Chiropractic care can help alleviate so many of the symptoms associated with pregnancy. From pelvic pain to headaches, pregnancy can sure put you through the ringer. What I also love about caring for pregnant mommas is the joy of watching them go through one of life’s most beautiful miracles.
However while pregnant women are glowing and beautiful to the outside world, the reality of experiencing what nine months of growing a tiny human inside you brings is not always joyful. Morning sickness, back aches, swollen ankles, sore feet, swollen wrists, pubic bone pain, headaches, and a superhuman sense of smell can leave a Momma very overwhelmed! While perhaps there is nothing I can do for your poor nostrils, there is much a chiropractor can do for helping keep you comfortable during pregnancy and doing our best to prepare you for labour.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe for both Momma and baby. It can help relieve back pain, pelvic pain, and headaches. Additionally it helps prepare the body for labour by working to ensure that the pelvis is moving at its optimal function. By ensuring a good pelvic position we allow baby to move freely in the womb and prepare themselves to be born. Optimal pelvic positioning allows the opening of the pelvis to be as roomy as possible for both baby’s ease, and Momma’s comfort during labour.
In addition to hands on techniques such as the Webster technique (a pelvis specific technique for pregnancy) I use different soft tissue modalities to easy Momma’s pelvic pain. Some mothers experience sciatica or piriformis syndrome due to baby lying in a position that places stress on the nerves passing out of the pelvic structures, or the musculature of the pelvis. By releasing the muscles involved and again ensuring proper pelvic positioning we can help alleviate this discomfort. Near the end of pregnancy acupuncture is also an option to alleviate any persistent pain and also prepare the body for labour.
When you get pregnant, your body immediately starts producing a hormone called relaxin. In the first trimester relaxin prepares the walls of the uterus for pregnancy. In the third trimester it softens the cervix and also ruptures the membranes to prepare the body for delivery. However it also has a role in relaxing the ligaments in the body, mainly the pelvis to allow for the pelvis to be flexible enough to deliver the baby. While this is amazing for the baby it can cause many issues for the Momma. The relaxin cannot target only the pelvic ligaments and so many of the body’s tissues have more laxity during pregnancy than normal. Additionally, relaxin starts being produced early in pregnancy and lasts well past breastfeeding in some Mommas. This extra laxity in the body can lead Mom to experience pain and instability in joints and movements. Chiropractors can help by providing postures and exercises that improve the movements of the joint, thereby removing some of the stressors that will aggravate these loose ligaments.
Overall, chiropractic care is a safe and effective method of managing pregnancy related aches and pains, and helping Momma prepare physically and mentally for birth.
Dr. Sarah Simison is a new mother and life loving chiropractor who passionately believes that we were all meant to live a full life of laughter, love, play, and enjoyment. Should you have any questions about chiropractic care for you or a friend during pregnancy, please do not hesitate to contact her. She can be reached at sarahsimison.com. Dr. Simison practices out of Peak Health and Wellness, in Brooklin, Ontario.