Understanding Pregnancy and Chiropractic

Pregnancy is one of the most exciting, rewarding and sometimes challenging times in a women’s life. The body will go through enormous physical and hormonal changes during the course of her pregnancy. It will likely lead you on a journey of discovery, learning and uncertainty. While it’s important to learn as much as possible you should not forget that both pregnancy and childbirth is a totally natural process. It’s one of life’s little miracles. Listening to your body and placing an emphasis on your own health and wellbeing will help your pregnancy be as healthy and enjoyable as possible.

There are many physical and hormonal changes that occur during your pregnancy, as your body creates the perfect environment for your developing baby. As your body is adapting to these postural and structural changes you may experience spinal and pelvic misalignments.  Around 50% of women will experience back pain during their pregnancy with up to 75% reporting low back pain during labor. Low back pain in itself can be a considerable burden to your quality of life and pregnancy experience.

Your nervous system may also be impacted by less than optimal spine and pelvic function. As the master control  system of the body, your nervous system is tasked with transmitting nerve impulses to direct cell function. It’s like the strings controlling a puppet, if you interfere with the strings, you interfere with the puppets function. The same is true with the human body.

To understand the impacts of misalignments it is necessary to look at the mother’s anatomy. A females pelvis has several key ligaments to help support her uterus. The role of these ligaments becomes increasingly important as the baby grows. If your pelvis is biomechanically balanced during pregnancy, the uterus will be supported symmetrically.

To restore any imbalances during pregnancy we use gentle adjustments to the spine and pelvis utalising specialised tables and techniques. As it becomes uncomfortable for you to lay on your stomach, parts of our table move away to provide room for the growing bub and specialized pillows are used to add comfort and support. At all times the health of you and your growing bub is our priority. The Webster technique is our preferred method of assessing any pelvis misalignment such as a sacral imbalance.

During your pregnancy I would encourage you to keep moving in whatever way you find works best for you. The activities you feel comfortable with will likely change as your body changes. Walking, pilates, yoga, stretching, aquarobics, jogging or cycling are all affective ways of supporting a healthy spine and pelvis through pregnancy.