I am getting ready to have my first child and it is important to me to deliver my baby naturally; without an epidural or pain medication. What are some good acupuncture points for managing pain during labor and delivery?
For 'difficult labor", Acupuncture: A Comprehensive Text by the Shanghai College of Traditional Medicine, recommends a combination of the points:
- Spleen 12 (Sp 12)
- Large Intestine 4 (LI 4)
- Stomach 30 (St 30)
- Liver 4 (Lv 4)
- Spleen 6 ( sp 6)
- Gallbaldder 21 (GB 21)
Point for Turning Baby - UB 67
One randomized controlled trial studied a classical TCM treatment for breech birth (i.e., buttocks-first orientation of the baby, which is much riskier than head-first). The study showed that moxibustion at acupoint BL 67 (aka UB 67), located at the tip of the fifth toe, was more effective than placebo at reducing the incidence of breech birth.
Cesarian section anesthesia
For Cesarian section anesthesia, Acupuncture: A Comprehensive Text by the Shanghai College of Traditional Medicine, recommends:
- Stomach 36 (St 36)
- Spleen 6 (Sp 6)
- Gallbladder 26 (GB 26)
- and the medial anesthetic point - midway between Spleen 9 and the inner malleolus