Chiropractic Care Benefits During Pregnancy: Setting yourself up for a smoother delivery and post-partum recovery
I am Dr. Amanda Metzger, chiropractor and owner of Healthy Beginnings Chiropractic in Lutz, Florida. I specialize in pediatric and prenatal care, but I am a family wellness chiropractor who also has begun studying herbalism and functional medicine!
I am saddened to hear women resign themselves to being miserable for 9 months because they are pregnant and that is what everyone has told them to expect. It doesn’t have to be that way! I have pregnant women about ready to give birth tell me all the time that they wish they would have come sooner, because they feel better in pregnancy right before birth, than they did before they came in, while in their first trimester!
When it comes to wondering when to see a chiropractor, I like to say: The best time to come in is right after birth (as an infant) and the second-best time is now! So, the sooner the better if you want to experience your life in high definition! Your nervous system is how you experience the world around you. Subluxations are what chiropractors are trained to detect and correct with our adjustments. It is when the spine shifts or misaligns with the vertebra above and below, leading to interference to the nervous system. The nervous system is our brain and spinal cord (central), as well as all the nerves that go to our muscles, organs, glands and tissues (peripheral). It is how our brain and body communicate with one another. If there is interference to the nervous system, then it is like a light on a dimmer switch, as I like to say. It decreases communication and when left undetected leads to certain manifestations in our health. This is how chiropractic can help with so much more than just neck pain, back pain and headaches!
Who wouldn’t want to experience optimal function for themselves or their children for that matter?! I personally can’t go a week without getting checked for subluxations. Chiropractic is not JUST about fixing acute issues; it is mostly about prevention and optimal function! The short answer is that everyone benefits from seeing a chiropractor, whether they have a certain condition or not, but pregnancy is a prime time, since your body is going through so many biomechanical changes.
If your pelvis is subluxated, then the baby growing inside your uterus is getting torqued due to all the ligamentous and fascial attachments that organ has to all of the pelvic bones. This can affect many things like: baby’s position, your comfort and it also affects the uterus itself. The uterus is an organ and a muscle, which as you know has to contract in order for the baby to come out. The alignment of your hips, the uterus and baby all have a part to play in how smooth the birth process is and if it is out of alignment, that is what leads to interventions in the labor process. The biomechanics are not the only thing at work here though. Your body also is releasing all kinds of hormones and chemicals naturally to help your body go into labor and through all the stages of labor as well.
My job is to remove those subluxations and allow your body to function at its best. All other “side effects” are added benefits, like: decreasing labor times, reducing pain during pregnancy, less need for intervention in the labor process and a faster post-partum recovery.
Post-partum adjustments help your body heal faster, since all of your bones are more properly aligned allowing for muscles and ligaments to tighten back up in an appropriate manner. Which is why I love working with post partum doulas like Ann, to help you recover and get back to optimal function! Structure also dictates function and there isn’t optimal function without optimal structure.
In the post-partum period, the stress also goes from your hips and pelvis to your neck and upper back as you hold, look down at and feed your baby. So, chiropractic is a great addition to your birth team! Helping you during pregnancy and beyond is my passion!
I am also one of the most highly trained pediatric chiropractors in the state of Florida, so having your newborn checked for subluxations is vital. Commonly with newborns, subluxations can manifest as things like latching difficulty, tongue ties, torticollis, sleep issues, constipation, immune challenges, fussiness, gassiness, reflux, ear infections, ADHD, asthma, allergies, behavioral issues, colic….and the list goes on. When we remove these subluxations the body has the ability to heal and with gentle, safe and specific chiropractic care these symptoms tend to disappear. There is never any twisting, popping or cracking with the littles! So I like to say that it is never too late or early for a Healthy Beginning!