Chiropractic in Pregnancy

Pregnancy and birth is a natural process and chiropractic care is a tremendous support for this process. Chiropractors work with the body’s ability to adapt and function the way it is designed to. Chiropractic care in pregnancy is vital to the normal physiological function of both the mother and baby in pregnancy and birth.  As chiropractors we are privileged to deliver chiropractic care to many pregnant women.

Easier and Faster Births | Postural Changes In Pregnancy | Pregnancy Alignment | Faster Recovery | Testimonials

Easier and Faster Births

In our practice we have observed that pregnant women under chiropractic care seem to have easier and faster births than women who are not adjusted throughout their pregnancies.  The benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy are two fold, helping both mother and baby.

In the mother:

• Prepares the pelvis for an easier pregnancy and birth by creating a state of balance in pelvic bony structures, muscles and ligaments.
• Removes tension on the ligaments that support the uterus thus reducing torsion (intrauterine constraint) to the woman’s uterus.
• Reduces interference to the mother’s vital nerve system which controls and coordinates all of her systems and functions.
• Allows for a safer easier birth for the mother decreasing the potential for intervention.

In the infant:

• Removes interference to the mother’s nerve system allowing for better baby development.
• Allows the baby the room to develop without restrictions to its forming cranium, spine and other skeletal structures.
• Offers the baby the room to move into the best possible position for birth.
• With proper fetal positioning, there is a significant decrease in birth trauma caused by intervention.

Postural Changes In Pregnancy

This diagram summarizes the effects of pregnancy on your spine.  Although these symptoms are often considered 'normal' during pregnancy, there is no reason to suffer needlessly as chiropractic care is a safe and effective approach to keeping your spine healthy and feeling great.

Pregnancy Alignment

The techniques used by Chiropractors on pregnant women are tailored to the pregnant figure.  Special tables that are comfortable and painless are used to accommodate the growing baby.

The Webster Technique is a special chiropractic technique used on pregnant mothers to always maintain a state of pelvic balance.  It is designed to relieve the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine constraint, which lead to ceasarean section.

The Webster in Utero Constraint Technique makes a powerful impact on children's lives and health potential even before they are born. By correcting the mother’s subluxations using this technique, a significant amount of babies are turning in-utero and avoiding birth trauma associated with breech births and C-sections.  Some doctors of Chiropractic have formed alliances with midwives, birthing centers and even obstetricians.

When successful, the Webster Technique avoids the risks of ECV, ceasarean section or vaginal trial of breech. In view of these findings the Webster Technique deserves serious consideration in the health care management of expectant mothers exhibiting adverse fetal presentation. The Webster Technique has been shown to reduce constraint to the mother's uterus 82% of the time, allowing the baby to get into the vertex position for birth.

The Webster Technique is a very comfortable adjustment for the mother and the baby.

Faster Recovery

Postpartum chiropractic check ups are recommended weekly for 6 weeks.  The birth process is very traumatic on the mother’s pelvic muscles and bones.  The uterus is in a post-partum state for 6-8 weeks, whereas the musculoskeletal system remains post partum for one full year.  Some mothers can experience a lot of back pain and discomfort after a pregnancy, as the body tries to find the pre-pregnancy alignment.  On many occasion the pregnancy process itself causes many misalignments which need to be corrected for any pre-pregnancy alignment to be reached. 

Testimonials

"Like most people, I assumed that my back pain was just a normal part of pregnancy. I went to Dr. Ouellette at the recommendation of my doula to ensure proper fetal positioning of my second son (something that didn't happen with my first, leading to needlessly longer labour). An unexpected pleasant result of my chiropractic treatment was that my back pain disappeared after only a few visits! Dr. Ouellette and the staff at Britannia Chiropractic take a sincere interest in my health and wellness. I am completely satisifed with the level of care and personal service that I receive during my now regular chiropractic visits."

"I had my first child six years ago, and I did not have chiropractic care during that pregnancy. I ended up having a very difficult birth with that child. I spent several hours pushing with little success, and in the end I had to have a forceps-assisted delivery. As a result of the strain on my muscles from so much pushing I could hardly walk without severe pain for several days afterward. With my second child I decided that I wanted to take every step possible to avoid having such a difficult delivery. I started chiropractic care when we started trying to get pregnant, and continued it throughout the pregnancy. It really helped with the regular aches and pains of pregnancy and the birth was a far easier, much more enjoyable experience. I spent under 20 minutes pushing, and there was no difficulty getting the baby out even though he was slightly larger than my first child was. I was also up and walking with almost no pain the very next day! As a result of chiropractic care the birth of my second child was a wonderful experience. I strongly believe that every pregnant woman should have chiropractic care throughout her pregnancy; not only to make the birth easier on herself, but on her baby as well."

"At 30 weeks, we found out from an ultrasound that our baby was in breech position. At first, I didn't think too much about it, since I was assured that the baby would probably turn on its own. But four weeks later, the baby's position hadn't changed and my doctor had me scheduled for a caesarean section "just in case". I realized then that it was really important to me to experience natural child birth at least once (this was my first child). Helping the baby to turn around became a way for me to regain control over my own pregnancy. My doula suggested various strategies to move the baby around, including chiropractic manipulation. I was surprised, curious and a little nervous: I'd never been to a chiropractor before. Dr. Ouellette was incredibly patient and kind. She explained what the manipulations would do and how they would help. I never felt rushed or pressured - we only proceeded when I was ready. In the end, the baby did turn around, and the surgery was cancelled. A nice side effect of the manipulations was that the baby had dropped quite far by the time labour began, and was well positioned for delivery. My healthy baby boy arrived after about four hours of active labour, and 15 minutes of pushing." 

“After a caesarean section for my first child, I wasn’t sure if I could experience a vaginal birth.  7 months of chiropractic care allowed me to have an extremely comfortable pregnancy and I had a very successful and very fast (2 hours) vaginal birth!  Thank you Dr. Graham!”