Can breast and nipple massage lead to vaginal delivery?

Studies say so. Talk to your doctor first to know if you can practice this method.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: July 24, 2017 8:31 am

Tips to deal with rashes under the breasts. © Shutterstock

We know that labour and delivery are tricky and often things don t go as planned. While the most natural outcome of pregnancy is to experience labour pain on or around your expected delivery date (EDD), some women miss it out completely. Doctors suggest for waiting 14 days for labour along with monitoring the development of the foetus closely, in case it is a low-risk pregnancy. If labour fails to set in and your doctor suspects any harm to the fetus, you might be advised to induce labour or go for an emergency c-section.

Before it reaches that extreme, many women try to induce labour naturally, even though their techniques might not have any scientific backing. It is a game of trial and error where some show results and some don’t. But one non-invasive and scientifically-backed theory is that breast massage and nipple stimulation can help initiate vaginal delivery. A study was done in 2014 and published in BioMed Research International journal to document the benefits of breast and nipple stimulation. Here are 12 other ways to induce labour naturally.

A vaginal birth is possible when the cervix ripens and dilates enough to help the baby come out of the womb. The main reason that could make a vaginal birth difficult is a stubborn cervix that refuses to open even beyond the EDD. This is more likely with first-time pregnant women than women who have had multiple pregnancies without much medical intervention.

How does breast stimulation help?

The study states that breast and nipple stimulation aids production of oxytocin from posterior pituitary gland which helps in the ripening of the cervix and eventually dilates it to make way for a vaginal birth. Women who benefit from this non-invasive method are first-time pregnant women, who don t have any risk factors, like gestational diabetes, hypertension, uncontrolled hypothyroidism and history of infertility or other medical conditions. A high-risk pregnancy would need more medical attention and so the delay in labour should be addressed promptly. Here are six causes of emergency c-section that you should know.

To assess the efficacy of breast stimulation in context of vaginal delivery, 200 first-time pregnant women were selected for the study between 36 and 38 weeks of gestation. The women were divided into two groups of which one was taught how to massage their breasts and the other was just kept under observation without any intervention. The women who were asked to perform massages were taught a breast massage technique in which massage of the whole breast from the periphery towards centre including the nipple was performed using any domestically available oil. They were advised breast massage on each side for 15 to 20 minutes three times a day. Does breast massage during pregnancy help?

After a week the women in both groups were assessed using the Bishop s score where dilation, cervix maturity, the position of the baby s head, texture of the cervix and the position of the cervix related to the fetal head and maternal pelvic were measured. After comparing the scores, it was seen that the chances of vaginal delivery in women who opted for breast massage were more than the other group of women. Cesarean section for failed induction was three times more common in control group than in breast stimulation group. Other indications of caesarean section in both groups were cephalopelvic disproportion (where the baby s head is too big), fetal distress, and meconium stained liquor in early labour. The rate of induction of delayed labour was also more common in control group than the other group. Postpartum haemorrhage was observed in six percent cases in the control group but none in the breast massage group. However, no significant difference was observed in fetal outcome in both groups.

This study showed that breast stimulation in low-risk first-time pregnancy could help in cervical ripening and a timely onset of labour without the use of any invasive means.

What should you do?

If you are planning for a vaginal delivery, practising breast massage at home can help in ripening and dilating of your cervix. However, talk to your doctor before you start doing this. If you fall into the high-risk category, strictly stay away from this practice. Also, too much stimulation could lead to the onset of an early labour.

Image source: Shutterstock

Reference: Singh, N., Tripathi, R., Mala, Y. M., & Yedla, N. (2014). Breast stimulation in low-risk primigravidas at term: does it aid in the spontaneous onset of labour and vaginal delivery? A pilot study. BioMed research international, 2014.

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Published : July 19, 2017 3:42 pm | Updated:July 24, 2017 8:31 am

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