During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis.This additional weight in front, causes stress to the joints of the pelvis and low back. As the baby grows in size, the added weight causes the curvature of her lower back to increase, placing extra stress on the fragile facet joints on the back side of the spine. Any pre-existing problems in a woman’s spine tend to be exacerbated as the spine and pelvis become overtaxed, often leading to pain and difficulty performing normal daily activities.
Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers develop low-back pain at some point during their pregnancies. This is especially true during the third trimester when the baby’s body gains the most weight.
In expectant mothers presenting breech, there has been a high reported success rate of the baby turning to the normal vertex position. The Webster technique has been successfully used in women whose babies present transverse and posterior as well. It has also successfully used with twins.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy?
Chiropractic care during pregnancy may provide benefits for women who are pregnant. Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
- Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
- Controlling symptoms of nausea
- Reducing the time of labor and delivery
- Relieving back, neck or joint pain
- Prevent a potential cesarean section
Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can relieve and even prevent the pain and discomfort frequently experienced in pregnancy, and creates an environment for an easier, safer delivery. It is important for a future mom to be in adjustment during the pregnancy, as her unborn baby’s body is growing and being fed information by the mother’s nerve system! The baby’s organ, gland, muscular and cellular formation depends on optimal nerve flow. It is one safe and effective way to help the spine and pelvis cope with the rapid increase in physical stress by restoring a state of balance. In fact, most women have found that chiropractic care helped them avoid the use of pain medications during their pregnancy, and studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments help to reduce time in labor.
Your Doctor of Chiropractic should be your partner for a healthy pregnancy.They can provide adjustments, as well as offer nutritional, ergonomic and exercise advice to help address your special needs.
Chiropractic tips for pregnant women:
Be sure to get checked regularly by your chiropractor. Chiropractic care is important to help maintain a healthy skeletal structure and nervous system function throughout a pregnancy and childbirth.
Do some gentle exercise each day. Walking, swimming, or stationary cycling are relatively safe cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women. Avoid any activities that involve jerking or bouncing movements.Stop exercise immediately if you notice any unusual symptom, such as nausea, dizziness or weakness.
Wear flat shoes with arch supports.Your feet become more susceptible to injury during pregnancy, partially due to a rapidly increasing body weight, but also because the ligaments that support the feet become more lax.
When picking up children, bend from the knees, not the waist.Your low back is much more prone to injury during pregnancy.
When sleeping, lay on your side with a pillow between your knees to take pressure off your lower back. Full-length “body pillows” or “pregnancy wedges” are very popular and can be helpful.
Eat several small meals or snacks every few hours, rather than three large meals per day.This will help alleviate nausea, stabilize blood sugar and allow your body to extract the maximum amount of nutrients from the foods that you eat.
Take a prenatal vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day; 800 micrograms is even better. Folic acid has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of neural tube defects in a developing fetus.Be sure to check with your doctor before taking any vitamin or herbal supplement to make sure it’s safe for you and the baby.