Acupuncture For Labor Inducing and Birth Story 2020

In September 2020 I was due with in my second child, I am also 36 years old which means I am considered a "geriatric" pregnancy. With my first pregnancy (Click Here to Read my 2018 Birth Story) I drank the red raspberry leaf tea, ate the dates, and took primrose evening oil when I turned 37 weeks. On the day I turned 39 weeks I did acupuncture and the next day I went into labor and had a fast labor being my first (7 Hours Total) with no medical intervention at UCSD La Jolla Jacobs Center. In the second pregnancy, I waited till I was 38 weeks to drink the red raspberry leaf tea, eat the dates, and took primrose evening oil and had my first acupuncture session at 39 weeks and 2 days. Baby's head was down and I had my amniotic fluid checked and everything is giving me the green light to go about another non medical intervention labor. I am by all means no medical professional, but I do know based on the advice of my midwives that I should wait to have acupuncture till I was full term and 39 weeks. I had acupuncture 3 times during my 39 weeks and on the third time, Friday September 25, 2020 I went into labor!  

I went for my acupuncture appointment on Friday September 25 in the afternoon and my labor started that evening. Right before I went to bed around 11pm, I felt the need to go to the bathroom really bad but I couldn't go and my husband smelled a weird odor (.... and no it wasn't gas!!!). I went to bed to relax as it was already hard to go to sleep with the extra weight. Thankfully my mom was here at the house already as she helps out on Fridays to take care of my 2 year old. My water broke in bed at around 11:20pm, it was a big pop and gush just like how my first labor started with Kenna. I was wearing depends, so thankfully that saved the mattress. I ran to the bathroom to check my PH strip to verify it was indeed my water and not pee. It wasn't soon after my water broke that my contractions started and they were coming in strong and fast! I was tracking my contractions on the app I had downloaded on my phone and they were about 3 minutes and 30 second a part. I called the midwifes at UCSD to let them know I was coming in. Thankfully our bags were packed and ready to go, my contractions were getting intense very quickly and I had to time myself to get down the stairs.  We got in the car and were on the road at 11:40pm, being so late in the night there wasn't any traffic and we live about 20 minutes from the hospital. We got to the hospital at midnight, and because of the covid pandemic we had to check in for a quick screening before entering the hospital. My contractions were getting closer and I was ready to get into the tub at the birth center. By the time I was checked in and I entered the birth center room (I was in the room next to the one I had with the first baby) they had to do a rapid COVID test and had to swab my nostrils which was very unpleasant and a bit painful and unfortunately I also had to wear a mask during and throughout my labor. As the tub was filling up, I was having a very hard time coping with the pain, and because of COVID the hospital wasn't providing nitrous oxide (laughing gas) which really helped take my mind off the pain during the first labor. At this time it was about 12:30pm, my husband just got back from parking the car, my midwife asked me if I wanted to be checked before I got into the tub, and I agreed. I laid on the bed, and my midwife told me that I was 9cm and in transition. There was no need for me to go into the tub at this point, I turned around on the bed and a few minutes later I felt the urge and need to push. At 12:40am Kira Genevieve was born, my labor was an hour and 20 minutes from when my water broke at home. I am glad we left right away because if I didn't I am pretty sure I would have delivered the baby in the car. My umbilical cord was very short, in fact, when I went to put the baby on my chest the cord snapped and blood got everywhere! Thankfully we are all healthy and safe. We weren't able to save the cord blood like we wanted but we did manage to keep some of the cord tissue to grow stem cells (Click Here for information on CBR and Cord Blood Banking). 

In Western medicine, it is common to have membranes sweep to help induce labor.  Stripping the membranes involves the doctor or midwife sweep their gloved finger between the membranes of the amniotic sac to separate from the uterus which stimulates prostaglandins. I did not want to go this route so I researched ways to induce labor naturally.

I want to give a big thank you shout out to Tao Suk Oh at Mission Valley Modern Acupuncture for jump starting my labor. 

If you are in San Diego and looking to do Acupuncture, Modern Acupuncture is located in Mission Valley and Del Mar. Its $29 for your first initial Session. 

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