If you are planning to give birth naturally, hearing from your doctor or midwife that your baby is sitting the wrong way around may not be something you want to hear. However, if you are between 32 and 35 weeks of pregnancy, you can consider using moxibustion for a non‑cephalic (breech) baby position. It’s a complementary option commonly used in Chinese Medicine and is also recommended by the NHS.
This method has been studied for more than 30 years in different countries. During these studies, researchers used electronic foetal monitoring while observing the mother’s blood pressure and uterine contractions, and they continuously monitored the baby’s heartbeat.
They found that moxa gently stimulated foetal activity, helped regulate the mother’s cortisol levels, and improved uterine muscle tone. In many cases, the baby eventually turned, with the head pointing down the birth canal. This increased the likelihood of the baby remaining in this position until the end of the pregnancy. Importantly, these effects occurred without any reported side effects. Up to 75% of women who took part in these randomised clinical studies were successful in their attempts.
To apply moxa, you will need someone to hold the moxa stick over your BL‑67 point, outer edge of your little toenails, for 30 minutes a day. It’s a warming and relaxing treatment that should be repeated once daily. Seven days after starting this treatment, see your doctor or midwife for a follow‑up check. If the baby has turned, you can stop using the moxa. Speak to your healthcare practitioner or us for more information.
When using a moxa stick, be careful not to burn yourself and make sure the stick is fully extinguished after each use. One more point: do not use moxa on any other acupuncture points when treating a non‑cephalic breech position.
Reference:
Weston M, Grabowska C (2012). Moxibustion to turn the breech, The Practising Midwife, 15(8):14.
Cardini F, Weixin A (1998). Moxibustion for Correction of Breech Presentation, JAMA, 280(18):1580.
Neri I, Rizzo N, Menghini et al (2002). Non-stress test changes during acupuncture plus moxibustion on BL67 point. Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, 9(3):158–62.
Higashihara A, Horiuchi S (2021). Smoke or smokeless moxibustion treatment for breech presentation: a three-arm pilot trial. Japan Therapeutics, 12:442–6.
Guittier MJ, Klein TJ, Dong J et al (2008). Side Effects of Moxibustion for Cephalic Version of Breech Presentation, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(10):1231–3.
