Acupressure Points For Labor Pain Relief, Labor Recovery, & Nursing

How can acupressure possibly help with labor and delivery?

Acupressure can help encourage your body to enter into labor properly and healthily by reducing the stress and healing the emotional and energetic problems within your body that prevent delivery from occurring as it should.

By using acupressure points during your pregnancy and labor, you can boost your body’s health as well as your psychological tolerance of the pain and stress of such an emotional experience.

Utilizing an energetic healing art like acupressure can help you feel more connected to your own body and to the body and spirit of your new child as you enter the new period of parenthood.

Acupressure points can be used to reduce anxiety concerning your delivery, reduce pain, reduce stress, and increase self-confidence.

Given that it’s such an emotional event, there is no doubt in my mind that every woman on earth would benefit from the soothing waves of emotional peace that an energy healing technique like acupressure can produce within the body, mind, and spirit.

Acupressure points to use for reducing labor pains

This first section will detail the points you’ll need first along the pathway to motherhood. The points in this section are for reducing the inevitable pains and stresses of labor.

1. Gallbladder 21, at the top of the shoulder, near the neck.

For pregnant women, it is important that every touch with acupressure be done cautiously and with tender care. Use gradual pressure on this point to help relieve the pain of childbirth.

This point is also useful for reducing nervousness and irritability.

You may also notice an increase in energy and relief of fatigue.

Finally, this point can help with shoulder tension, cold hands and feet, and poor circulation in the extremities.

2. Bladder 27 – 34, the complete area at the base of the spine.

These points can all be used together to reduce menstrual cramps, and help relieve pain and aches in the lower back as well as normal labor pains.

The best way to apply pressure to these points is to lay on your back and put your hands at the base of your spine, in the area shown by the points. This will help relax the pelvic area and uterus, which will reduce pain during your labor.

3. Large Intestine 4, on the hand between the thumb and index finger.

Put pressure on this point by using the fingers on your other hand. This will help relieve constipation, headaches, toothaches, arthritis, and other types of regular old labor pains.

4. Kidney 3, on the back of the heel of the foot.

As a warning, pregnant women should not stimulate this point excessively after the third month of pregnancy. Stimulation during labor should be done gently and not in great amount.

Using this acupressure point for labor pain will also help reduce swelling in the feet, as well as ankle pain, along with even back pains and general fatigue.

5. Bladder 67, on the foot, on the outside edge of the little toe.

This acupressure point is recommended for women who are suffering from difficulty during labor, including malposition of the fetus.

This point can also help reduce itchy skin and nasal obstruction.

Acupressure points for postpartum recovery

In this section, we’ll look at acupressure points that are ideal for promoting recovery and healing of the female body after she has given birth to a beautiful new human being.

1. Conception Vessel 6, on the front of the torso, located two finger widths below the belly button.

This pressure point helps restore weak abdominal muscles (weakened from labor), and general weakness in the body.

It also helps reduce back pain and kidney pain, and helps relieve constipation and gas.

This point helps restore normalcy to the sexual organs and reproductive system, including a healing of problems with irregular vaginal discharge.

Finally, this acupressure point can help reduce insomnia for the weary mother.

2. Pericardium 6, in the middle of the forearm, slightly down the forearm from the wrist.

This pressure point, aside from just helping to reduce wrist pain, will also help get rid of nausea and indigestion. That’s great news someone who may suffer from morning sickness or postpartum nausea.

This acupressure point in the pericardium meridian also helps relieve general discomfort associated with postpartum recovery, including insomnia, anxiety, and heart palpitations.

3. Bladder 23 and Bladder 47, on the back, near your waistline.

Don’t press this point hard if you have serious back problems, especially disc problems or broken bones. If your back is weak in general, use gentle pressure instead of deep pressure to stimulate these pressure points.

This set of related pressure points will help you with all sorts of problems, including general postpartum discomfort.

It will also help reduce lower back aches, fatigue, and sexual organ issues such as impotency, urinary problems, and irregular vaginal discharge.

4. Bladder 48, on the lower back.

This acupressure point for labor recovery will help relieve your pelvic tension.

It will also aid with expulsion issues such as weakness of the bladder, urinary problems, constipation of the bowels, and even hemorrhoids.

It can also help with lower back pain, hip pain, and generation mental and emotional frustration during postpartum recovery.

5. Stomach 36, on the front of the leg, below the knee.

This acupressure recovery point will aid in strengthening your muscles after labor.

It can also help with stomach disorders, improve your digestion, and helps reduce fatigue by boosting your metabolism.

6. Liver 3, on the top of the foot, between the big toe and the second toe.

Apply pressure to this acupuncture point on your foot to relieve yourself of cramps, headaches, fatigue of the eyes, and excess sweating around the body.

Acupressure points for health during nursing of babies

The following pressure points are intended to keep your body functioning healthily during your months spent nursing your new child.

1. Lung 6, on the front of the chest/shoulder.

Apply pressure to this point to relieve difficulty breathing, increase metabolism and relieve fatigue.

This point will help with reducing tension and congestion in the chest, both lung-related conditions to be treated by pressure on this lung meridian point.

This point can also help most other lung and breathing problems, including coughing and asthma. It can also help loosen repressed emotions and give mental clarity.

2. Stomach 16, on the chest.

Use this point along the stomach meridian to relieve breast pain and lactation problems.

It can also help with heartburn and chest congestion, as well as insomnia and depression.

3. Pericardium 1, on the breast, just on the outside of the nipple.

This point will help restore your lymph glands to proper functioning.

It can also treat breast pain, chest pain, and can help fix an insufficient amount of milk production during nursing.

4. Governing Vessel 24.5, the space between GV24 and GV25, right between the eyes.

This point, known as the third eye point, is not actually an acupuncture meridian point but is directly along a meridian and is between two other points. It is a famous spot in many spiritual disciplines because of its connection with the third eye which represents a figurative “spiritual” form of vision.

This spot is used to promote healing of breastfeeding difficulties as well as glandular imbalances.

This point also relieves hay fever, headaches, and eyestrain, as well as indigestion and ulcer pain.

5. Conception Vessel 17, in the center of the breastbone.

Applying pressure to this spot for nursing issues will help you relieve emotional issues like nervousness, depression, hysterical emotions, and other unstable emotional imbalances.

It may also help relieve chest congestion.