At Happy Family Chiropractic in Juneau we love our mommas! We wouldn’t be here without them! We also know that mommas go through a lot to get us here and it starts well before birth. The body has to go through so many changes to grow a baby and bring it into this world. With those changes many mommas face challenges. Chiropractic care for pregnancy is a great avenue to take when searching for relief, and help with those challenges. 

Women are absolutely amazing

I am always bewildered by women and their many abilities. When I consider the miracle of growing a baby, delivering it into this world then utilizing their body to feed said baby so it can continue to grow, my mind is absolutely blown. That whole process amazes me, their bodies know exactly what to do when it comes to building a new life. With that miraculous event sometimes mommas run into a few issues that can be helped out via chiropractic care

The first one that comes to mind is Low back pain. It is estimated that 50% of women experience some low back pain during pregnancy. That number is quite high, and I don’t think mommas should have to suffer with that. One study that I recently read indicated that 84% of the expectant mothers who tried chiropractic care for relief in their low back pain symptoms saw favorable results. Low back pain of course is not the only thing that chiropractic can help with, today were going to talk a little more about that.  

Remember, Chiropractic is more than just back and neck pain. 

We are really good at taking care of people with back pain. Back pain relief is simply a side effect of a well functioning body. Pain is the body trying to communicate to the brain that there is an issue that needs resolving. When your body is functioning well the body doesn’t have to utilize that signal. There are many other benefits a woman can experience when her body is functioning optimally during pregnancy through chiropractic. Chiropractic helps facilitate proper functioning of the nervous system. The nervous system is the conduit of communication between the brain and the body. The nervous system runs the show and tells your body how to do everything it has to do. A mothers nervous system is responsible for all the processes that result in a baby being built and brought into this world so when it is functioning properly the whole process runs more smoothly. For example in this study 1st time mothers under chiropractic care experienced 25% shorter labor times and multiparous women (women who have had more than 1 child) experienced 31% shorter labor times. These mothers also experienced fewer medical interventions such as the use of forceps and or cesarean section during the birthing process. This is simply evidence of a system that is functioning optimally.

Adjustments for mom

There is so much change happening in an expectant mothers body. In chiropractic college we are taught to take into account anything that may be happening within an individual’s body before we adjust them. This is especially true with expectant mothers. The most obvious change in most women is the baby bump. At the office we have special pillows and adjusting techniques so that we can tailor the chiropractic care to each mother no matter what stage she is in concerning her pregnancy. We also take into consideration all of the changes that are happening but are less noticeable. One of the processes that I have found interesting is the effect the hormone relaxin has on the body. As a mother progresses through her pregnancy the body will begin to release a hormone called relaxin. This hormone relaxes the ligaments of the entire body. This is especially important in the pelvis which, with relaxin, becomes more flexible so the baby can pass more easily through the birth canal. As a chiropractor I take this into consideration for two reasons. The first is that the joints of the pelvis of an expectant mother are more easily misaligned and need a chiropractic adjustment when she experiences any sort of trauma such as a slip and fall. The second is that when I adjust a momma the force necessary to achieve an adjustment is much less than when the mother is not at this stage of pregnancy. Our adjustments are always tailored to the person on the table and their unique situation. 

Consider Chiropractic as a Part of your Birth Team

Having a team of family friends and qualified professionals can be very helpful through the pregnancy process. Consider incorporating a chiropractor into your pregnancy team. At happy family chiropractic we would love to help take care of you as well as answer any questions you might have concerning pregnancy. We also work with a number of other practitioners that specialize in the care of expectant mothers. We will gladly refer you to them so you can get all the care you need during this exciting time.