If you are pregnant and looking for an effective way to prepare yourself for labor and birth, chiropractic care is a fantastic option.
A practice focused on maintaining the health and mobility of the spinal column, nerves, and discs, as well as all of your related bone geometry; chiropractic care doesn’t rely on surgery, drugs, or other invasive methods. Because of this, it’s very beneficial for pregnant women and can help prevent and diminish misaligned joints. Throughout pregnancy, this can cut down on pain and pressure, and help ensure the baby is in the right position for delivery.
If you’ve ever wondered about the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy, this article will tell you everything you need to know. Read on.
Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Pregnant Women?
Your baby is your top priority, and it’s natural to have some questions about the safety of chiropractic care during pregnancy. To put your mind at ease, here’s what the American Pregnancy Association (APA) has to say about the safety of chiropractic care for pregnant women:
“There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant. Investing in the fertility and pregnancy wellness of women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is routine care for most chiropractors.”
For some women, the leap to seek out chiropractic care feels safer when the chiropractor pursued has a special focus on or interest in pregnant women. Here is what the APA says about locating such a doctor:
“Some chiropractors take a specific interest in prenatal and postnatal care and seek additional training. Below represents the designations of chiropractors who have taken advanced steps in working with infertility and pregnancy wellness.
- DACCP – Diplomate with ICPA reflecting the highest level of advanced training
- CACCP – Certified with the ICPA reflecting advanced training
- Member of ICPA reflecting special interest
- Webster Certified – trained to work specifically with pelvic balance in pregnancy
Chiropractors that have been trained to work with pregnant women may use tables that adjust for a pregnant woman’s body, and they will use techniques that avoid unneeded pressure on the abdomen.”
As you can see from the information above, chiropractic care during pregnancy is indeed safe and can offer a whole host of benefits for you and your baby.
Can Chiropractic Care Prevent Interventions?
If you’re one of the many women that’s hoping for a natural birth, preventing interventions is at the top of your list.
Any obstetrical intervention, including standard ones like Pitocin administration, increase the risk of additional and more severe procedures. These interventions alter the natural mode of delivery and can be incredibly traumatic to both mother and baby. If you’re looking for ways to decrease the risk of these interventions, though, prenatal chiropractic care can be a critical tool.
This is especially true when it comes to preventing birth traumas such as fractured clavicles and humerus bones, which can affect babies born through misaligned pelvises. When the mother’s pelvic bone is corrected and maintained via proper chiropractic care throughout pregnancy, these traumas become drastically less likely.
Pregnancy, as a result, is then more comfortable for both baby and mother. As the baby develops in utero, a properly-aligned pelvis contributes to optimal fetal positioning and safer delivery for both mother and baby.
If you have additional questions about how chiropractic care works to prevent interventions, ask your doctor for more information.
5 Ways Chiropractic Care Can Streamline Pregnancy
Whether you’re worried about your baby being in the correct position for birth, or just trying to ensure healthy labor, chiropractic care can help. Here are five ways spinal manipulation can ease pregnancy and labor:
1. Better Pelvic Balance
If your spine and joints are misaligned, it can wreak havoc on your body. For most people, this just means pain. For a pregnant woman, though, it can cause issues like a protruding abdomen and increased back curve, pelvic changes, postural adaptations, and more. All of these spells one thing: a pelvis that isn’t balanced and ready to birth your baby.
When the pelvis is out of alignment, it cuts down on the amount of room your body has available for a developing baby. This, in turn, makes it difficult for the baby to get into the head-down birth position and can cause arduous labors or interventions, such as c-sections.
As if all that weren’t enough, the nervous system also communicates frequently with the pelvis, and an out-of-alignment pelvis can cause pain and discomfort throughout the rest of the body. When the pelvis is aligned, the entire body works more efficiently.
2. Less Nausea
If you struggle with morning sickness or, worse, hyperemesis gravidarum, chiropractic care can help you work through it. What many people don’t know about chiropractic care is that it can be a powerful antidote to nausea.
Studies have shown that regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can help reduce morning sickness symptoms.
Not only will it make your back feel better and decrease pain in your joints, but it allows the nervous system to work optimally, and to transmit messages through a well-aligned spine. This, in turn, can lessen the severity and frequency of morning sickness, and help you get through those early months with ease.
3. Faster Labor and Delivery
If you want to spend less time in labor and delivery (who doesn’t?), chiropractic care could be just the thing.
By bringing the back, pelvis, and spine into alignment, chiropractic care throughout pregnancy allows your baby to move into position (and stay there) and makes it easier for you to pass the baby through the birth canal without any dystocias. According to Healthline:
“When the pelvis is out of alignment, it can make it hard for your baby to move into the best position to be born, which is rear-facing, head down. In some cases, this could affect a woman’s ability to have a natural and noninvasive birth. A balanced pelvis also means your baby has a lower chance of moving into a breach or posterior position. When your baby is in a nonoptimal birthing position, it can lead to a longer, more complicated delivery.”
In some cases, chiropractic care can also act as a safe, easy induction process for moms who want to trigger labor naturally. Posing very little risk and proven to be effective, this is a great option to explore if you’re anxious to get things moving. Be sure to check with your doctor first!
4. Improved Overall Health
Chiropractic care is a great method to support overall health. By ensuring spinal alignment and removing bottlenecks and pain points, chiropractic care promotes whole-body wellness for the people who undergo it. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “95% of past-year chiropractic users say it’s effective, and 97% of past-year chiropractic users are likely to see a chiropractor if they have neck/back pain.”
The fact sheet goes on to say, “In a consumer survey, chiropractic outperformed all other back pain treatments, including prescription medication, deep-tissue massage, yoga, pilates, and over-the-counter medication therapies.”
To put this simply: chiropractic care is massively effective, and making it part of your wellness routine is a great way to promote your overall health and well-being, and ensure your body is getting what it needs during pregnancy.
5. Baby Benefits
Feeling a little selfish seeing all these benefits for you? What about the benefits for your baby? Chiropractic care can benefit your baby in a host of ways. Most notably, babies benefit from having more room in the uterus. When your pelvis is in proper alignment, it provides your baby with more space to grow, develop, and stay in a comfortable position. Additionally, babies receive fewer stress indicators from your body when their nervous system isn’t always working to alert you to an out-of-alignment pelvis or spinal column. This promotes a more relaxed pregnancy and healthier development for your little one. If you’re nervous about how chiropractic care could impact your baby, talk to your doctor and chiropractic provider before you book your first appointment.
Chiropractic Care Can Help You Enjoy Pregnancy More
Pregnancy is a time of massive change, but there’s no reason to be uncomfortable throughout it. When you get adjusted on a regular basis throughout your pregnancy, it’s easier to enjoy a safe and streamlined gestation period, and faster and easier labor and delivery.
Ready to learn more? Contact our team today. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have and can help you get the information you need to enjoy your pregnancy more.