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Chiropractic care and pregnancy go hand in hand in helping a woman deliver her baby easily and safely. Pregnancy is a wonderful, exciting period in a woman’s life, and it is important to stay strong and healthy through every trimester. While many women focus on eating properly and staying active, it’s easy to overlook the tremendous strain pregnancy can put on the body, especially the spine and pelvic region.
Making chiropractic care in Heart of Texas Chiropractic part of your prenatal health plan will benefit you and your unborn baby.
What is a Prenatal Chiropractor?
While every chiropractor has been trained to treat pregnant women, some will go on to receive additional certification to specialize in this field of treatment.
Aside from ensuring that the body is properly aligned throughout pregnancy, a prenatal chiropractor would also provide information about preparing the body for labor, birth, and postpartum care.
Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy
First, as a mother-to-be, you are used to putting the baby first. That means you’re doing extra steps to ensure that any treatment you obtain is safe for you and the life you are carrying, too.
Think of the following before committing to chiropractic care and pregnancy:
The chiropractor’s credentials. You want a qualified, experienced chiropractor with the additional training to work on pregnant ladies.
The equipment. Pregnancy makes it challenging to lay face down on a normal chiropractic table, so your doctor must offer a special table or adaptability devices, such as special cushioning that cradles your bump while you get adjusted.
Your OB-GYN’s permission. Certain conditions may preclude chiropractic care and pregnancy, and it’s crucial to get your obstetrician’s okay before seeking any alternative or specialist treatment. There might be a reason to avoid chiropractic until after you deliver. For example, chiropractic may be ill-advised if you’re experiencing or have been diagnosed with vaginal bleeding, placenta previa, placental abruption, toxemia, or an ectopic pregnancy.
How Chiropractic Can Help Pregnancy Pain
During pregnancy, your body will undergo several physical and hormonal changes to create the environment for the developing baby. The changes below could result in spine misalignments of the:
- Protruding abdomen
- Increase back curve and strain
- Neck and shoulder postural adaptations
- Pelvic changes
When the pelvis misaligns, it might reduce the room for the baby to develop. This restriction is known as intrauterine constraint. Furthermore, a misaligned pelvis might make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible options during the delivery process and may affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth.
It can be considered normal for the baby to present breech until the third trimester, but breech positions beyond the 37 weeks increase concerns for practitioners. Breech and posterior positions might interfere with the natural ease of labor and lead to interventions such as C-sections.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
The perks of chiropractic care and pregnancy extend beyond the lessening of pain. Visiting a well-trained chiropractor mid-pregnancy can mean distinguishing between a manageable or painful pregnancy, a smooth or challenging birth, and more.
If you’re carrying, chiropractic care might benefit you as the body changes in preparation for your baby’s arrival. Let’s have a deeper look at the advantages of chiropractic care during pregnancy and why it might be right for you.
Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy Might Help Reduce Nausea
For most, morning sickness is the hallmark sign of early pregnancy. But anybody who’s ever been pregnant can attest that pregnancy nausea does not just occur in the morning.
Chiropractic care and pregnancy might reduce vomiting and nausea by realigning the spine and restoring nervous system function. Reducing nausea via chiropractic care could help the expecting parent to remain well-nourished, stay hydrated, and maintain the energy needed to power through pregnancy. Chiropractic care is also known for addressing constipation, heartburn, and other digestive issues, which could be at the root of pregnancy nausea.
Chiropractic Care Helps Reduce and Manage Pregnancy-Related Pain
During pregnancy, a swelling belly is something to be cherished, but it is also renowned for putting the body out of balance. Weight increase, changed posture, hormone fluctuations, and other changes all put physical pressure on an expectant parent. Plus, a vital hormone called relaxin is at work, preparing the body to loosen, grow, and stretch, but it may also wreak havoc on previously stable joints.
Fortunately, chiropractic care is an effective, safe, and holistic way to deal with the many aches and pains most women feel during pregnancy. Pregnancy-related pain might be common, but you don’t need to suffer. As per the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic care can assist in improving several conditions throughout the pregnancy, including:
- Pubic symphysis pain
- Sciatic nerve pain
- Round ligament pain
- Lower back pain
- Sacroiliac pain
Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy Might Positively Alter the Birth Experience
In regards to a smooth pregnancy leading up to birth, the baby’s position can be just as important as the gestational parent’s. As per the data from the American Chiropractic Association, first-time mothers who sought regular chiropractic care and pregnancy had 25% shorter labors on average.
