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Why Chiropractic Is An Excellent Choice For Mom and Baby During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing-women are tasked with the creation of life in the most intimate of ways. And it creates so many changes to a woman’s body, including the unspoken but very real pain factor, not just during labor, but the pain and strain that added weight and hormonal changes cause.

In addition to the average weight gain of expectant mothers-approximately 30 pounds-there are also muscle strains that occur as baby grows larger and larger. What is a universal sign of pregnancy? A woman with her protruding pregnant belly holding her back.

This added weight can create many difficulties for pregnant women, from maintaining a center of gravity and walking up stairs to sitting comfortably or getting up after sitting down. Sleeping can also become difficult, particularly for high risk pregnancies, multiples, or breech babies. Some doctors may even put a woman on bed rest because the strain on her lower back and legs is too much. Studies have shown that between 50 and 80 percent of pregnant women will suffer low back pain during the course of their pregnancy. For women already suffering from low back pain or similar problems, this can exacerbate the problem even more.

How Chiropractic Can Help During Pregnancy

For many women, there are several healthcare practitioners they may see before, during, and after their pregnancy:

• OB/GYN,
• Primary Care Physician,
• Midwife,
• Anesthesiologist (if needed),
• Pediatrician (for future visits after birth),
• and even a Therapist or Psychologist.

But a Chiropractor in St Louis can also be incredibly beneficial to expectant and pregnant mothers. Before you become pregnant, your chiropractor may be able to help determine if you have undue strain or imbalances in your body, particularly your back, pelvis, and neck area. Getting chiropractic adjustments prior to pregnancy can help make that impending low back pain easier.

During gestation, the stomach stretches and pulls on the muscles in the lower back and chiropractic adjustments can help by offering relief from this pain and stress on the lower extremities. Care also helps with nervous system support by keeping the nervous system unimpeded. This helps the uterus and ovaries to function properly, improving odds of carrying a child to term. And chiropractic is safe for mama and baby during pregnancy. It can also benefit expectant mothers who wish to avoid using medications for treating back pain and other discomforts caused by gestation. Chiropractors can help by offering advice on nutrition, sleeping positions, and exercises to maintain healthy joints and lessen low back pain.

Childbirth, Breech Babies, and Post-Delivery Chiropractic

Beyond helping pregnant women before and during pregnancy, chiropractors may also aid in childbirth, sometimes even with breech babies, as well as provide post-delivery adjustments to help women get their bodies back to the state it was in pre-birth. During normal childbirth, the body is dealing with a lot of muscle strain.

Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy can help during childbirth by offering a non-drug approach to relieving the pain. This type of care also aids in a healthy, low impact birth. If complications arise, such as a breech delivery, chiropractors can provide immense relief by reducing stress on the pelvis. This helps to relax the uterus and surrounding ligaments. And modern chiropractic techniques, such as the Webster Breech Technique, are used by chiropractors during breech deliveries. The Webster Technique has 82% success rate of resolving the breech position. This results in a safe delivery.

Odds of a breech delivery are 1 in 25. This means your chances of an easy delivery without the complication of a breech presentation are high. But chiropractic care before, during, and after childbirth can make your odds of an easy delivery even higher.

Dr. Newman previously worked with the Florida Midwives Association, supporting the midwifery process. ?He has significant knowledge and experience dealing with pregnant women-prenatal, postnatal and infant subluxation problems. He has been successful in helping women by turning breech babies, allowing for natural childbirth without the use of drugs.