This is the second of our ongoing blog series on chiropractic care for pregnant moms. In the previous blog, we talked about how chiropractic care can impact women who are trying to conceive. Whether you are conceiving naturally or through fertility treatments, chiropractic care can support and aid this process by encouraging good spinal and central nervous system health, as well as reproductive well-being.
Once you have conceived, you will experience changes in your body that can be impacted by your spinal health, or can impact it in return. That includes a widening of your hips, softening of your pelvic ligaments and changes in your center of balance.
You’ll also experience emotional changes, including hormonal shifts and reactions to the changes of your body during pregnancy.
It’s important to see your chiropractor throughout your pregnancy experience. Due to these physical changes, you may be at higher risk for conditions like:
Sciatica
Sleep disruption
Changes in balance and coordination
Gastrointestinal trouble, including nausea
Each of these conditions can benefit from chiropractic adjustments.
Plus, your developing baby actually benefits from better spinal positioning and labor preparation by the mother. When your spine is well-adjusted, you’re going to likely have an easier and shorter time in the delivery room.
Chiropractic adjustments, which help align the spine, are modified to accommodate a woman’s pregnancy. They also help place your womb into ideal positioning, which minimizes risks for undue stress on the baby’s development. Prenatal chiropractic also helps your pelvic floor to relax, ensuring an easier exit for the baby through the birth canal.
The pelvis starts to shift position as pelvic ligaments soften in preparation for delivery. To counterbalance the abdomen protruding forward, many pregnant women wind up leaning somewhat backward as they stand or walk. This can then place pressure on the pelvis, the sacroiliac joint, spine and ligaments, causing additional pain or discomfort.
The changes to your spine and balance can also impact your knees, ankles and feet. You might notice swelling in your ankles or feet, or pain and sensitivity around your knees. After all, your legs are carrying more weight.
Chiropractic adjustments on pregnant women include for the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint, to shift the vertebrae back into alignment and relieve lower back pain. Adjustments to these joints may also relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and help patients sleep more soundly at night.
During the last three months of your pregnancy, your body will undergo even more dramatic changes as you prepare for labor and delivery. Hormones will cause the muscles in your pelvis to relax and stretch. Your belly will drop, as the baby descends toward the birth canal. It’s important, at that stage that your baby is in the proper position in the womb. The wrong position can affect labor and delivery. Aligning your pelvis through chiropractic manipulation, along with stretches and exercise, will help position your baby with the head towards the birth canal.
Ask us if you have questions!
