The pressure of pregnancy, labor, and delivery can take a major toll on both baby and mother. Reach out to Rising Family Chiropractic to learn the benefits of seeing a chiropractor when pregnant. From pain and discomfort relief to alignment adjustments that set up healthy growth and development, chiropractic care during and after pregnancy can be just the treatment moms need to reach their health and wellness goals. Studies, as well as many women in their pregnancy journeys, have found the regular chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy and after can improve the overall experience and health of a pregnant woman and baby.
Chiropractor While Pregnant: What Are the Benefits?
Seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy and after is a holistic way that some new mothers are able to promote in regard to their health and wellness without intensive physical therapy, medication, or extra trips to the doctor. While chiropractic care is a great addition to a mother’s journey, it should never replace medical visits or advice from a physician.
How Chiropractic Care Works
Chiropractic treatment is a method of holistic and non-invasive treatment that can help promote overall health and treat common pregnancy symptoms for new moms. During a chiropractic treatment session, your family chiropractor will discuss the pain or discomfort you’ve been experiencing and do a thorough evaluation of the body. During this evaluation, they will be searching for issues within the skeletal or muscular systems, such as a misaligned pelvis, misaligned joints, or compression or misalignment in the spine. Any of these issues can lead to pain and discomfort.
During a regular treatment session, your chiropractor will use gentler pressure on the misaligned area and use soft manipulations to move the joint or bone back into its proper place. Spinal adjustments to the vertebrae and promoting a balanced pelvis are the most common treatments used for care during pregnancy reported.
Care in Pregnancy
Expecting women go through many major changes as they prepare the body for labor and delivery. While nothing can completely ensure a smooth delivery, there are ways chiropractic care can help to prepare the body for a healthy delivery for women.
Pelvic Alignment
The pelvis goes through a vast amount of pressure and changes during the baby delivery process. Pelvic misalignment can cause additional pressure to the area and make it difficult for the baby to angle into the correct delivery position. Regular visits to a chiropractor during pregnancy can help to promote pelvic balance and even help women promote pelvic-floor muscle strength.
Spinal Misalignment
One of the most common pregnancy symptoms women face is back pain and discomfort. This issue can arise from a variety of factors, such as posture changes as the baby grows, spinal nerve stress from increased pressure, and strain from carrying the extra weight of a pregnant belly. Through these stresses and changes, the spinal column can slip from alignment. Chiropractic care will use treatment alignment sessions to keep the body’s pathways clear and open. This helps expecting mothers to have happy and healthy pregnancies.
Symptoms of Nausea
The one pregnancy symptom each mom fears most is the famous nausea or morning sickness that typically comes with the first trimester and can stick around for the length of pregnancy. Pregnant women who experience severe nausea know that it can be debilitating and difficult to endure. Luckily, spinal alignment can potentially bring some relief to struggling moms. Proper spinal alignment can help to open up the digestive system and keep the body functioning properly. This can provide nausea relief for some.
Other Benefits
Much like kicking nausea to the curb, having a properly aligned body can also provide a range of other benefits for a comfortable pregnancy.
- Improved sleep quality
- Improved fetal positioning
- Reduced swelling in the feet
- Acid reflux relief
- Overall reduction in pain and pressure as baby grows
Benefits in Postpartum
The benefits of chiropractic care don’t end at delivery time. After birth, postpartum mothers can still find many ways chiropractic treatment can help promote their health and wellness in this new stage of life.
Realignment
It isno surprise that mothers often experience significant misalignment in the spine and pelvis during the labor and delivery process. The intense pressure and changes that happen to the body can cause shifts that need treatment to correct. If left untreated, this can lead to pain and discomfort for a new mother. Regular sessions with your family chiropractor in postpartum can help set up the body for healthy recovery and function.
Mental Health
A major aspect of postpartum that often gets overlooked is the mental health of a new mother. From the strain of a new sleeping pattern to the stresses of new motherhood, many women experience postpartum anxiety and depression. These struggles can be compounded by pain and pressure as the body recovers. As chiropractic realignment treatment begins to open the body’s pathways and relieve pressure, tension, and pain, many women will experience a boost in their overall mental health and wellness.
Natural Alternative
Many mothers look for more natural and holistic approaches to medicine where available in early motherhood. Those looking to help treat some common postpartum issues will find an effective alternative to medication or more intensive medical treatment. Chiropractic care offers a non-invasive, but effective method of treatment for the whole family.
Benefits to Baby
Health during pregnancy is a great way to ensure the health of the baby. After the birth process, the baby will no longer rely on the mother’s body and will need a health and wellness plan of their own. The gentle and non-invasive nature of chiropractic care makes it a safe and effective option for all members of the family- even the newest one!
Alignment Treatment
Much like mom,a baby experiences intense pressure and strain during childbirth. As a baby is pushed through the birth canal, they can endure intense sensations, sometimes even leading to injury. Like mothers, newborns often enter the world experiencing spinal, neck, and pelvic misalignment from the birth process. Even from the beginning, babies can benefit from realignment treatment to help promote a balanced body.
This can be especially important for newborns as they experience vast growth in short periods of time. If misalignments are left untreated, further growth can lead to exasperated symptoms, pain, and discomfort for the child. Regular realignment sessions can help to maintain proper balance as the child grows in its early years.
Other Issues
Just like adults, having a properly aligned body and clear pathways can help a baby’s body function at their healthiest capacity. Among many others, these are some common issues babies face that can be treated or helped with chiropractic care treatments.
- Irregular sleep patterns or sleep issues
- Digestive and eating issues
- Reoccuring ear infections
- Colic symptoms
- Constipation
- Help avoid injury with growth
- Promote health immune system development
- Torticollis
- Improve breast feeding
From early pregnancy to postpartum life, there is an endless list of ways chiropractic care can be an effective and holistic approach to health and wellness for mothers and babies. While the pregnancy experience comes with many joys, it also comes with its share of challenges. Reach out to Rising Family Chiropractic to learn how regular chiropractic care can help you achieve a healthier pregnancy and a happier life.
