Pregnancy 

  Gonstead Chiropractic

How can Chiropractic care help during pregnancy?

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association recommends that women receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to establish pelvic balance and optimize the room a baby has for development throughout pregnancy. With a balanced pelvis, babies have a greater chance of moving into the correct position for birth, and the crisis and worry associated with breech and posterior presentations may be avoided altogether. Optimal baby positioning at the time of birth also eliminates the potential for dystocia (difficult labor) and therefore results in easier and safer deliveries for both the mother and baby!

In addition to ensuring correct pelvic balance, Chiropractic care also helps maintain an optimally functioning nervous system. The nervous system is the master communication system to all the body systems including the reproductive system. Correction of spinal misalignments and nervous irritation helps the body work more effectively.

Benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy During pregnancy, there are many changes that occur in the expectant mother’s body to create the environment for the developing baby. As the baby develops, increasing strain is placed on the mother’s body, especially on the low back and pelvis. The following changes in can result in misaligned joints of the spine: • Drug free and safe approach • Treatment of pelvic instability • Maintaining a healthier pregnancy • Controlling symptoms of nausea • Reducing the time of labor and delivery • Relieving back, neck, mid-back or joint pain • Chest pain from expanding abdomen • Prevent a potential Cesarean section or breech delivery • Uterus enlarges and expands forward • Pelvic position changes • Protruding abdomen and an increased back curve • Posture changes

What about Chiropractic care and breech deliveries?

The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman's pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis makes it easier for a breech baby to turn naturally. The technique is known as the Webster Technique.

It is considered normal by some for a baby to present breech until the third trimester. Most birth practitioners are not concerned with breech presentations until a patient is 37 weeks along. Approximately 4% of all pregnancies result in a breech presentation.

The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported in the July/August 2002 issue a 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique. Further, the results from the study suggest that it may be beneficial to perform the Webster Technique as soon as the 8th month of pregnancy when a woman has a breech presentation.

As a health professional it is truly staggering to see that the number of Cesarean in Australia is actually on the increase, especially as so many may have been prevented by early Chiropractic intervention. Occasionally a Cesarean birth is unavoidable, but recently it has become more and more a method of convenience, and like any operation, a Cesarean comes with risks for both baby and mother. Vaginal birth is an essential starting point for the development of a healthy immune system and proper nervous function. A baby’s skull is designed to undergo specific stimulation through the birth canal. Once a woman has had a caesarean birth, statistically she is more likely to need one again for subsequent births.

 Is Chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?

Chiropractic care is safe during pregnancy. The Chiropractors at Chiropractic Solutions have been trained to work with pregnant women, and use tables that adjust for a pregnant woman's body and use techniques that avoid unneeded pressure on the abdomen.
Research has shown the health benefits of chiropractic for mother and babies. Studies on backaches have discovered that over 50% of pregnant women complain of low back pain during pregnancy, with the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis being most commonly affected.

One hospital study looked at chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy and found there was a 50% decrease in the need for painkillers during delivery, attributable to pre-delivery adjustments. (Adjustments are what correct spinal misalignments and can only be delivered adequately by chiropractors)

Chiropractic care has also been shown to reduce labor time for women who had care during their pregnancy. Dr. Joan Fallon found first time mothers had a 24% shorter labor, while mothers who had given birth previously had a 39% reduction in labor time!

back to top