If you’re pregnant or thinking of becoming a mother, you’re probably aware of the many challenges and pain you must endure to successfully deliver your baby naturally.
Thankfully for you, chiropractors can offer chiropractic techniques to induce labor for a smoother, shorter, and less painful birthing process.
What Happens to Your Body During Pregnancy?
You’ll likely experience many physical and hormonal changes during your pregnancy. Some of these will affect your comfort and posture, causing distress. As your baby develops, it grows heavier, causing your center of gravity to shift and forcing your posture to adapt.
These physical changes caused by your pregnancy may lead to a misaligned spine, pelvis, or joints.
Why Do You Need Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a beautiful moment in time, but it can negatively impact your body in ways you’d never expect. Many women experience back pain during pregnancy and usually continue to suffer post-childbirth. There are many benefits chiropractic care can offer besides alleviating back pain, such as seeing a chiropractor to induce labor.
While pregnant, your pelvis may become misaligned in the process, restricting your baby’s space to grow. This is why breech babies are sometimes conceived.
Chiropractors will align your pelvis through regular spinal manipulation for a healthier pregnancy. Visits during pregnancy are safe as they are gentle and drug-free.
Here is a list of benefits chiropractic care can provide during pregnancy:
- Nausea reduction
- Better sleep
- Optimal baby positioning
- Improved pelvic balance
- Smoother delivery
- Easier postnatal recovery
- Faster labor recovery
- Healthier emotional well-being
Can a Chiropractor Trigger Labor?
Chiropractic care is a safer, easier induction process for those who want to trigger their labor naturally, proven effective while posing little risk. Before approaching labor, a chiropractor uses different techniques to reduce anxiety, stress, and back and hip pain. Do note that inducing labor should only be done by a certified chiropractor.
Can Chiropractic Care Help With Labor?
95 out of 100 babies are not born on their due date, as most mothers deliver early or late.
Chiropractic care can sometimes induce labor, but this should only be done when necessary. On average, first-time mothers who undergo regular chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy reported 25 percent shorter labor, according to the American Chiropractic Association.
Chiropractic care increases your likelihood of natural birth. It relaxes your pelvic floor and maintains its balanced alignment. Chiropractic adjustments gently push the baby down towards the pelvis, so you’re more likely to have a natural delivery rather than a C-section.
However, note that this procedure alone is not the only way to induce labor. To achieve optimal results, combine chiropractic care with simple activities like:
- Daily walks
- Regular exercise
- Proper nutrition
How Can Chiropractic Care Help With Post-Pregnancy?
During post-pregnancy, women usually take several months or a year to recover. However, with chiropractic care, post-pregnancy recovery can be quicker and more productive.
Here are some ways chiropractic care can help you during post-pregnancy:
1. Provides Pain Relief
Pregnant women suffer from all kinds of pain before, during, and after childbirth, and it is most severe for new mothers. During and after pregnancy, a woman’s body adjusts to accommodate the baby or absence thereof. However, continually maintaining an unnatural posture for a prolonged period can cause minor strains — eventually leading to pain.
In some cases, mothers experience sciatica or lower spinal problems caused by nerve compression. This condition usually results from the baby’s increased weight and expansion of the uterus. Additionally, painful sex, leaks, and weak back and pelvic muscles can also make new moms feel irritable and exhausted. Situations like these call for expert chiropractic care. Chiropractors work to manipulate a pregnant woman’s body before and after childbirth, improving the self-healing process and reducing pain.
2. Restores Normal Bodily Functions
A pregnant woman inevitably gains weight in proportion to her baby’s growth. Her body also experiences increased pressure in the back, hips, and spinal column, and the center of gravity shifts forward, changing her gait. If not alleviated as soon as the mother is able, this can result in various health issues with long-term consequences. After giving birth, have a chiropractor examine your ligaments before they tighten.
3. Reduces Postpartum Depression Symptoms
Postpartum depression is a common experience for some mothers after childbirth. This hosts a range of emotionally fatiguing challenges, such as body image worries and potentially painful sex.
Coupled with restlessness from waking up to breastfeed the baby or putting them to sleep, all of these can pile up and result in postpartum depression. It’s a common misconception that this is normal. To relieve the physical symptoms of postpartum depression, see an experienced chiropractor.
Looking for a Chiropractor?
If you’re pregnant and want to ease your pregnancy-related worries, we recommend visiting a licensed chiropractor.
We at Advanced Chiropractors Group guarantee a smooth and healthy pregnancy by connecting you to the most appropriate professional in your area. Contact us today, and do what’s best for you and your baby.
