Breech Baby? Acupuncture can reverse it.

Acupuncture is effective for this complication arising during pregnancy. Having children is one of the most rewarding experiences. For some people, getting pregnant is very simple and easy. For other people, it comes with unexpected difficulties. Imagine that when the delivery day of your child comes, your baby is in the breech presentation. According to studies, about three to four percent of mothers have breech presented babies. In places without traditional Chinese medicine doctors, a breech birth was very dangerous for both the mother and the newborn. There was almost nothing you could do about it. Nowadays, we don’t need to worry about it anymore because modern medical science makes delivery simple and easy. After all, you can always have a C-section. Some studies show that there are advantages of natural delivery rather than C-section. Many scientists believe that natural delivery is necessary for newborns even though nowadays more and more people prefer C-sections. That is why doctors usually encourage mothers-to-be to have a natural birth. According to Chinese tradition and culture, having  children is one of the most important things. If you don’t try to have children, it means you don’t respect your family and ancestors. That is why one of the ancient doctors’ jobs were to help a breech presented baby be delivered smoothly. The experienced midwife could tell if the baby’s position was correct most of the time. If they weren’t completely sure the position was right, they would ask an acupuncturist for help with pregnancy care. According to research in China, at least 90% of breech positioned babies can be reversed by acupuncture and moxibustion. Ancient Chinese doctors found a special spot on the pinky two to three  millimeters away from the edge of the nail on the outer portion. The name of this spot is called zhi yin which is actually the last point of the UB channel (in Traditional Chinese Medicine). The main function of this spot is to change the position of the baby to the correct position. The way to do it is very simple. Just use the burning moxa stick to warm up the two zhi yin spots for twenty minutes each time, once or twice a day. The only thing you need to know is the mom-to-be needs to loosen up her belt and wear thin/loose pants lying down. Keep doing this for a few days and check with your obstetrician to make sure the position is alright and most importantly, the umbilical cord won’t coil around the baby’s neck. In the past, scientists were curious and tried to figure out the mechanism of this spot and why it helps, but it is still a mystery.