How to Use Acupressure to Induce Labor? Acupressure to Induce Labor After nine months of pregnancy, little is more miserable than lingering past your due date. Your feet hurt, your back hurts, and you want to see your baby, not just feel your baby. The good news is that inducing labor naturally using acupressure is safe. You can take control and help to get your labor started. While there are numerous natural labor inducing methods that might help to start your contractions, but none of them are as effective and safe as acupressure in inducing labor. Labor acupressure increases blood flow in the uterus, helps the baby to descend into the pelvis, ripens the cervix, and encourages your labor to begin. Most importantly, acupressure is simple, and there are no side effects. You can perform it easily on yourself, or you can ask your partner to do it. Unlike medications that force labor to start by working against the body, acupressure works with your body to encourage and assist the contractions to start naturally. The bottom line is that acupressure can help you avoid medical inducements such as Foley catheters, medications, and worst of all ? a cesarean section. Here are some of the best points of acupressure to induce labor and to get your baby ready to go. Adjoining Valley (LI4) This point affects the large intestine, which surrounds a portion of your uterus. It is one of the best points for labor inducement. Located in the webbing between your thumb and your forefinger, you will absolutely know when you?ve found the spot ? it will be tender. You need to press firmly here, however. This is also a great point to use when you?re in the delivery room to ease the discomfort of labor. Shoulder Well (GB21) This point is where your shoulder muscle is highest, approximately four finger-widths from your shoulder joint toward your neck. The point should be the most tender of all of the points along the shoulder. You can also teach this point to your partner and ask him to use it on you while you?re in the delivery room to reduce your labor pains. Big and High (BL60) This point helps the baby to descend toward the pelvis. It is located between the ankle bone and the Achilles? tendon on the back of your foot just above the heel. Three Yin Crossing (SP6) This point helps to ripen the cervix and strengthen weak contractions. It is located four finger-widths above the ankle next to the bone on the inside of the leg. If you find a spot that is more tender than the surrounding areas, you have found the correct point. You can also try applying pressure to the roof of your mouth with your tongue. This is a little known acupressure point that you can easy stimulate while you?re doing any of your day-to-day tasks. You can certainly try many of the natural methods for inducing labor, but acupressure has worked for more women than any other. So, no matter what you try, be sure to add these simple massage techniques to your repertoire. Get complete step-by-step instructions how to use acupressure to induce labor naturally and get effective and safe labor pain relief without drugs, visit: http://www.maternityacupressure.com/   More articles: Acupressure and nausea Acupressure for the lower back Maternity Acupressure    Natural Ways To Induce Labor    Inducing Labor Naturally with Acupressure    Home Birth         About Us  |  Contact Us Privacy Statement & Terms of Service ? 2006-2007 Golden Publishing House. All rights reserved. 8345 NW 66 St #8966, Miami, FL, USA DISCLAIMER The material provided in this site is provided for personal, non-commercial, educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice. You should regularly consult a licensed health care professional in matters relating to your pregnancy, labor and health in general and particularly in respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.

Full Article: 19. Making Memories During Christmas and the Holidays A favorite Christmas song has a line that describes Christmas as 'the most wonderful time of the year.' While giving and receiving gifts is something that is highly anticipated and remembered at Christmas time, there are also many more activities that make Christmas memorable and wonderful. One of these activities is decorating the Christmas tree. The Christmas tree occupies a central spot and is the most visible display of Christmas in most homes. Unlike in other countries, most American homes do not have a representation of the Nativity scene, which is more likely to be located at churches. As soon as the Christmas season begins on the day after Thanksgiving, families will begin their search for the perfect Christmas tree. This in itself can become a memorable activity as children may accompany family members to places like a Christmas tree farm to select a tree. Once a real or artificial tree is selected, then it's an exciting activity for the entire family to play a part in decorating the tree. Manufactured decorations come in many shapes and forms. But a special memory is created when family members make a special ornament for the Christmas tree, or contribute one or more keepsake items to decorate the Christmas tree. It then becomes a ritual each year for those particular items to be placed on the Christmas tree although other decorations may change in coming years. Another activity that can help to create special memories at Christmas is baking cookies. Along with popular gingerbread cookies, using cookie cutters to make special holiday-shaped cookies is also practiced a lot in households. Based on the ages of children, they can help in the actual baking activity by measuring and mixing some ingredients, or, younger children can sprinkle sugar on the cookies or decorate them with icing when they are finished. Helping in this activity can also be educational as parents can use the activity of measuring and figuring out equivalent measures to teach fractions and other mathematical elements. An activity that is related to food which also helps to create memories during the Christmas season is making fruit and goody baskets, which are filled with candies, baked items and other treats for loved ones, their special friends, neighbors, teachers or for charity. Items such as goody baskets make especially wonderful Christmas gifts because they are home-made. That quality often makes them more treasured than a Christmas present that is bought at the store. Because Christmas is the season of goodwill and good cheer, it is very important to reach out to family, loved ones and friends during the season. The busy lives that many people lead today often leaves them little or no time during the year to be in frequent contact with family and friends who are located far away, or even others who live within a reasonable distance in the same or a neighboring state, for example. It is therefore very common during Christmas to send a Christmas or holiday greeting card to those individuals. Along with the pleasant memory of receiving the card, there may be a short letter included that gives a brief account of any significant event in the individual's life or with members of the family. That makes sending and receiving Christmas greeting cards more memorable. Then there's probably the most anticipated activity of Christmas - finding out what Christmas gift Santa brought on Christmas Eve. While adults also look forward with much anticipation to see what Christmas gifts they will get, it's really the children who get the most delight from receiving presents at Christmas. The carefully planned actions to hide Christmas presents from children and then to magically place them under the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning is one of the most wonderful ways to create unforgettable memories for children at Christmas.