Chiropractic and Pregnancy

As your belly grows to make room for baby, posture changes and pelvic misalignments can actually reduce the amount of room available to your growing baby. This may also make it difficult for your baby to get into position for delivery. Regular chiropractic adjustments can maintain proper pelvic balance and alignment, providing room for your growing baby and helping them get themselves into the best position for delivery. In fact, following  the chiropractic care breech presentation has been shown to self-correct, allowing for a safer delivery. The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics in 2002 reported an 82% success rate of babies turning from a breech position when chiropractors used the Webster Technique. 

Chiropractic care during pregnancy has been shown to potentially reduce your time in labor and delivery. Through the World Federation of Chiropractic Research, Dr. Joan Fallon showed spinal adjustments reduced labor time by 31% and 25% for subsequent children. 

By making sure your body is in its proper alignment and position, the baby can  access more room to get into its optimal position for delivery. By maintaining proper alignment in your body, you and your baby are best prepared for the natural delivery process and stand a better chance avoiding medically necessary interventions and cesarean delivery. 

After the arrival of your baby, the ligaments that loosened during pregnancy begin to tighten up again. Chiropractic adjustments can assist in re-aligning the pelvis allowing the ligaments to heal symmaterically in order to prevent future problems and pains, which means a better recovery for you. Whether you’ve been seeing a chiropractor for a while, or have never been adjusted, if you are pregnant, you should consider including regular chiropractic visits in your prenatal and postnatal care plan.

Researchers estimate that between 45 - 75% of pregnant women will experience low back pain at some stage of their pregnancy and up to 33% rate their pain as severe. As your body shifts and makes room for your growing baby, postural changes and altered gait can create tension on your spine resulting in extreme low-back pain. Regular chiropractic adjustments can help your body adjust to these changes by correcting misalignments and alleviating unnecessary spinal pressure. According to Journal Manipulative Physical Therapy in 2009, almost 75% of women undergoing chiropractic manipulation report significant pain reduction and clinically significant improvements in disability.

When your spine is in alignment and free of subluxations, your nervous system can function at optimal levels. This allows the body to work more effectively, which is especially important in the midst of all the changes taking place in your body. Chiropractic care will help your body adjust to these changes and can even provide relief from some of your pregnancy symptoms. These include nausea, back pain, sciatica, headaches, and mid-to-low back pain, just to name a few.