Chiropractic Care While Pregnant: Here are The Benefits

Pregnancy is a pivotal period in a woman’s life where both her mind and body transforms. During this time several physiological and endocrinological changes occur in preparation to create a healthy environment for the developing baby. As the baby grows, more weight is carried and the centre of gravity shifts forward, which impacts the spine, the pelvic alignment and the ligaments. The imbalance leads to nervous system stress affecting the body’s natural ability to function. Chiropractic care can help support both the mother and baby throughout those changes with patient-specific gentle chiropractic adjustments.

As the baby grows and the belly expands, the curve in the middle and lower back increases, the ribcage expands and the pelvis opens. Those changes are necessary at providing enough space for the baby to grow, but they can also cause pelvic misalignment, as well as other neurological responses like nausea.

Possible symptoms related to spinal misalignment during pregnancy:

• Lower back pain
• Shoulder tension
• Hip and pelvic pain
• Incorrect postural adaptation

When the pelvis is misaligned it reduces the space available for the baby to develop and move, making it difficult for the baby to assume the correct position for delivery. Regular adjustments of the spine and pelvis can relieve back and joint pains but most importantly it supports and aids the baby development and ultimately the delivery.

Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:

• Natural relief of back pain
• Ease of pregnancy symptoms like nausea
• Reducing the time of labour and delivery
• Reinforcing the immune system
• Natural achievement of optimal foetal delivery position (through the Webster technique)

Chiropractic care in pregnancy is one natural and holistic approach to help mothers carry a healthy pregnancy. Specialised practitioners in prenatal care can offer help throughout the pregnancy and suggest effective stretches to relieve tension.

Notes:

One collaborative chiropractic and medical study revealed that 75% of pregnant chiropractic care patients reported pain relief.[1]

First time mom averaged a 24% shorter labour while mothers who have already given birth experienced 39% shorter labour times compared to the women who did not receive chiropractic care during their pregnancy.[2]

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported in the July/August 2002 issue an 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique.[3]

[1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/http:/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/

[2] https://www.drlaurenlove.com/pre-postnatal-care/

[3] https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/chiropractic-care-during-pregnancy/