Chiropractic for a Healthier Pregnancy
When I was in chiropractic school, getting a wonderful education on how to become an amazing chiropractor, I treated my entire family. Right away I realized I wanted to learn more about adjusting kids. I thought, well someday I hope to be a mother… when that happens my kids will be seen by specialists if and when they need it. I wanted the mothers that would be coming into my clinic to have confidence in me that I know more about helping and treating them and their children. So I went through the training with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) to become a certified pediatric chiropractor. I love seeing and treating infants and children. But it wasn’t until I was in my 2nd year as a treating chiropractor that I found my true calling.
I believe God put me on this earth to help people. And I get to do that every single day. But in my 2nd year in practice a woman came into my clinic who had never seen a chiropractor before. She was a nurse, a mother of a 5 year old boy and was in a motor vehicle accident. She had been checked out medically and they advised seeing a chiropractor for her muscle and skeletal needs. YIPPEE! Thanks MD for the referral. She came in and during the consult and exam she confided in me that she and her husband had been unable to conceive a child for the last 4 years and they really wanted more children. My eyes got really big and I told her it was a goal of mine to help a couple who were having trouble conceiving to help them get pregnant. Being a health educated woman she looked at me like…. What’s a chiropractor going to do to help me get pregnant????
You may be thinking that same thing! I explained how the brain controls everything our body does and by making sure the nerves that travel from the brain down the spine and out to every muscle, every organ, every part of your body are free of interference and can FUNCTION at 100% … this is what we focus on to help people get pregnant. Some concept for someone who suffers from acid reflux. When you relieve the pressure on the nerves that goes from the brain to the esophagus and/or stomach then that nerve(s) will be able to function at a higher level. The simplest way to explain how chiropractic can help a couple get pregnant is we make sure the nerves are free from any “pinch” and help balance and align the spine.
Pregnancy is truly a miraculous thing, and so many things are going on in a woman’s body. Making sure her pelvis is balanced and aligned along with the rest of her spine being in the proper alignment just allows for a smoother pregnancy.
Why should you consider seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy?
Well my go-to answer is typically that there is not a lot of room for baby to come out naturally, so imagine if the opening is then even smaller because of a misalignment of the pelvis. My job is to make sure mom is aligned and balanced throughout her pregnancy to help reduce the chances of her pelvis being in the wrong position when it comes time to give birth.
Another thing to consider when pregnant is that it can be uncomfortable as you grow and change and more weight in front… your body has to adapt and sometimes that’s uncomfortable. At Healthmax one of our focuses regardless of pregnancy is on posture. We want to make sure all our patients have the tools to have better posture!
Receiving chiropractic care throughout your pregnancy has been linked to reducing labor and delivery times… why doesn’t that sound nice?! Other research and from my own clinical experience mom’s report overall healthier pregnancies, less nausea, less joint pain throughout their spine as well as preventing potential cesarean deliveries.
To conclude my story about my first patient who initially came to me due to a motor vehicle accident, she did get tremendous relief from her muscle and skeletal complaints from the accident however she continued treating with me because we helped them get pregnant!
We see lots of pregnant women – some who come in because they know that chiropractic adjustment will help their whole body wellness, and others who have a specific concern they want to address. Whatever the reason, we assess every patient and come up with a care plan that is just right. We want to see everyone healthy from the inside out!
