{We’ve partnered with Rochester Chiropractic & Wellness to provide you with an overview of chiropractic care. Rochester MN Moms Blog partners with brands and organizations we know will benefit our readers, so we are happy to let you know about this business. Healthcare is a personal choice and each person and family has the ability to choose what is right for them.}
I was 38 weeks pregnant with my baby boy and this mama was hurting. Every joint was loose, and all of my ligaments were strained to the max…and did I mention the constant kicks in the ribs?! I tried stretching, walking, swimming, baths: nothing seemed to bring any relief. I was in pain and I needed help. I decided to turn to chiropractic care as I had heard from many friends who had benefitted from this sort of treatment while they were pregnant. Naturally, I had questions. I asked Dr. Beth McVey and Dr. Abby Splittstoesser from Rochester Chiropractic & Wellness to help me understand a bit more about why this type of care can be beneficial for expecting mamas, postpartum mamas and even babies.
Why is chiropractic care during pregnancy important?
Every pregnant mother wants to have a healthy and safe pregnancy. Chiropractic care can help women to achieve this desire. Having your spine checked by a chiropractor ensures that your pelvis is sitting correctly to allow optimal room for your baby to grow and move. As your pregnancy progresses, the weight of the baby can become a major load to bear and hormonal changes begin to relax the supporting tissues of the spine. It is vitally important that your spine maintains correct alignment. Research shows that correct alignment of the pelvis and spine contributes to a more straightforward labor with less pain and trauma for the mother and child. Maintaining the integrity of the thoracic spine with chiropractic adjustments can help alleviate mid back pain due to the increase in breast size, shortness of breath and heartburn. Making sure the low back is free of misalignments can help with unnecessary discomforts such as constipation, frequent urination, sciatica, lower back pain, pubic symphysis pain and pelvic pain.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be safe for both mothers and their unborn children. Often women learn to just accept these common pregnancy discomforts, when in fact they don’t need to. Pregnancy isn’t an illness or disease, so we believe that it should not be treated like one. Chiropractic care has been also been shown to significantly reduce labor time for women who had care throughout their pregnancy. Show me any woman who would not be excited about this possibility!!
I have heard that sometimes chiropractors can help with breech babies. Is that true?
Yes! That is true! The Webster technique, as defined by the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association), is a “specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nerve system and restores balance to maternal pelvic bones, muscles and ligaments.” By aligning the pelvis, stress in the attached ligaments and muscles is reduced. This in turn may reduce undue tension in the uterus. A pelvis in a state of balance offers the optimal environment for the developing baby. Using the Webster technique throughout pregnancy may have a huge impact in supporting natural childbirth. We recommend that pregnant women receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to achieve pelvic balance, giving babies a better chance of moving into a correct position for birth and avoiding the breech position. Optimal baby position at the time of birth also results in an easier labor and thus safer delivery for both mother and baby.
What role does the nervous system play in our health?
The nervous system is the master control system for your body. It controls and coordinates every function in your body. At its core, literally inside your spine, your spinal cord and nerves transmit information, allowing your brain to monitor and coordinate the function of every cell, tissue, and organ in your body. When the vertebrae in your spine are misaligned, it is called a subluxation. Subluxations can cause interference to the nervous system at any point along the spine where the nerves exit. Thus, whatever that nerve was going to is functioning at less than 100%. A chiropractor’s purpose is ensuring that the flow of vital information from your brain to your body occurs without interference so that your body can function and heal like it was designed to. To be healthy it is essential that your nervous system functions properly and is free from any interference caused by subluxations.
Call Rochester Chiropractic & Wellness to book your appointment today!
