Using Acupressure Points During Labor

Video Transcript

"So you want to help ease labor along. My name is Mark Brinson doctor of Oriental medicine, physical medicine and human performance specialist. Hoping that today I can give you a couple of tips to help that labor go just a little bit easier. While doing this you can do a lot of different things, it's probably better left to a health professional and acupuncture physician if you really want to help with the labor process, but there's a couple of things that you can do just acupressure wise by hand that could help the person ease pain significantly and help the process go a little quicker. First of all an acupressure point for pain relief, if you go into the web of the hand, pressing towards the palm, there's a spot called LI 4 or he go, that is extremely good for pain in the head, the neck, the shoulders but particularly it's one of the best points for pain whole body wise that you can use. So this LI 4 is a good point to stimulate. Now you want to make sure that you don't do this with too heavy of a pressure or to the point where you are annoying or are hurting the person. You want to keep this kind of light to medium. Another point that is extremely good is right in the middle of the ball of the foot, so where the pads of the bottom of the foot meet, right where they meet is a spot called kidney one. That helps to move energy downward they say. So stimulating that lightly could help to make the labor go quicker. As with anything, if you want to do more then that, if you want to help induce labor, if you want to help to flip the fetus, if you want to help with overall pain relief, and to do this in a much natural way. You can consult your acupuncture physician or one that might be able to work with you and your midwife, or with you and your doctor during the labor process. My name is Mark Brinson, doctor of Oriental medicine, physical medicine specialist wishing you a happy, healthy and balanced pregnancy."