.

Blood levels of the decongestant pseudoephedrine at autopsy ranged from 4700 to 7100 ng/mL; that compares to plasma concentrations of 180-500 ng/mL expected after therapeutic dosing in children ages 2 to 12 years old.

"Because of the risks for toxicity, absence of dosing recommendations, and limited published evidence of effectiveness of these medications in children aged < 2 years, parents and other caregivers should not administer cough and cold medications to children in this age group without first consulting a health-care provider and should follow the provider's instructions precisely," the authors advise.

In an editorial note, the CDC says controlled trials indicate that cough and cold medications are no more effective than placebo in children younger than 2 years of age.

Furthermore, the American College of Chest Physicians in 2006 released clinical practice guidelines for management of cough, advising clinicians to refrain from recommending cough suppressants.

Safer and probably more effective treatments for young patients' symptoms include softening nasal secretions with saline nose drops or a cool-mist humidifier, then clearing nasal congestion with a rubber suction bulb.

Homebirth

Healthy pregnant women with no risk factors for complications during pregnancy, labor or delivery can consider a planned homebirth. Some certified nurse midwives and physicians will deliver babies at home. If you are considering this choice you should ask your insurance company about their policy on homebirths. Some health insurance companies cover the cost of care for home births and others don't.

Homebirths are common in many countries in Europe. But in the United States, planned homebirths are still a controversial issue. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is against homebirths. ACOG states that hospitals are the safest place to deliver a baby. In case of an emergency, says ACOG, a hospital's equipment and highly trained physicians can provide the best care for a woman and her baby.

If you are considering a homebirth, you need to weigh the pros and cons. The main advantage is that you will be able to experience labor and delivery in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Since there will be no routine medical procedures, you will have control of your experience.

The main disadvantage of a homebirth is that in case of a problem, you and the baby will not have immediate hospital/medical care.

To ensure your safety and that of your baby, you must have a highly trained and experienced midwife along with a fail-safe back-up plan. You will need fast, reliable transportation to a hospital. If you live far away from a hospital, homebirth may not be the best choice. Your midwife must be experienced and have the necessary skills and supplies to start emergency care for you and your baby if need be. Your midwife should also have access to a physician 24 hours a day.

To get labor pain relief at home, try to find a midwife or a doula who knows labor acupressure techniques for giving safe pain relief. Or, your husband or other supporting person could easily master few labor acupressure techniques and give you relief from labor pains.

Easier, Shorter and Safer Birth by Lena Leino reveals simple labor acupressure techniques for labor pain relief. Visit http://www.MaternityAcupressure.com for more information.



For labor pain relief at home acupressure is

Medical Labor Induction: Good To Know

A review by The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) suggests that medical induction of labor is overused. The U.S. induction rate has more than doubled since 1989, rising from one woman in ten to one woman in five in 2001. This may, however, grossly undercount the true incidence of labor induction. Nearly half of women in a 2002 survey reported that some effort had been made to start labor artificially. The World Health Organization recommends no more than a 10 percent induction rate.

Despite modern techniques, induction of labor still introduces considerable risk compared with natural onset of labor, and many, if not most, inductions are done for reasons that are not supported by sound medical research.

More information about the Risks of Medical Labor Induction