The Benefits of Prenatal Chiropractic Care

Photo: @lifeinspiredstudio

During pregnancy, there are several changes that occur in preparation for creating the environment for the developing baby. Hormones are being released into your body to loosen ligaments as your body shifts and changes to accommodate your growing child. The combination of hormonal and mechanical changes can make your muscles and tendons stiff and pull the joints of your spine and pelvis out of alignment.

In addition to causing low back and hip pain, the tighter muscles and less mobile joints affect the space in which your baby is growing.  This restriction can also affect baby’s position leading up to and during delivery which in turn increases the likelihood of medical interventions at birth.

Furthermore, the spine is meant to protect your nervous system. If instead the spine compresses the spinal cord or nerve roots, it can impact the functions that are controlled by those particular nerves.  The central nervous system sends messages and commands back and forth, controlling all cells and organs in  the body. Chiropractic care helps to restore normal function to the spine,—decreasing pain, restoring normal tension to the baby’s environment and improving the messaging network that your brain uses to maintain healthy function.

What are the Benefits of Chiropractic During Pregnancy?

Women who seek chiropractic care early in their pregnancies and continue care through birth are poised to experience a more pleasant and natural experience during pregnancy and birth. Proper spinal alignment may help with the symptoms of pregnancy such as nausea and vomiting early on and neck, shoulder, back, rib and hip pain and swelling as the pregnancy advances.

Chiropractic care may also shorten the length of labor and delivery and reduce the risk of having an unwanted cesarean delivery.  Imagine the difference between pushing a baby through a tight and restricted pelvis and one that is fully functional and accommodating as it is designed to be. At optimum function there is less pain and discomfort and smoother labor and birth.

How to Choose a Provider?

Choosing a chiropractic provider is important in any stage of life but even more so during pregnancy. Some ideas for finding a chiropractor who readily works with pregnancy and postpartum include:

• Asking you obstetrician or midwife for referrals
• Ask friends about their experiences
• Check online review sites to see how they score and if the reviewers mention pregnancy specifically
• Check practitioner websites to see if they have any specialty training or certifications in pregnancy in addition to their general chiropractic training

Check out chiropractic care for pregnancy as a way to feel great and stay healthy, alleviate aches and pains, and help prepare for a incredible birth experience. As always, we are here to support you. Please contact us anytime Care@theollieworld.com.