Electrostimulation to stimulate labour
Zap Yourself Into Labour!
When times are desperate- there is one more option before succumbing to a medical induction if that is not what you want
In this month’s birth story with Eloise, we discuss the pressure she felt of her husband leaving for work, and day by day ticking over with a belly still pregnant. This led her to try a multitude of natural induction methods to stimulate labour and get this baby out ASAP!
Inclusive of acupuncture, moxibustion, essential oils, herbs and dates which have all been discussed in previous Appetence blog posts, the one to really ‘Hit the nail on the head’ was the electrostimulation that Eloise received.
What is Electrostimulation?
Electrostimulation is the use of acu-needles in certain pressure points with mild electrical impulses running through them. In pregnant women, it is usually performed in a side-lying position hugging a body pillow.
Studies on Electrostimulation
One study on a very small amount of women (8) went into labour following acupuncture treatments, suggesting feasibility for electrostimulation acupuncture as a method to induce labour within 24 h or less of 1 treatment.
The points they used were;
The needles were inserted into the points;
SP6
For uterine stimulation and the action of moving baby ‘down’.
LI4
Shortens time between the due date and delivery.
LI3
Increase contraction frequency and strength.
DU20
Stimulate relaxation in the mother.
This case shows that a relatively painless, affordable, safe, and non-pharmaceutical approach to inducing labour is feasible and may be useful.
A 2015 efficacy study comparing Chinese medicine with conventional methods showed that Chinese medical interventions could reduce the number of interventions throughout the birth process as well as delivery interventions.
4 of these women went into active labour within 1 to 26 hours after the first treatment. Three women went into active labour 4 to 36 hours after the second treatment.
And lastly, this study shows that electrostimulation encourages cervical ripening with similar results to misoprostol and actually has a higher amount of vaginal deliveries without obstetric complications in comparison to misoprostil.
A point I wanted to make very clear.
Induction is Induction
Natural or medical, we are making labour start before it is ready to do so.
YES natural methods are a safer method of inducing
YES natural methods can induce only the women almost ready to birth (rather than medical induction working on women and baby’s that are far from ‘ready’).
But in the end, we really should be patient and allow labour to start spontaneously for as long as we can, and as long as we feel safe to do so. In Eloise Birth story she explains that the third and fourth births she naturally induced, and the outcome was a long ‘spurious labour and lots of ‘start-stop’ nights of contractions in comparison to her first two not induced labours that were very ‘hard and fast’.
