If you’re expecting or hoping to start a family, you’ll want a qualified chiropractor on your team.
Most people don’t see the connection between chiropractic and pregnancy. But talk to any mother who has gone through a pregnancy with chiropractic care, and at least once, without, and she will tell you: chiropractic care makes pregnancy and delivery easier and faster!
I’m Not Sure…
The biggest concern we hear mentioned by pregnant mothers is, “Will chiropractic care hurt my baby?”
In a word, no.
This baseless concern is spread by those who don’t understand how chiropractic works, why chiropractic can be so helpful or how chiropractic adjustments are delivered to an expectant mother.
There are four stages in which chiropractic care can be useful.
1) Pre-Conception
Your nervous system controls and regulates every cell, tissue and organ of your body. We locate interferences to this brain-to-body and body-to-brain communication. The moving bones along the spinal column are common culprits.
Infertile couples are often found to have neurological compromise in their lower spine, compromising the function of their reproductive organs. Restore nervous system communications and voila! A more regular menstrual cycle. Optimal uterine function. And restored fertility.
2) Pregnancy
During the course of your pregnancy, regular chiropractic care helps in many ways:
When your growing baby is comfortable it can assume the optimal birthing position. As you get closer to the big day, if we see the baby is presenting breech, or in any position other than vertex (head down), it may indicate intrauterine constraint and the presence of sacral subluxation. When we correct this common problem, the baby can assume the proper position. It’s something we see all the time.
3) Labor and Birth
Mothers who get adjusted during the birth process seem to require less intervention. When the mother remains relaxed and supple, the baby can move more easily through the birth canal.
This often translates into shorter labor times. One study revealed that women receiving chiropractic care enjoyed 24% to 39% shorter labor. Plus, with sacroiliac joints of the pelvis functioning more normally, less “back labor” is reported.
4) After Birth
Even natural births can stress a baby’s spine. Breastfeeding problems can arise if the baby has a subluxation and is unable to comfortably turn its head to one side or the other.Birth trauma can often show up as colic, poor eating habits or sleep cycles. Several studies have shown chiropractic care helpful in cases of infantile colic.Having an optimally working nervous system, especially when you’re pregnant, is important. It creates the best environment for your baby to realize his or her fullest potential.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Will adjustments hurt my baby?
Of course not. This is a common concern among parents who mistakenly think their child will receive adjustments like one ones they receive. Not only are adjusting techniques modified for each person’s size and unique spinal problem, an infant’s spine rarely has the long-standing muscle tightness seen in adults. This makes the energy needed to adjust a child’s spine considerably less than an adult’s does.
Will adjustments make my spine too loose?
No. Only the spinal joints that are “locked up” receive adjustments. This allows weakened muscles and ligaments to stabilize and heal.
Pregnancy is natural. Why would I need chiropractic?
Being born is a natural phenomenon. It’s what we’ve done to the birth process that has become increasingly suspect. A newborn’s introduction to the world is often accompanied by a severe drop in temperature, loud noises and other insensitivities. The administration of drugs and anesthesia can have a profound effect on a newborn.
Will my medical doctor approve?
While you don’t need anyone’s approval to seek a chiropractic opinion about health issues affecting your child, the judgment of another health care expert is always helpful in the decision-making process. Medical practitioners keeping up with the latest pediatric chiropractic research are starting to understand the value of this natural, drug-free approach to better health.
How come my medical doctor didn’t suggest chiropractic?
That’s changing. Years of prejudice and bias are giving way to research showing the benefits of chiropractic care. Attitudes are slow to change. However, as the public demands alternatives to drugs and surgery, more and more medical practitioners are referring their patients to chiropractic doctors.
What does my spine have to do with my baby?
Pregnancy may be one of the best times to receive chiropractic care! While it’s always good to have an optimally functioning nervous system, it’s especially helpful now. Both mother and baby can benefit. Adjusting methods are adapted to a mother’s size, weight and condition. During this period of weight gain and hormonal changes, many mothers seek chiropractic care. Some report shorter and easier births.
Why would a newborn get adjusted?
Even today’s “natural” childbirth methods can affect an infant’s spine. Colic, unusual crying, poor appetite or erratic sleeping habits can be signs of spinal distress. Adjustments are gentle. Knowing exactly where to adjust, no more pressure than you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato is involved.
Can children get subluxations?
Yes. As children explore their world they discover their limits, producing aches and pains. Learning to walk, riding a bike, or playing sports can cause subluxations passed off as “growing pains.” Chiropractic care can help detect early signs of scoliosis and reduce subluxations that can interfere with proper development. Ignored, these problems can worsen until they become more difficult to correct as an adult.