When most people hear about pregnant moms going to the chiropractor, they immediately think that it is all about the back pain. Chiropractic can help many changes throughout your pregnancy; however, chiropractic offers so much more!
What’s In It For Mom?
A large percentage of expecting moms experience back pain during pregnancy. As the fetus grows and the uterus expands, aches and pains make it difficult for many women to perform their normal activities of daily living. Chiropractors use specific adjustments to eliminate these imbalances and the stress on the spine. Moms often think I’m a miracle worker but they deserve most of the credit. It was their body that did most of the work.
Can Labor Get Any Easier?
Dystocia is a fancy term doctors use to describe a difficult labor. A long, strenuous labor for mom & baby can lead to multiple medical interventions. This occurs most often in a hospital setting where mom and baby are surrounded by lots of expensive technology & well intentioned, although often overzealous, nurses & doctors. Some of these interventions include pain meds like Epidurals, induction meds like Pitocin, episiotomies & C-sections.
The Webster Technique can be especially effective for expecting moms who are experiencing a breech presentation in their later weeks of pregnancy. By resolving pelvic imbalances, torsion of the uterine ligaments and pelvic muscles is decreased or eliminated allowing the uterus to move the baby into the safest & most comfortable birthing position. The end result is a FAR easier labor for mom & baby.
What About My Nerves?
Chiropractic’s most powerful role is to enhance the function of the nervous system. For example, specific adjustments to the pelvis optimize nerve flow to the uterus. Proper nerve flow is essential in order to perform at its highest level when the time comes to push the baby out. Published studies have shown that chiropractic care can significantly reduce labor time. These studies can be found at the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s website www.ICPA4Kids.org. This is an excellent resource for parents who want to find a chiropractor specialized in prenatal care and the Webster Technique.
If you live in the Carlsbad, CA area & would like more info about how prenatal chiropractic care can help you, I can be contacted through my website www.WestCoastChiropractic4Kids.com. Happy birthing!
I had chiropractic care with my last pregnancy and it was amazing. After two previous 24 hour labors this baby came in only 5 hours. It was so fast that we arrived at the hospital only 30 minutes before he was born. It was wonderful and I hope that we have a similar experience this time too!
My hubby is a chiropractor, so I was lucky enough to get Cadillac treatment during our pregnancy! I wouldn’t have it any other way! I don’t have anything to compare our experience to, but it made a natural birth doable for me.
After a year of trying to conceive, I started seeing a chiropractor for fertility and acupuncture treatments last month and have already seen an improvement in my (usually irregular) cycle. I had never been to a chiropractor before, but am a big fan now! I plan to continue seeing the chiropractor once I become pregnant.
LOVE my chiro! My 3rd pregnancy was my first to get chiro care on a regular basis throughout the pregnancy–and I had an easy, 3.5-hour labor from start to finish!! My 2 week old just had her first adjustment this week!
I’m 34 weeks with baby #1 and have been seeing the chiropractor all along. It’s been wonderful! My adjustments have helped alleviate joint and round ligament pain. Our chiropractor has three children and they have done home births, so he’s been a big support of our desire for a natural childbirth experience. His insight has been invaluable throughout my pregnancy. I only wish he would come to the hospital and do adjustments while I’m in labor!
If normal “high velocity adjustments” scare you off, gentler techniques like KST (Koren Specific Technique) and others can be just as helpful/beneficial. My chiro uses KST and it’s the ONLY method of adjustment that helps my C1/C2 issue due to a 2008 concussion of downward force on the top of my head (I stood up into a cement overhang). It really helped short-term with morning sickness, too. And keeping your body in line is great for controlling pregnancy pains. I’m also biased as a massage therapist to say that the two REALLY go hand-in-hand. 🙂
[…] Chiropractic and Pregnancy (written by Dr. Tyson Perez, DC!) […]
I started visiting the chiro at 35 weeks(ish) to try and turn my breech baby. she never flipped, but we had a nice, gentle birth at home (and after 3 sections). it definitely helps!
[…] Chiropractic & Pregnancy : Modern Alternative Pregnancy […]
Oh boy, do I need chiropractic in pregnancy. I have suffered from SPD (symphosis pubis dysfunction) which is a tender pubic bone, basically! haha. It can hurt to asymmetrically use your legs, in short. Seeing a chiropractor who is trained in pregnancy care has been a life saver for me for my two pregnancies. I also took measures at home with how I slept and sat and got out of the car and bed to avoid straining those pelvic ligaments. I started about halfway through and pretty much needed weekly, extremely gentle adjustments to realign my pelvis. There is noticeable relief. I wonder if it’ll be a problem again in a future pregnancy…I’m hoping not, but so thankful for the wonderful female chiropractor here in Seattle who I really liked!
I was a total skeptic at first. People would say things like “oh, I’d go every DAY if I could afford it.” Who wants to do that?
But when I was preggo with my 2nd, it felt like my tailbone was going to pop out of my body at. any. moment. I went to a friend/chiropractor of mine and I went from not being able to stand OR sit to perfectly comfortable. And my labor was cut in half. It was about 18 hours with my first and 7 hours with my second. One hour of pushing vs. 10 minutes.
I’m a big fan of adjustments for newborns/babies/children, too.
I sought a chiropractor who practices the Webster Technique to help with pubic symphysis & hip pain I was experiencing around the middle of my pregnancy. He helped tremendously with that and I continued going – even having an adjustment the day I gave birth not knowing I was in early labor. Active labor lasted about 4.5 hours and our beautiful son was born in a birthing tub. I highly recommend chiropractic care!
[…] Chiropractic & Pregnancy […]
[…] Chiropractic and Pregnancy (written by Dr. Tyson Perez, DC!) […]
[…] Chiropractic & Pregnancy : Modern Alternative Pregnancy […]
[…] can help position baby correctly for birth. If the hips and lower spine are out of place, baby could end up sideways, posterior or […]