Pregnancy/Prenatal Chiropractic in Murrieta
Pregnancy should be a magical time in your life. Too often, pregnant women feel uncomfortable during their pregnancy. Many of the common discomforts are greatly alleviated by chiropractic adjustments. Prenatal chiropractic care can facilitate a faster birth. Rather than accepting it’s inevitable that pregnancy becomes a painful, we want you to enjoy this stage, thriving and living as you want to. At Donohoe Chiropractic, we love taking care of expecting moms!
Better Health From Conception to Postpartum
When you’re under chiropractic care during pregnancy, there are numerous benefits you can experience. If you come to us in pain, our highest priority is to make you feel better. After, we want to concentrate on getting your body ready for labor and delivery. With a properly aligned structure, your body can function at its best, optimizing the birthing process.
The most common reason a pregnant mother would seek a chiropractor is because she is experiencing back pain and neck pain. These aches and pains become much more prominent as a woman starts showing and the weight of the growing belly changes her usual posture. By the third trimester, a pregnant woman will feel the full weight of the baby in her womb and the heaviness of her milk-filled breasts. She will start arching her low back more, sleep in positions she is not used to, sit and walk differently because she is trying to maintain her balance. All these physical alterations of her posture add up and can manifest as excruciating pain. A chiropractor can help decrease some of the aches and pain by checking and adjusting the whole spine and making sure there is structural balance within the mother’s body.
However, chiropractors are not only making structural changes to the spine, but also aiding in the nervous system’s interaction with the rest of the body. The nervous system controls the hormone and immune systems. By getting checked and adjusted regularly throughout pregnancy, the nervous system is able to help balance out fluctuating levels of hormones and boost the weakened immune system of a pregnant woman.
Above all else, the most important benefit of regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy is creating the most optimal environment for the baby to grow in the womb. Maintaining the mother’s pelvic alignment allows for the baby to have maximal room to grow. Imagine a round balloon as a woman’s pelvic shape (this is not really the shape of the human pelvis, but please imagine it for the purpose of visualization!). This round shape without any interference or pressure would be the most ideal shape and position for the baby to grow. Now, imagine pushing your fingers into an area of the balloon creating a dented or altered shape of the balloon. This would be similar to what a misalignment or subluxation of the pelvis is. You can visualize how a minimized space in the pelvis can constrict and restrict the baby’s environment to grow as happy and healthy as possible.
Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy may decrease the risk of possible breech pregnancy. Breech is a term used for the condition and position of the baby, but chiropractors never perform any medical techniques to turn breech babies. However, chiropractors, especially those who are trained in the Webster Technique, address pelvic misalignments of the mother. By correcting misalignments, more space is created for the baby to turn or flip head-down on its own. If your baby is in a position other than head down, the most direct method of correction is to have a medical doctor perform an External Cephalic Version (ECV). They will physically apply pressure to the abdomen under fetal monitoring and make sure they are safely turning the breech baby. Mothers who received this technique to turn their breech baby usually reports it as painful and cause bruising for days afterward. Worse yet, this technique is not highly successful.
The Webster technique was developed by Dr. Larry Webster, founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). The purpose of the technique is to deliver a safe and comfortable adjustment to restore proper pelvic balance and function. “It was developed to restore normal physiological function of the mother and improve her comfort throughout pregnancy in preparation for a safer, easier birth. He reported that in women who presented with a breech baby, the results of the adjustment appeared to normalize pelvic neuro-biomechanics and facilitate optimal fetal positioning. It is proposed that sacral misalignment may cause the tightening and torsion of specific muscles and ligaments. It is these tense muscles and ligaments and their aberrant effect on the uterus which may prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the best possible position for birth.
Finally, there is the postpartum phase. At this stage of life, you want to make sure you’re in a strong, stable position to heal, reducing the likelihood of any lingering problems after your pregnancy. When you’re pregnant, your body produces the hormone relaxin to soften your ligaments and give your joints a greater range of motion. With this increased flexibility comes a higher chance of having a subluxation, or misalignment of your joints. We provide gentle, precise adjustments with the Activator® instrument to correct any subluxations present.[/tab][tab title=”Pediatric Care Starts During Pregnancy”]
When your body is optimized, you’re in a better position to facilitate pregnancy. Your placenta can develop with the appropriate nerves and blood supply. In turn, your baby can grow and develop as they should within the uterus.
The structure of your pelvis and low back is important, too. Our chiropractors use the Webster Technique, which reduces intrauterine constraint. With this technique, fewer babies tend to be in the wrong position for labor and delivery. When your baby is set up right in the uterus, it means less stress on them.[/tab][tab title=”Frequently Asked Questions”]
Is it safe to get adjusted during pregnancy?
It is extremely safe to be under care, particularly with our noninvasive, instrument-based technique. We have never had any adverse events in providing prenatal care.
Though some people talk about chiropractic techniques that can turn babies, that is not what this technique is all about The Webster Technique makes sure Mom’s anatomy is set up as it should be. When that ideal environment is created, your baby can likely turn on its own. We have had numerous moms who were facing having a C-section because their baby was breech. After receiving care with the Webster Technique, their baby was able to get into the right position.
Learn More Today
Help your family discover greater health. Contact our team now to schedule your appointment for pregnancy/prenatal care Murrieta! Saturday hours are available.
CONTACT US »