Your Chiropractor’s Role in Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting experiences for a women to go through, but it also comes with a lot of questions and concerns about what is best for both mother and baby.

As a Chiropractor who specializes in women’s health and perinatal care, I have the pleasure of working with many expectant mothers.  One thing that always surprises me is how little is known about the benefits of Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy.  With that said, I’d like to explain in a little more detail why regular visits to your Chiropractor are an important part of prenatal care. 

There are three main reasons why Chiropractic care is so important for moms-to-be...

• It improves comfort for the mother
• It also improves comfort for the baby, and
•  It prepares the body for a safer and faster birth

Okay let’s start with an obvious one -  Pregnancy Pain:

A large percentage of pregnant women experience pain at some point throughout their pregnancy .  It’s no surprise that with such rapid growth, comes significant change to the body’s mechanics. 

As a women’s abdomen grows her center of gravity actually shifts forward putting more strain on the back and hip musculature.  Increases in weight also increase the pressure on the ankles, knees and hip joints.  Because these changes happen so quickly the body doesn’t always have enough time to adapt before the muscles and joints get overused and injured.  

To make matters worse , during pregnancy our body secretes a hormone called Relaxin, which increases the elasticity of our ligaments.  Now relaxin is really important because it allows the pelvis to widen in preparation for birth, but at the same time the relaxin is circulating throughout our entire body, so all of our ligament are a little more flexible and our muscles have to work harder to support our joints.  

What’s important to understand is that there are certain things we don’t want to do while our baby is developing.  Similar to drinking alcohol and smoking during pregnancy, taking pain medication is also not recommended, because it poses a risk to the developing baby.  So mothers-to-be need to look for a more natural approach to relieve their symptoms.  

This is where Chiropractors comes into play – Chiropractic care is a safe and proven form of treatment for pregnant women with low back muscle and joint pain.  The techniques used are gentle and can actually be beneficially for the baby.  

Here’s why...

The developing baby is snugly growing inside the mother’s uterus.  The uterus is suspended by two ligaments that attach to the pelvic bones –these are called the ‘round ligaments’.   If there is any misalignment in the pelvis then it causes tension in one of the round ligaments.  This can actually cause torsion in the uterus and give the baby less room to grow and move around.  As the end of pregnancy approaches, this lack of space can prevent the baby from getting into the optimal head down position in time for labour, thus resulting in pregnancy complications: like a posterior position or breech presentation.  These complication slow down labour and can lead to physically and emotionally traumatic events such as the administration of pitocin, an epidural, a painful episiotomy, or the use of a vacuum, forceps or even a c-section to get the baby out.     

Another complication that results with intrauterine constraints is Torticollis, which is an imbalance in neck musculature.  With torticollis, muscles get so short and tight on one side that the baby keeps their head turned in one direction.  If the muscles remain short then a flat spot will eventually develop on one side of the baby’s head from sleeping on the same side all the time.    Eliminating intrauterine constraints will allow the developing baby adequate room to move their head while important musculature is developing. 

Lastly, research shows that women who undergo regular Chiropractic care during their pregnancy, on average, have a decrease in labour time.  Your Chiropractor will provide weekly treatments even if you are symptom free in order to eliminate stresses and imbalances in the spine.  This will allow optimal blood and nerve flow to the uterus and other pelvic structures so that they are strong and responsive during labour.  The balance in the pelvis will also allow the baby to get into the optimal birthing position, because even the slightest shift in position can slow down labour and make it more difficult for the baby to fit through the pelvic cavity. 

So remember, Chiropractic care works to rebalance the joints, muscles and ligaments of the body so that they function optimally during pregnancy and labour.  This provides comfort for the mother, provides more room and comfort for the baby to grow, and prepares the body for a fast and uncomplicated labour. 

It’s true- Chiropractic care during pregnancy has been proven to reduce labour times.

There are also recommendations that your Chiropractor can make to take some stress off of those overused joints.  Specific exercise can be prescribed that will benefit the mother, baby and get the body ready for the labour process. 

Best wishes to all expecting parents and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding pregnancy and Chiropractic care.

Take care,

Dr. Lara

DrLara@TheHealthLoft.ca