Along with pregnancy comes a lot of changes. Some good; some not that good. Your rapidly growing belly, changing hormones, lower back pain, sleeplessness, etc. wreak havoc on your body. If you have been a regular chiropractic patient or never seen a chiropractor, a question stays strong on your mind. “Can I see my chiropractor while pregnant?”
Can I See a Chiropractor During Pregnancy?
You can definitely see a chiropractor while pregnant. Your chiropractor is trained to handle pregnancies and modify their adjustments as such. They have special tables that adapt to your growing belly. Again, a pregnancy chiropractor uses a much gentler pressure on pregnant women.
Why Should I Visit a Prenatal Chiropractor Near me?
As the pregnancy advances, your body generates a hormone, “relaxin”. It relaxes the joints and the ligaments in the pelvic region. This, along with the growing baby causes a shift in gravity. It creates an avalanche effect on the nervous system and the spine causing you pain and discomfort. In addition to the above, the protruding belly and pelvic changes create an increased back curve and postural changes.
Your prenatal chiropractor helps to establish pelvic balance and also adjusts your spinal alignment. In regards to back pain, they give you gentle pregnancy massage and stretch your body to help with pain relief. This is one of the main reasons to visit a chiropractor while pregnant. Apart from that, they also help to assist the baby to go in its best position for delivery by optimizing pelvic and spinal alignment, facilitating a non-invasive natural birth.
What Can I Expect from My Chiropractor While Pregnant?
Your chiropractic care during pregnancy looks a lot like when you are not expecting. But, there would be some major changes starting with filling out important forms with your pregnancy due date, detailed medical history, and such.
On your first visit, your chiropractor will sit down with you and take a detailed history to understand your current concerns or complaints associated with pregnancy. They will also understand about any other prior health issues so they can best serve you. At the same time, your chiropractor will educate you on pregnancy chiropractic and some of the unique aspects of it especially in relation to your specific pregnancy.
Rather then taking x-rays, your chiropractor will evaluate your posture, often perform a bilateral weight scale analysis, perform a range of motion assessment, and palpate or touch each vertebrae to assess motion and position. This exam helps the chiropractor to locate
Your chiropractor will sit down with you and discusses the treatment plan. He or She also answers the questions you might have to make sure you are completely comfortable with the process.
Once satisfied with the above, your adjustments will start as you get comfortable on the special table modified for pregnancy.
Typically, your chiropractor will provide a plan of care to help you throughout your entire pregnancy to delivery. They can then formulate a plan to keep you feeling great after your delivery as you enjoy time with your newborn.
With every adjustment, you can often feel the pain and discomfort draining away. You can enjoy a more painless pregnancy with a more comfortable labor and delivery.
Your Chiropractor Should Do These!
You need to know and remember to check out the following, when receiving care from a chiropractor while pregnant.
Your chosen chiropractor should be trained to work with pregnant women.
Your table should be modified to support your belly. It should also have adaptability devices and cushioning to keep the pressure off.
You should not lay flat on your back during the last trimester. And your chiropractor should insist on that.
Check the chiropractor’s website to see if they mention a focus on pregnancy care.
On a Final Note!
A pregnancy chiropractor is an important part of your pregnancy health team. They are there to work with your ob-gyn or midwife and are certainly not a replacement. Feel free to have the conversation with your ob-gyn or midwife about adding pregnancy chiropractic care as a supplemental, often essential, health service.