Pregnancy is one of the most remarkable and unforgettable journeys that a woman can go through in life. However, it’s also one of the most uncomfortable and painful, given all the changes your body goes through. Unfortunately, most traditional pain remedies and medications are unavailable during pregnancy because of the risk they pose to your unborn baby.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, chiropractic care isn’t one of the many things you’ll have to give up during pregnancy. The APA believes that there are no known risks or contraindications from chiropractic care that could put your baby in jeopardy. Having said that, however, it’s essential to see a chiropractor with experience treating pregnant women, as doing the wrong adjustment or treatment could have ill effects.
Can All Chiropractors See Pregnant Patients?
As part of their training, all chiropractors are required to know how to work with pregnant patients. However, while everyone might have the training, seeing a chiropractor with firsthand experience in working with pregnant patients is important. This will ensure that they know what they’re doing and aren’t going to do anything to put you or your baby in harm’s way.
Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor While Pregnant
In addition to being perfectly safe, here are some of the benefits of seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy.
Increased Level of Comfort and Less Pain
During pregnancy, two basic physical things cause pain and discomfort. First, the extra weight of a baby inside your belly and the protrusion of your abdomen can create a spinal curvature and poor posture. Second, as your body slowly prepares for delivery, your pelvis and pelvic floor undergo physical changes.
While there are a lot of other things that happen, these are two of the most painful. These changes often result in lower back pain, pelvic pain, sacrum pain, and more. Chiropractors can perform baby-safe manipulations and adjustments to keep your spine and joints aligned. These adjustments also help relieve discomfort from the changes your pelvis is enduring.
More Space For Your Baby
As the pregnancy proceeds and your baby continues to grow inside of you, it starts to take up more and more space. Unfortunately, as this happens, your uterus doesn’t always comply by stretching as fast as your baby grows. This can lead to abdominal pain and discomfort and isn’t good for you or the baby.
Chiropractors can remedy this problem by stretching the ligaments connecting your uterus and pelvis. This, in turn, will create more space in your uterus for the baby, resulting in less abdominal pain for you. Ample space is also necessary as you get closer to delivery when your baby tries to turn into the head-down position.
Baby Repositioning
During a normal pregnancy, your baby is in limbo inside you. However, as the time for delivery gets closer, the baby naturally starts rotating into a head-down position. Unfortunately, there are rare occasions when this doesn’t happen, and the baby remains in a feet-down position. Because this puts you and your baby at higher risk for birth complications, such as breaching, it’s necessary to manually realign the baby into a head-down position.
Turning the baby to avoid breaching is often done by using the Webster technique. The Webster technique is a chiropractic-specific adjustment, which means you’ll have to go to a chiropractor to get it done.
Could Speed Up Labor and Delivery
Finally, regular visits to your chiropractor during pregnancy could result in a faster and smoother delivery process. This happens because regular chiropractic visits will keep your spine and pelvis aligned and your muscles and ligaments relaxed. Keeping these bones, muscles, joints, and ligaments in check also reduces the risks of birth complications.
Safety Precautions For Visiting a Chiropractor During
Pregnancy
While chiropractic care is generally considered safe during pregnancy, it isn’t without its risks. However, most of these risks arise when you visit a chiropractor who isn’t experienced in working with pregnant patients. Therefore, to ensure you stay safe during your treatment, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Stay Off Your Back
One of the first things you learn during pregnancy is that you’re not supposed to lie on your back once you reach the third trimester. Doing so could hinder blood flow between you and your baby, which isn’t good for either of you. Therefore, if your chiropractor mistakenly asks you to lie on your back, kindly remind them that you can’t unless you’re in your first or second trimester.
Avoid the Abdomen
The second thing to keep in mind when visiting a chiropractor is that they should stay away from your abdomen. Any amount of pressure, however gentle, could cause trauma to your unborn fetus. Therefore, any time your chiropractor tries to put their hands on your belly to perform an adjustment, it’s a red flag.
Go Slow and Steady
Finally, it’s important to understand that chiropractic care during pregnancy differs from chiropractic care at other times. Typical chiropractic adjustments involve fast, somewhat aggressive movements and techniques.
During pregnancy, however, chiropractic treatment involves slow, calculated movements and adjustments to reduce the risk of potentially hurting you or your baby. You should remember this when you see a chiropractor during pregnancy and ensure they stick to this formula.
Should I Talk to My Doctor Before Going to a Chiropractor?
While seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy is generally safe, you should always talk to your primary doctor first. There’s a chance that you’re considered a high-risk pregnancy or that your baby is in a position that would make chiropractic care unsafe. Therefore, even though you’ll almost always get the thumbs up, you should consult your doctor before going to a chiropractor.
If you’re looking for a natural and relaxing way to relieve your pain and discomfort during pregnancy, contact us at Stanlick Chiropractic in Northern Kentucky. We offer various treatments and therapies that will relieve the aches and pains of pregnancy. We can also perform gentle manipulations to keep your spine and pelvis in alignment. Our doctors and therapists have ample experience working with pregnant patients, and we won’t do anything to put you or your baby at risk.