MOXA THERAPY FOR BREECH PRESENTATION
Is your baby breech? Are you looking for a safe, pain-free and effective way to turn your baby? With Moxa therapy, the therapists at JUNO can help you with this.
Moxa therapy for breech presentation
If your baby lies with his/her buttocks down, we call it a breech presentation. Most women pregnant with a breech baby give birth via caesarean section. However, moxa therapy can help turn your baby.
Research on the effect of moxa in breech presentation, conducted at Erasmus MC in 2010, showed that 75% of babies were found to turn with this treatment (van den Berg, 2010). Moxa therefore offers a safe, pain-free and effective method of turning the baby in breech presentation.
What is Moxa therapy?
Moxa is made from compressed leaves of Chinese Mugwort herb. Moxa therapy is a treatment method using Moxa to stimulate certain acupuncture points with a deeply penetrating heat. For breech presentation moxa therapy, we use a moxa rod (a kind of thick incense stick) to apply the moxa at the point BL-67 (an acupuncture point located next to your little toenail, which affects the uterus).
Ideally, we start from the 34th week of pregnancy, as this is when there is enough amniotic fluid and space to help the rotation. Moxa can still be effective until 38/39 weeks, however, the later moxa treatment is started the less likely the baby will turn.
How does Moxa therapy work for breech presentation?
Moxatherapy improves blood flow to the uterus. As a result, the uterus matures better and the baby is more likely to turn spontaneously. Moreover, you stimulate the tissue of the uterus, this encourages the baby to become more active and eventually turn.