Breech Babies Get the Point

A well-placed needle can relieve many types of pain, but it looks like acupuncture might also help with a strictly mechanical problem: babies who are in the wrong position in the womb.

In a study in Croatia, 34 women whose babies were breech, or feet-first, were given acupuncture for 30 minutes twice a week; 33 others got no treatment. Within four weeks, 76 percent of the babies whose mothers were needled had turned into the head-down position, compared to only 45 percent of those in the control group.

“This is a treatment that dates back thousands of years,” says David Moloney, an acupuncturist and vice president of the American Association of Oriental Medicine.

Moloney uses a form of acupuncture that relies on heat rather than needles, but the idea is the same: Stimulating a certain point on the outside edge of the nail of the mother’s little toes causes the baby to move and eventually roll into a better position.

Women can try acupuncture as soon as they learn their baby is breech, says Moloney. It may sound uncomfortable, but what’s a little pinprick or hot spot when you’re already feeling bloated, cranky, and low on sleep?

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