In the last few weeks I’ve treated a couple of ladies whose babies were in a breech position. One lady was 37 weeks pregnant and the other was 33 weeks. It’s funny, ask any acupuncturist and they will tell you, you often get multiple people with the same complaint come to see you, either on the same day or over the course of a few weeks and this was no exception! It got me thinking that perhaps pregnant women may not always think of acupuncture to help with a breech presentation, hence prompting me to write this post. Having said that, one of the two ladies I treated mentioned her NHS maternity nurse knew all about it and highly recommended it.
The treatment for breech presentation couldn’t be more simple yet more strange! With both women, I held a Moxa stick a few centimetres away from an acupuncture point on the outer edge of both little toes. Moxa (otherwise known as Mugwort) is a Japanese herb. The Moxa I use has been compressed into charcoal and is lit with a lighter until it glows, emitting a gentle heat. Moxa helps stimulate the point. Within just a few minutes, both ladies started to feel their babies kick and move about. In the case of the first lady, her baby moved and wiggled about frequently until by the end of the session, they were no longer in breech position and this was still the case two weeks later, confirmed at the midwife appointment. The second lady had lots of movement during treatment but was not quite sure if baby had turned enough. I sent her home with some moxa and instructions and her husband will continue to treat her at home until her next midwife appointment.
I have to say, this is a delightful and very satisfying part of my job and I’m looking forward to my next breech presentation! They do say they come in threes….