There are several techniques that a woman can use to naturally induce labor at home and one of the most safe and effective ways is labor or maternity acupressure. When performed properly, labor acupressure can significantly improve a woman’s birthing experience.

But what exactly is acupressure and how does it work? The word acupressure is a combination of the words “acupuncture” and “pressure”. But fear not, there are no needles involved here. Acupressure uses only fingers to apply pressure to key points on the the skin.

Acupressure is an ancient art of healing that has roots in traditional Chinese medicine. It uses fingers, palms, elbows or special devices to apply pressure to so called acu-points that are located on energy pathways called meridians. When these points are stimulated, they release the body’s natural self healing abilities.

Does acupressure really works? Well, it’s been practiced for quite a few thousand years, so there has to be something about it. Recently, a number of scientific studies have been done in this area and to my knowledge they all confirm positive effects of acupressure. I’m not aware of any negative findings about it.

Acupressure is used for treating various ailments. In western world it’s predominantly used to relieve pain, reduce stress and tension, and improve overall well being. In China people use it everyday for things like colds, headaches, sore muscles and even hangovers.

It can also be used quite effectively during pregnancy and childbirth. It can give you relief from labor pains, help you induce labor naturally, increase the efficiency of the contractions, keep you more relaxed and shorten the delivery time. All this without the use of medications.

You’re probably familiar with risks and side effects that come with medical induction. Maternity acupresure is certainly one of the safest and most effective way to induce labor naturally.