Acupuncture for Turning breech Babies

It’s expected that a baby will settle into a head position within the pelvis around the 34th to 36th week of pregnancy, so he/she can be born headfirst. But at the end of pregnancy around 3 to 4% are found to be in the breech position. A baby is breech when the bottom is the presenting part and its head is at the top of the uterus.

 There is a good chance that baby will turn spontaneously by 36 weeks, but it is not always the case. Understandably pressure will mount upon mothers especially those who have their first babies. Other than external cephalic version (ECV), there is a more natural and safer way to correct it – acupuncture & moxibustion.

There can be no needles involved or only a couple of two tiny needles, with moxibustion as the main treatment. A moxa stick is held over Zhiyi (BL67), locates on the lateral side of little toenail, bilaterally before the woman feels hot, briefly moved away for one second or two, moved back again, and then repeat. The whole procedure lasts 20 minutes. Once a day for 10 days. Experience tells us that the ten-day treatment should be continued even if the bay turns early in the procedure but can be reduced to 10 minutes.

 The optimal timing is 34 weeks, but it may be effective as late as 38 weeks.