Reference; My Best Pro 2022-03-25; https://mbp-japan.com/jijico/articles/32287/
Translated and modified by CFJA
<Suggested Self-care for pregnant women>
1. around evening, take a bath in a 38°C for 2 to 3 minutes to raise body temperature
2. have dinner between 6pm and 7pm
3. go to bed by 22:00
4. In winter, maintain room temperature at 26°C-28°C when at rest
5. In summer, air-conditioning should be avoided as much as possible or at least 28°C when used
6. wrap around the abdomen with a maternity belt to keep the abdomen warm and the fetus in a stable position
By following the above instructions, the body temperature is increased. It is also necessary to refrain from eating and drinking which can lead to the body becoming cold. Pregnant women diagnosed with breech presentation are encouraged to implement these changes as soon as possible.
The optimal period for acupuncture treatment for breech presentation is at around 28 to 32 weeks.
Acupuncture is effective when the fetus is in breech presentation. For those between 28 and 32 weeks, more than 90% will be in a normal position within five treatments. At 33 weeks and above, breech babies are more difficult to cure because the fetus is larger in the uterus. There are five other conditions that are more difficult to cure.
i) The umbilical cord is more than 1 meter long and wraps around the fetus’ neck, restricting movement
ii) The umbilical cord is less than 30 cm, which restricts the movement of the fetus
iii) The fetus is in a sitting cross-legged position facing forward, making it difficult to move
iv) The pregnant woman has an underlying medical condition
v) Placenta previa
Other than the above five reasons there are pregnant women who will not achieve a normal position even after many treatments. We still recommend that acupuncture treatment continues up to 40 weeks in order to make the uterus more flexible, so that delivery without c-section is possible, except in the situation where one leg comes out first (footling breech). It is also important to note that in many cases, breech presentations can be rectified by the onset of labor and strong contractions of the uterus.
However, this is not possible if the baby is delivered by c-section at 38 weeks. If the maternity hospital you are attending recommends a c-section, we recommend that the treatment of breech presentation should be started between 28 and 32 weeks. It is possible that some people may become breech around 33 to36 weeks. In these cases, there have been many cases of improvement to a normal position with Acupuncture treatment so we recommend that you make the suggested lifestyle changes and continue with daily acupuncture treatment until 38 weeks.