“Easier, Shorter, and Safer Birth” - A Review

The E-Book, “Easier, Shorter, and Safer Birth” is a wonderful tool for any expecting mother and her partner. The book is all about how to use acupressure to make your labor and birth easier, shorter and safer. Many women who go beyond their due date are faced with the possibility of being induced. For a first time mother her entire pregnancy is new and sometimes overwhelming. Women who have gone through being induced may want to avoid it in whatever way they can. Often being induced will cause a woman to need a C-section. This is a procedure that can be avoided by using the acupressure shown in this book.

The author Lena Leino does a very good job at explaining what acupressure is. It’s a very easy technique to learn and she explains how anyone can learn and apply it. It’s suggested that the expecting mother’s partner, whether it be the father, Doula, or birthing partner be the one to apply the acupressure simply because it’s easier for them to push and massage the correct points. The expecting mother certainly can do it herself, but some pressure points may be harder for her to reach in her late stage of pregnancy. There are also warnings of when you should and should not use the acupressure. Women who have not reached their 39^th week should not use it because of the possibility of pre-term labor.

The book goes over the risks of a medical induction compared to the completely safe and natural use of acupressure to induce labor. The benefits of acupressure induction far outweigh the medical ones by far. The book also shows that acupressure is a more effective way to induce an expecting mother. But for those that still need to go through being medically induced, it explains how acupressure can help these women as well.

The book explains exactly how to apply the pressure to the points on the woman’s body, both how often and how long. There are very clear pictures that show you exactly where the pressure points are so there is no confusion if you are finding the right spot. She also explains how the mother should feel when the correct spot is being pressed. The instruction she gives is easy to read with no confusion. Even the complete novice should feel very knowledgeable after reading this book.

The book goes through the different points on the body and explains exactly what they do and how they can help an expecting mother to prepare for birth. It also explains how to help during the birth. The pressure points that are used on the body can help with, inducing labor, turning a posterior baby, labor pain relief, anxiety and nervousness, relaxation, nausea, vomiting, strengthening contractions, and dilating better. As you can see the acupressure can help in every aspect of the labor and the delivery. If you are looking for the easiest, safest and fastest way to begin your labor and to birth your baby then this book is definitely the book for you.

How To Induce Labor

The average gestation for a pregnancy is 40 weeks. If you start to carry towards 42 weeks your doctor may suggest that you be induced. There are other reasons a doctor may suggest to induce an expecting mother, most of them are medical reasons. Some women will ask to be induced for reasons of their own. When your doctor suggests a medical inducement he will go over the different ways it can be started. Your doctor will also tell you all the risks involved with inducing a labor.

One way to start labor is to artificially rupture your membrane. Your doctor will use a sterile, plastic, thin hook and brush it against the membranes just inside your cervix. This will break your water and produce the hormone prostaglandin which will increase contractions. This can be done at a regular doctor’s office.

Stripping your membranes is similar to artificially rupturing your membranes; it can be done at the office. Your doctor will insert their finger into your cervix and sweep the membranes away from the mouth of the cervix. This will also produce the hormone prostaglandin which will help increase the occurrence of contractions.

After both of these you will go home and wait for labor to start. If your membrane has been ruptured you don’t want to go for more than 24 to 48 hours without signs of labor. This could lead to an infection.

The other most common medical ways to induce labor is through administering artificial hormones. The hormones that are used are called prostaglandins and Pitocin.

If you are being administered the artificial hormones; you will be admitted to the delivering hospital and given an IV that will deliver the hormone into your body. Prostaglandins are used for ripening the cervix. These can be administered as a suppository. The pitocin will start contractions in your uterus. Your body naturally produces oxytocin or artificially known as pitocin at high levels during active labor.

There are also more natural ways to start labor. Some are not medically tested and the success rates of these are not guaranteed. Sex is one of the most common natural ways that labor can be induced. If it’s comfortable for the woman, and the doctor has approved, you can have sex up till the time your water breaks. Semen has the hormone prostaglandins in it, and orgasm releases oxytocin, which causes uterine contractions. So sex is a great way to naturally start labor on your own. Nipple stimulation has been shown to work for some women, it produces pitocin also.

Some women also swear by eating or drinking things such as castor oil, evening primrose oil (which only ripens the cervix), spicy foods and blue and black cohosh which are herbs that can help. A good walk can also be helpful to get the baby into position. A more natural way without ingesting anything is to use acupressure. Acupressure can be performed by the expecting mother and by her partner. There are no side effects with this and it has been proven to work without any harmful side effects. All you need to know is the pressure points and how long to massage or press those points.

Whichever route you go, always seek the medical advice of your doctor first. He will be able to tell you the pros and cons of each and lead you in the best course of action.

Welcome To Inducing Labor!

Here we'll look into the latest ideas and methods for inducing labor safely and easily, and examine all the latest ideas in the field.

Check back often and feel free to contribute as we will be bringing fresh ideas to the discussion!