Writtne by Dr. Madison Grzeszkowiak
“My breech baby flipped after one chiropractic treatment!”
“Chiropractic care enabled me to get pregnant and maintain a healthy pregnancy.”
“Prenatal chiropractic care helped me achieve a 2-hour labor after a prior C-section.”
“Chiropractic care under the gentle guidance of my prenatal chiropractor helped my body bring on labor when I was 10 days past my due date.”
These and more amazing statements are an almost daily norm in my practice. I say norm, because given the chance, the body can do amazing things. I don’t understand why we think that’s not normal anymore. Our bodies want to be healthy. They want to produce healthy babies via healthy pregnancies. The rise in C-sections in the United States alone should be enough to make us wonder how we’ve gotten so far from the “amazing norm.” I understand that some C-sections are definitely necessary and have saved both mom’s and baby’s lives. But there are many that if mom only had more information about how to support this normal process, a C-section could have been prevented.
“How?” you say; via prenatal chiropractic care for starters. Let’s discuss the benefits of chiropractic care while pregnant.
Proper pelvic alignment.
Prenatal Chiropractic
Unfortunately, we have become a sedentary population. We sit way too much! This leads to poor posture which adversely affects our bones, ligaments and muscles. Now add on the changing center of gravity of a pregnant mom’s belly to already stressed joints and achy muscles. You get pelvic chaos. Chiropractors are trained to help bring pelvic chaos back to proper pelvic alignment. This proper alignment is essential to ensure that the ligament attachments of the uterus (which attaches to the pelvic bones) aren’t being stressed or pulled in any direction. If these uterine ligaments apply uneven force on the uterus, it can become twisted which can cause less-than-optimal room for the growing baby.
Possibility of decreased labor time and pain.
See the first bullet point! Proper alignment of pelvis and uterus at the time of birth can contribute to less painful contractions and quicker labor. Basically, baby’s got the straightest shot out of there if the runway is straight.
Healthier nervous systems for mom and baby.
This could be a whole blog in and of itself! Please ask your local pediatric chiropractor to find out more on how chiropractic care helps support a healthy nervous system. Here is the simplest answer: Your spine houses your spinal cord, which is a major player in your nervous system and the way your brain communicates with your body. Healthy alignment of the spine equals a healthier spinal cord. This creates better communication between brain and body, thus a healthier nervous system.
Guidance and support.
Hopefully, the chiropractor you’ve chosen for prenatal care becomes someone you and your family can trust and depend on. He/she should have great community resources; the latest research and advice on safe, natural nutrition and supplements; local referrals for OBGYNs and midwives and much more. This is such an exciting time in a woman’s life, but it can be overwhelming and scary. Tell your chiropractor your concerns and let him/her help you! Your visit should be a time of letting go and getting answers so that you can leave feeling great. WIN-WIN-WIN
Let’s get one thing straight—it is not the chiropractor who is performing any crazy type of magic here. I get some very strange looks when I accidentally slip up and say, “I helped a women get pregnant this week!” (I am a female chiropractor…) All the credit should go where it belongs: to the amazingly normal body of the man and woman who made that baby, to the woman’s body for growing that baby and to the baby’s body for growing the way it was supposed to. When given the chance via proper nutrition, decreased stress and great prenatal chiropractic care, the body can do some amazingly normal things!
*Chiropractors do not “flip” breech babies; however, proper pelvic alignment can allow for the baby to move into a more optimal birth position.