How acupuncturists are like fruit farmers

One of many words one could use to describe full term pregnancy is 'ripe'. When I have late third trimester clients on my massage table, they really do feel like ripe fruit to me. Dare I say plump, juicy, and ready to drop! (Don’t judge!)

As an acupuncturist I see many clients who want to come for acupuncture at the end of pregnancy to avoid a hospital induction, and help “induce” labor naturally. 

What I love about acupuncture is that it is such a supportive and nurturing modality. It doesn’t use force to create change, but rather, the body takes its suggestions in the direction of what is beneficial for the whole. 

Lately the metaphor I’ve been using to describe how acupuncture for labor induction “works”, is that of shaking a tree. Not the comforting touch technique that helps to shake and loosen the hips and pelvic floor, but a similar idea. 

In nature, when fruit ripens on a tree, eventually, when it becomes heavy enough it falls off the tree, entirely on its own. This would be analogous to spontaneously going into labor without intervention, natural or otherwise. But farmers also harvest their fruit by shaking the tree’s branches, whereby the fruits that are ripe take that nudge as encouragement to fall. Because they are ready. 

Acupuncture is like shaking the tree. If the baby is ready, they will often take that nudge and labor will begin within a short while after treatment. But of course, even with shaking the tree, not all “fruits” will be quite ripe and ready enough to drop. Of course, in nature we know not to judge this in any way. One can not force labor even with a medical induction, let alone acupuncture. 

I hope you appreciate this metaphor as much as my clients have. I find it less demonizing to the idea of using acupuncture at the end of pregnancy to those who might judge even natural interventions, as well as helping us be more accepting when labor induction methods don’t work. The take home message as always being, there’s nothing wrong with your body or your baby either way.

If you want to watch a Comforting Touch for Birth video that demonstrates the actual 'Shaking the Tree' technique for pregnancy and labor, watch here. This video is excerpted from the Comforting Touch for Birth digital guidebook and is one of many techniques taught throughout my Comforting Touch offerings. Shop the digital catalog here. For my in-person Comforting Touch for Doulas class calendar, visit here.