A guest post from Dr Tania Kent

Pregnancy

Are you pregnant? Do you know someone who is pregnant?

A lot of prospective mums and dads, especially first time ones, still remain unaware of the benefits of chiropractic care pre– and post-natally. Having experienced 4 pregnancies and 3 beautiful births, we thought it timely to address all things birth-related in this particular issue. While all our births have been different journeys (one hospital birth attended only by midwives and two homebirths), the one constant has been chiropractic.

It is our firm belief that chiropractic has contributed to a (relatively) pain-free pregnancy, assisted with labour and helped with post-natal recovery. Of course we are fortunate to be able to access chiropractic care whenever and wherever it has been required. During Liam and Niamh’s pregnancies, I suffered from pain due to the separation of the pubic bones, and while not very comfortable, chiropractic adjustments certainly relieved the discomfort.

As you can imagine, pregnancy produces considerable stress to the mother’s spine and body. Chiropractic adjustments improve the function of the spine, removing nerve interference and assisting the body to function as optimally as possible as it goes through dramatic structural and hormonal changes. Optimal pelvic alignment can also contribute to an easier labour and birth for both mother and baby. Research shows that a more straight-forward labour is experienced with less pain and trauma for both mother and baby, when the mother’s spine and pelvis is in alignment. We always tailor our care to suit the individual mother and our approach takes into account ligamentous changes which occur due to altering hormone levels.

Chiropractic techniques have also been found to be beneficial in assisting a breech baby to turn whilst in-utero. Other options for breech babies may include exercises, acupuncture and homeopathy.

Conception

Your brain controls and coordinates every function in your body and it does so via the nervous system and spinal cord. When subluxations occur, the nerve messages to organs and cells can become compromised and this can affect the reproductive system. Anecdotally, we note that chiropractic has allowed some female patients to conceive naturally.

It is important to remember that while chiropractors adjust the spine to remove nerve interference, it is your body that does the healing. The human body possesses an innate (or inborn) intelligence and is designed to self-heal and self-regulate.

Caring for your spine during pregnancy

• Try not to strain your abdominal muscles when sitting from a lying position. Turn onto your side and push yourself up with your arm.
• Keep your knees unlocked while standing.
• Avoid pushing your tummy forward when standing.
• Avoid lifting heavy objects, including toddlers! If you have to pick up anything from the ground, contract your abdominal muscles as best you can and bend your knees.
• Avoid remaining in one position for long periods of time.
• Do pelvic floor exercises to maintain strength in the pelvic floor muscles.
• Gently stretch your body daily—often yoga instructors will offer specific yoga classes for pregnant women.
• Breathe deeply into your lower abdomen—not only will it remove stress from your upper back but it will get you into the habit of breathing during labour.
• Avoid twisting movements—let your nose follow your toes.
• Have your spine checked regularly by your chiropractor.

Information drawn from “Well Adjusted Babies” by Dr Jennifer Barham-Floreani