All About Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy
As a birth doula, one of the main things I recommend to my clients is to find a chiropractor. I’ll be honest…when I was young, I thought chiropractors were quacks. I got into a really terrible car accident at 16 years old, and I went through all the traditional methods of fixing my back, hip, and knee. While the more traditional treatments provided some temporary relief, it wasn’t until I saw a chiropractor that I felt back to normal again...permanently. But, enough about me … chiropractic care in pregnancy is a must!
Why Chiropractic Care?
As you may already know, pregnancy causes a lot of changes while it prepares your body for creating a positive environment for your developing baby. Some of these changes include: pelvic imbalance, postural adaptations, pelvic misalignment, abdominal protrusion, increased back curve, etc. When the pelvis is misaligned during pregnancy, it can create discomfort and make it harder for babies to get into the best possible position for birth. Sometimes pelvic imbalance and misalignment reduces the amount of room available for babies to develop and grow. Some (not all) chiropractors are trained in the Webster Technique, which is a precisely measured technique specifically for pregnant people. Additionally, the nervous system is the command center for communication throughout the body, including the reproductive system. Maintaining spine alignment during pregnancy helps your entire body (and your baby) work together more effectively. Cheers to spine and pelvic alignment!
Safety & Benefits
There aren’t any known contraindications to chiropractic care during pregnancy. Make sure your chiropractor is certified in the Webster Technique, and has experience working with pregnant people. Some of the potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
Controlling nausea symptoms
Reducing labor time, leading to less interventions during birth
Relieving back, neck, hip, and joint pain
Playing a part in preventing cesarean births
Chiropractic Care & Breech Babies
The Webster Technique that I mentioned earlier was developed by Larry Webster, D.C. This chiropractic analysis and adjustment helps to balance a pregnant person’s pelvis and it reduces stress to the uterus and its supporting ligaments. Have you ever heard that your baby needs to be head down in order to have a vaginal delivery? Well, sometimes babies and pregnant bodies do funky things and they aren’t head down - instead, they are breech. There are a few different breech presentations …butt first, feet first, to name a couple. This is sometimes the result of a misaligned or imbalanced pelvis.
By 37 weeks the hope is that your baby is head down and ready for birth. The most recent research shows that there is an 82% success rate of babies turning vertex (head down) when pregnant people undergo the Webster Technique. The most recent recommendation from the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), recommends pregnant people receive chiropractic care throughout their entire pregnancy, which helps to avoid less optimal positioning from the start. A balanced pelvis and a properly positioned baby normally results in smoother and safer births.
Choosing A Chiropractor
I get it, you have so many decisions to make as a pregnant person. The. Decision. Fatigue. Is. Real. OBGYN or midwife, hospital or birth center, cribs, car seats, baby showers, epidural or unmedicated …the list goes on. Here, check out the list of chiropractors below by location in the Triangle! I’ll make choosing a chiropractor easy for you:
Dr. Natalia Lopez at Falls Chiropractic & Injury (Northeast Raleigh - she’s my chiropractor, so she’s my top recommendation!)
Davis Family Chiropractic (Northeast Raleigh)
Triangle CRC (Northeast Raleigh)
Gray Family Chiropractic (Raleigh)
Holistic Vitality Center (Northwest Raleigh)
Oak City Chiropractic (Downtown Raleigh)
Triangle Chiropractic (Durham/Cary)
Creech Chiropractic (Apex)
Clayton Chiropractic (Clayton)
Align Family Chiropractic (Clayton)
Remember, your chiropractor should be certified in the Webster Technique, and they should have experience working with pregnant people. A really good chiropractor will also provide you with stretches and exercises that are safe to perform during pregnancy. An awesome chiropractor will also work on newborns (more to come on that later!)
