A 37 year old woman came to see me presenting with a breech baby.

She was 36 weeks pregnant with her second baby.  The baby had been head down (cephalic presentation) until 35 weeks when he turned.  An external cephalic version (ECV) had been scheduled by the hospital for the following week.  I treated the patient with acupuncture and moxibustion, and gave her moxa sticks and instructions on how to use them at home.  She continued with the moxa once a day at home for 1 week.  She attended the hospital for the ECV procedure only to be told that the baby had turned! She went into labour naturally at 40 weeks and delivered a healthy baby boy.

Moxibustion has been used for thousands of years to turn breech babies into the cephalic position.  Acupuncture and moxibustion can also be used to encourage babies into an optimal position for labour and delivery, including other abnormal presentations such as posterior and transverse lie.  Research studies have shown an increase in the percentage of breech babies turning to the head down position and a decrease in caesareans when using moxibustion with acupuncture techniques.