From the first day of your pregnancy to the last - all moms know they’re about to ride a roller coaster of changes to their bodies and lives. These new aches and pains come with new concerns - whether the solutions are safe for your baby. It’s no surprise that very few medications are tested for safety in pregnancy, meaning a holistic approach is going to be your best bet to keep yourself and your baby happy, healthy and safe.
Chiropractic care is a really fantastic part of a holistic approach to prenatal care. Kellee sees a chiropractor regularly, but really loves having the care as part of her pregnancy plan as well. From the first trimester to the last, finding a great chiropractor is a great first step to making sure you have a joyful pregnancy.
There are a lot of elements to morning sickness that chiropractic care can help. Anyone who has ever thrown up knows - it hurts. Your back and neck get thrown around and that can lead to headaches, soreness and posture changes. A quick visit to your chiropractor can fix your posture, and reduce aches and pains from your visits to the bathroom.
How can chiropractic care help your digestive system? Think of your nervous system like a hose, and the water that travels through it as messages about how a body system should work. If you put a kink in a hose not as much water will get through - or not as much of the message your brain is trying to send will get through. Your brain might be trying to tell your digestive system that everything is okay and you don’t need to be sick - but if your spine is out of alignment it might be putting pressure on the nerve trying to pass that message along.
Getting that alignment fixed will make sure those messages get through - reducing heartburn, constipation and (most importantly) nausea! Reducing those symptoms will help make your first trimester more enjoyable, and will help set your body up for success in the following trimesters as well.
As soon as you get pregnant your body starts pumping out hormones that loosen ligaments. This means you’ll be better able to give birth - making room in the hips for your baby to pass through - but also that you’re about to start experiencing new aches and pains. As your ligaments loosen that means your hips and back will find it easier to move into new positions - often resulting in things not being quite where they should for good posture and movement.
A chiropractor will help during these changes to make sure that the room you’re creating for your baby is as spacious and accommodating as possible - while also protecting your spine and posture. This will help your baby develop with room to grow.
By preventing your posture from heading in the wrong direction early in the second trimester, your chiropractor can prevent low back pain, hip pain and leg swelling. A correctly aligned spine also makes the most room for your developing baby - avoiding posture changes that could compress, twist or change the shape of your abdomen creating constrictions. All this extra space in your abdomen means your baby can grow with lots of breathing room!
Perhaps the most important trimester for your chiropractic care will be your third trimester. One of the most useful techniques in chiropractic is known as the Webster Method - a way to turn babies into an ideal position for an easy birth. Additionally, get your hips and spine in alignment can even make your labor easier.
Not only is it important for you to have an easy delivery - it is better for your baby as well. Reducing labor time reduces the pressures being exerted on your baby during labor.
Finally, because your hips are moving around to make room for your delivery, having a chiropractor keep those changes in line as you approach your delivery date can make your recovery after delivery easier too. Make sure you stop in as soon as possible after delivery to make sure things are tightening up back in the right places too. We all know of a mom who has had really bad hip and leg pain after a child - make sure you’re not that mom and you’re ready to run around after your child as they grow up!
Once you’ve given birth all your hormones return to normal levels - so make sure you keep following up with your chiropractor to ensure as ligaments tighten the parts they connect are in the right place.
You’ll suddenly find that all your hip and back pain are replaced with new aches and pains - your shoulders and arms are pulling extra duty as you carry your new bundle of love around! Both Moms and Dads can benefit from a great chiropractor during this time.
No one knows better than Kellee how stressful a pregnancy can be - what are some of your best natural and healthy tips to help a mom feel fantastic during a pregnancy?
