Chiropractic While Pregnant? Yes Please!
Is this your first baby or have you already given birth to other children? For those who have had children already, was your pregnancy painful of uncomfortable? Did you see a chiropractor for your pain? Attention to all mothers to be. Chiropractic can help you have a more comfortable pregnancy. In this week’s blog, we will discuss how the body begins to change, how chiropractic can help pregnant mothers during and after pregnancy and the safety of getting care. Continue reading to learn about chiropractic while pregnant!
What Happens to The Body During Pregnancy?
For those who have already given birth, this will be old news to you, but for new expected mothers, this section will give you an idea of how your body will change throughout the pregnancy. Over a 9-month process, the baby will begin to grow inside from the nutrients and foods you eat that essentially get transported to the baby from the connected blood supply developed during pregnancy. As the body enlarges, so will the pelvis and hip bones to allow the baby to exit the body during the birthing process. During this time, hormone levels increase to help stretch and open up muscles to allow an opening for the baby to exit through. This is why pregnant women have expected mood swings, muscle contractions and unusual food cravings. The body is essentially on hormone overload resulting in major physical and emotional changes.
How Can Chiropractic Help During and After Pregnancy?
After 9 months of a growing belly and arching the back beyond its stretch limit, I would say there is going to be some moderate to severe low back pain. It is extremely common for expected mothers to also have hip pain due to increased inflammation of the hip joints and widespread muscle ache due to hormone overload. Getting adjusted as frequently as you can (especially in the 3rd trimester) will not only eliminate the pain, but it will also make your pregnancy a lot more comfortable than it would be for someone who did not seek a chiropractor.
Now it is also important to continue to see your chiropractor post pregnancy. Typically, after pregnancy, not only does pain remain, but the change in curvature of the low back and rotation of the pelvis does not go away either. Unfortunately, the human anatomy is not like laffy taffy and won’t return to its original state after being stretched. It takes time for the body to return to normal, but to be quite honest, it will never be exactly 100% like it was before pregnancy because the pelvic opening has been permanently widen. The power of the chiropractic adjustment will help alleviate the pain and try to correct the position of the anatomy back to its original position.
Is Chiropractic Safe During Pregnancy?
This is the question almost every pregnant patient will ask. “Will getting adjusted hurt the baby?” “Will lying on my stomach hurt the baby?” The answer is NO! It is perfectly safe to get adjusted through an entire pregnancy and is highly recommended. At our office and at really any chiropractic office, there is a swing back piece on adjusting tables that will take pressure off the belly and make the adjustment more comfortable. The only thing a chiropractor cannot do is take an x-ray during pregnancy due to the risk of harming the baby. If you are pregnant, please do not hesitate to give the office a call. We want to make sure that not only you have a more comfortable pregnancy, but also to enjoy this great experience on bringing new life into this world.
If you have any questions or concerns in regards to chiropractic while pregnant, contact us today!
