Mad pregnant lady questions about moxibustion, very long ... sorry

[peachygirl]

Apologies in advance if this all comes across as being very self indulgent.
After discovering on Wednesday (36 +2) that baby is breech I have been doing lots of reading about turning it. Lots of people on here and a midwife at the birth centre have recommended the moxa sticks I tried them last night and baby is still in position (although I am not so naive to expect an overnight miracle). There was a fair amount of wiggling.
So I now have several questions.

• Last night I did it in the bathroom with little ventilation and now my house really smells. Should I have opened a window or is the inhalation of the smoke part of it all?
• Should I have consulted someone professionally, instead of just buying them? I followed the instructions on here which was originally posted by lulumama? thanks your posts always have lots of great advice. There is a clinic just up the road from my house (very bohemian for our area so I could give them a ring)
• Should I actually be able to feel the heat? The sticks were very close but I didn't feel any intense heat.
• How often should I repeat it? Every day, every other day?? ? I'm not sure DH's sensitive nose, or mine for that matter, can take lots of it. Thank goodness we have sold the house, God knows what prospective buyers would have thought.
• It says you should do it at bed time and / or lie down afterwards, should this be on my left side?? I might have more to add later. Today will mostly be spent Walking elephant style round the house. Putting frozen food on the top of my bump Pointing torches / music at strategic points of my body and willing baby to turn. I know baby may turn of its own accord but I'm almost sure it has been in this position for at least 4 weeks already of not more. Interestingly enough I have read that it could be psychological factors which are preventing baby from being in position and I am now wondering if this could be the case with me. My mum had lots of problems which have maybe prayed on my mind more than I thought. (and I aplogise to MN regular posters who know me for going into it again. I'm sure you are all fed up of me talking about it all. DH even had a go at me the other week.) Even though my pregnancy has been great, no problems and I have been really well. She lost a baby at 30 weeks and my older brother was also born at this time and has SLD, CP and Epilepsy. I've always said I would be happy with a section if it meant baby got out safely. I'm also quite small 4"ll and I sit cross legged a lot (mainly because on lots of chairs my feet don?t go flat on the floor) and wonder if this hasn?t given baby enough room to move into position in the last week or so.. Sorry a bit philosophical there. I know I should probably stop harping on about it as it probably just will make things worse. I am booked in for an ECV next week. But I am worried about getting upset and stressing everyone out, including baby. I've not managed to talk to any professionals in the last week without crying. Maybe I just need a good slap round the chops and you all to tell me to pull myself together.

Hi peachygirl.

No advice I am afraid but just wanted to say taht you are not being self-indulgent. You are pregnant. You have reasons to worry. But even if you didn't well so what. you are pregnant and allowed to be however you want to be!

What is the clinic? I would call them and see if they can help. Worth a try.

Peachygirl, you're pregnant and emotional. I think that's an acceptable combination Good luck with the ECV next week, you have a good chance of the baby turning (isn't it 60-70%?) and I'd say much more than with sticks or music or even positive thinking.

thank you

bless you...no slapping required !!

not an expert on moxibustion, but i would recommend a therapist doing it for you, i don;t know the specifics of doing it....

lying on the left side is good anyway, so i would !

does your hospital have a good rate of succes with ECV..

how do you feel about vaginal birth of a breech?

i know of babies who have turned late...

the way you sit is not responsible for making the baby breech !

have you tried asking the baby to turn?? anecdotally, it can work !

I was transverse at 35 weeks and went to see an acupuncturist who did the moxabustion treatment for me. It cost £45 for 45 mins and she used smokeless moxa sticks, but got them burning quite fiercely, so that I could really feel the heat on my toes. The right spot seemed to be on the bottom, outside corner of my toenails, but the head of the stick was so wide that she said the heat would be hitting the right spot regardless. I was meant to carry on using the sticks at home for the next 7 days, but was just too busy with work and felt very guilty as I was convinced nothing had happened. However, when I had my 36 week ante-natal appointment it turned out the baby had turned head-down after all. No idea if it was the moxabustion treatment, but glad I gave it a go, just in case it was what did the trick.

Think I would recommend going to a clinic to get it done -- it was actually quite a relaxing 45 mins and I liked the fact that the acupuncturist had talked me through everything if I had wanted to carry on with thetreatment at home.

peachygirl - I tried moxibusition - it didn't work btw, ds was all tangled up and his head was stuck in one of the lobes of my heart shaped uterus (which came to light during my cs). My consultant said that all the peas/shining lights/all fours/etc etc was a waste of time and baby will or will not turn of their own accord. I wish he had told me that before all the weeks of worry (ds was stuck from 32 weeks onwards) because I stopped doing all these things and became a little less stressed. I went in for ECV but it was deemed unsuitable as ds was stuck fast and so I had a section the same day.

I did the moxa in the greenhouse!! You are right though, it is stinking. DH wouldn't help me with it (muttering about mumbo jumbo), so I tied the stick onto the end of a garden cane and did it myself. The accupuncurist I saw said that the ancient Chinese actually used to touch their skin with the burning stick so I think feeling the heat is probably neccessary, but don't quote me on that!!
I can completely understand you feeling worried about it all. I always find that the unknown is what makes it worst. Had I known for sure that ds wasn't going to turn and that i was going to have a section, then I would have felt better able to cope, but childbirth being the unpredictable way that it is, I'm afraid nobody really has that luxury.
Best wishes, whatever happens.

Thanks everyone for your kind responses. Our house still wiffs slightly of the moxa and at the moment I'm not keen to try it again.
Mawbroon you are right I think it is the uncertanty of it all that is getting to me.
I did have a particulrly bad day yesterday crying alot. Including to my mum on the phone and after the kind replies to this thread early in the morning. My brother was breech and he was turned about 3 times but went back each time and mum said that babies simply find a comfy position they like and stay there.
I will give some of the other things a try and I may ring the clinc on monday to see if they can fit me in.
Thanks to you all again