As a new and expecting mom, it can be scary trying to figure out what all you need to do! While there are plenty of resources out there, you should not have to do all the research yourself. As a prenatal chiropractor, we would love to help out! There are a few different support team members you should have, and a chiropractor should be one of them!
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe, gentle, and effective. It helps prepare your body for birth, optimize your sacrum and pelvis, and helps keep your ligaments, joints, and structures moving like they should.
Dr. Kenzie is Webster Certified, meaning she has taken an advanced, specific certification course on care during pregnancy. She practices the Webster's technique, which is a sacral-pelvis analysis. This technique looks at a few different things, including:
Your Sacrum + Pelvic Joint: While your bones are never 'out of place', sometimes they are lacking motion in certain areas, especially during pregnancy. This technique helps assess your sacrum motion in relation to your pelvis. Specific and gentle adjustments are performed over your pelvis to help improve this motion.
Your Ligaments: There are 2 main ligaments that may need 'released' during pregnancy. These are your Sacrotuberous ligament and your Round Ligament. Your Sacrotuberous Ligament connects your sacrum to your pelvis, and if tight, can decrease pelvic mobility. Your Round Ligament connects your uterus to your vagina, and helps anchor the uterus. If tight, it can cause uterine torsion, causing painful pulling and tightness. A release can be as simple as a 30 second pressure hold on an area of tightness.
Tight Muscles: There are some specific muscles that can get out of whack during pregnancy. Specifically your hip flexors and piriformis muscle. This technique helps 'release' these muscles to help decrease pain and improve muscle tone.
A typical prenatal adjustment will include all of the steps above, plus other areas of concern, such as a neck or upper back adjustment. We find a lot of mommas with tight muscles in their upper back or neck, and we can help release those areas as well.
Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy has been found to have the following benefits:
Decreased labor and delivery time
Increased post partum recovery rate
Less pain during pregnancy, specifically low back pain, round ligament pain, and sciatica
Increase in sleep and decrease in restlessness
Improvement of fetal positioning
Overall improvement of pregnancy health
In addition to your musculoskeletal health, as a pediatric chiropractor, we help out in other areas. These include:
Pregnancy nutritional guidance
Stretches and exercises to relieve tension
Supplement recommendation
Ergonomic help, such as optimal sleep or work positions
Overall pregnancy support.
Dr. Kenzie would love to see you during your pregnancy. If you are pregnant, it is never too early to start chiropractic care. The earlier you start, the more benefits you will receive!