Some women will use acupressure points to stimulate their labour contractions. Certain points may be stimulated with the aim of encouraging the contractions to start, restart, regulate or strengthen. The points are described in more detail in
acupressure points. There are some people who hire a
TENS machine for labour to use for pain relief. However, the machine can also be used on certain acupressure points to stimulate labour contractions.
Acupuncture
A few women will use acupuncture to stimulate their contractions. This may be possible after the waters have broken break (and the woman is staying at home for a few hours, or is able to leave the hospital to have the acupuncture). Some acupuncturists will visit the woman's birthplace (depending on the time of day and their availability). The acupuncturist will normally target particular body points with the needles, or moxibustion, to stimulate contractions. The points may also be used to 'balance' the woman, raising or lowering energy levels in her body, to create the best possible environment for labour to start.
Aromatherapy
Some women will organise an aromatherapy massage, or burn aromatherapy oils to help stimulate their contractions. Some commonly used oils are Clary sage (not recommended if you have epilepsy), jasmine, lavender, chamomile, mandarin, geranium or rose. Consult with your caregiver and Aromatherapist.