Searching for chiropractic care during pregnancy might result in a smoother pregnancy, labor, and birth experience. That’s because when your body is aligned, babies have a better chance of moving into the right position for birth. Chiropractors are qualified to restore pelvic balance and maximize the amount of space available for the baby to grow in the womb. The baby might have an easier time moving down the delivery canal if there are fewer impediments during labor.
Chiropractic care might help during labor and birth by:
- Relieving tension in ligaments and muscles
- Balancing the pelvis
- Eliminating the necessity for interventions or pain medications
- Helping to restore proper fetal positioning
Chiropractic care during pregnancy may aid in the turning of a breech baby and the avoidance of a C-section.
There’s a reason why many prenatal care doctors recommend chiropractic therapy to pregnant women who have breech infants. It’s because well-trained chiropractors may utilize the Webster Technique to change a baby’s posture. This unique chiropractic method restores pelvic balance and allows for optimal fetal placement.
A chiropractor is needed to correct the sacrum and massage or stretch the uterine ligaments on your abdominal wall. Though it may appear to be a hands-on method, it is a safe and gentle technique that encourages breech newborns to turn on their own. According to research, there is a high success rate, which is why many pregnant parents who seek chiropractic therapy have a natural birth having less intervention.
While most chiropractors complete significant training, others pursue extra certification in areas like prenatal care. Before obtaining chiropractic therapy, always investigate the options in your region. If you’re expecting or planning about starting a family, seeing a licensed chiropractor from the beginning can assist with nausea, alleviate pregnancy pressure on the body, improve the delivery experience, and more.
Reduce Labor Time and Discomfort During Birth
Longer labor hours and extreme pain are a pregnant woman’s worst fear. Regular chiropractic therapy reduces labor duration and alleviates birth discomfort by ensuring proper pelvic alignment and infant positioning. It also lowers the likelihood of cesarean birth by addressing musculoskeletal disorders.
Routine chiropractor sessions also check pregnancy-related high blood pressure and decrease hip pain. Postpartum chiropractic therapy promotes speedier physical healing and assists the body in swiftly regaining its normal structure. Chiropractic therapy can also help to reduce the risk of postpartum depression.
During and after pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through a lot. Chiropractors use natural, drug-free, and holistic therapy techniques to help her with chiropractic care and pregnancy.
When to Visit a Chiropractor During Pregnancy
You can visit a chiropractor at any stage during the pregnancy if you have received approval from your obstetrician. Several women prefer to see a chiropractor in the first trimester; establishing a rapport with the practitioner early on can assist the patient as her body changes during the pregnancy.
How Frequently Should I See a Chiropractor While Pregnant?
Many women will see the chiropractor once a month throughout the first trimester, increasing their visits as the pregnancy progresses. Of course, every woman’s pregnancy is different, and some conditions may demand further chiropractic therapy.
Your chiropractor can best advise you on the number of treatments you should have during your pregnancy.
Pregnancy Chiropractic Techniques
The chiropractor’s job, like any other type of therapy, is to realign the pregnant patient’s joints, spine, and muscles. A pregnancy chiropractor, on the other hand, may alter their techniques accordingly and might focus more on the pelvic area to relieve stress on the uterus and ligaments, in addition to exerting gentler pressure than usual
The chiropractor would also take care not to put undue strain on the abdomen, and some might even use equipment designed exclusively for pregnant women.
Pregnancy Intrauterine Constraint
An intrauterine restriction, in which the baby’s mobility is restricted owing to pelvic misalignment, is a typical reason a woman may consult a chiropractor during pregnancy. If left untreated, this illness might lead to delivery problems or the necessity for a C-section.
Like the Webster technique, the chiropractor adjusts the pelvis so the baby can assume an optimal birth position. While the procedure may be used at any stage of pregnancy, regular chiropractic therapy during the pregnancy can significantly avoid the necessity for such a treatment in the first place.
Sciatica and Pregnancy
Sciatica is prevalent during pregnancy, particularly in the later months, as a result of the pressure imposed on the sciatic nerve by the growing baby. The acute, searing pain that radiates from the hip to the foot may make walking, sitting, and even resting exceedingly difficult.
While few women will be fortunate enough to experience relief from this pain if the baby moves off the sciatic nerve, most will need some form of treatment to deal with it. The great news is that chiropractic therapy is one of the most effective treatments to alleviate sciatic pain, and the chiropractor will collaborate with you to determine the best course of action. This will frequently entail a series of adjustments, heat and cold treatments, and stretches to alleviate discomfort.
Remember that your chiropractor may continue to assist you after your baby is born, offering post-natal treatment while your body adjusts to its pre-pregnancy state.