Natural Labour Induction
Reflexology to induce labour
Reflexology is fantastic, it helps you to calm down, connect with your body and feel at peace. The chance that labour will happen naturally is greatly increased when the body is in this state.
There are specific points that can be worked to stimulate labour; however, I really believe that labour is not to be forced.
Forcing the onset of labour is rarely a positive experience. I see lots of women who have been induced medically or through alternative medicine and rarely do they feel they had a positive experience.
I work with you to connect to baby and your body so that you can have an intuitive birth.
We will gently ask the body if it is time for labour.
My work with highly experienced hypnotherapist Sian Quipp and our preparation for birth courses means I have a range of tools and techniques to support you to have a positive birth.
We will talk through any concerns you might have, work to get you feeling really calm, I’ll teach you points for pain and to safely and naturally support labour progression.
How can I induce labour naturally?
Your labour will be induced by a hormonal reaction in the body. There are four main hormones involved in this process, oxytocin, endorphins, adrenaline and prolactin.
To induce labour naturally, we need to be maximising oxytocin, endorphins and prolactin and reducing adrenaline. The most effective way to do this is to ensure you feel calm, comfortable and confident.
Things that I would focus on would be your environment, having scents and lighting that trigger a feeling of relaxation. Ensuring that you are surrounded by people who make you feel comfortable and safe (and getting your birth partner to reduce interactions with people who don’t bring calm).
Staying upright and using gravity where possible as the pressure of baby against your cervix and then against tissues in the pelvic floor stimulates oxytocin and contractions.
Reflexology can be a really powerful way to stimulate relaxation and help you to feel calm.
Reflexology or acupuncture to induce labour?
Both are effective, most reflexologists will also be trained in acupressure so can stimulate the same points as an acupuncturist.
I would recommend reflexology for a more calming gentle treatment, asking the body if it is ready and supporting the progression of labour in a very natural easy way.
Can reflexology help with a short and productive labour?
Yes. I’ve worked with lots of women to prepare for a second labour when the first was traumatic with lots of intervention and felt out of their control. For all women so far, their experience has been really positive, feedback has been that they felt empowered and confident in their choices.
Sometimes things happen that are outside our control and it isn’t possible to have a short and/or productive labour, what is useful in these situations it to have tools and techniques to regain that sense of calm and confidence in your decision making so you can decide how it is best for you to proceed. So, you are prepared for whatever happens and feel happy about your birth experience.
Reflexology to induce labour success rate
I always joke with clients that this is 100%! All clients who come to see me have gone into labour.
Reflexology is not a medical intervention, there have been no control trials, so we cannot truly know its effectiveness or success rate.
I do know that for the women I work with, they feel relaxed and comfortable, they trust their body and, in most cases, will go into labour naturally within a day or two.
Can reflexology turn a breech baby
A few maternity clients have experienced this, where baby was breech but has turned after a treatment. This however is not something that has been tested and we don’t know that reflexology was the cause.
There is a fantastic website, Spinning Babies by Gail Tully on getting baby into the best position. If you have concerns about baby’s position, I would try some of the techniques here first.
https://spinningbabies.com/learn-more/techniques/the-fantastic-four/sidelying-release/
I would also recommend listening to Gail Tully speak on Katie Bowman’s podcast, Move Your DNA Episode 96: Birth and The Shapeshifting Pelvis.
If you are Manchester based and would like to find out more about tools and techniques for an intuitive birth alongside a calming reflexology treatment, please get in touch.
Email | hannah@hannahtappenden.com
