Today's woman constantly juggles an incredible number of responsibilities; jobs, children, friendships, marriages, errands, appointments - the list is endless! You've got to be healthy just to keep up. Women have special health concerns during every phase of their lives; pregnancy is certainly one of the most important and complex phases. Although the changes women experience from pregnancy are natural, a little extra help is sometimes needed to cope with the dramatic changes in their bodies.A Perfect Pregnancy
In addition to the noticeable changes pregnancy causes in a woman's body, pregnancy can cause subtle changes in the muscular-skeletal system; changes your chiropractor is able to detect and correct. Because the baby lies forward in the woman's body during pregnancy, her centre of gravity shifts and the spine alters itself to accommodate this change. As a result, many expectant mothers may experience low back and pelvic pain. These stresses and strains can be relieved with regular chiropractic care. Many chiropractic patients report that their deliveries were faster and more comfortable than deliveries prior to chiropractic care.
It's especially important during pregnancy that nerve impulses flow from the brain to all parts of the body. A slightly out-of-place vertebra can create nerve irritation that snarls the body's communication system. Using gentle spinal adjustments, the chiropractic doctor can relieve this nerve irritation, allowing the body's energy to flow freely again and eliminate periodic pain through nature's own healing power! Your chiropractic doctor will use special, modified techniques during your pregnancy to make your spinal adjustments easy and comfortable.
Choose Chiropractic Care
It's easier to be fit, healthy, and experience a trouble-free pregnancy when your body freely sends the right messages. Chiropractic care focuses on the overall effects of spinal misalignment on the nerves that carry health-giving energy to every cell of the body. Chiropractic helps women get well and stay well - before, during, and after their pregnancies.
Chiropractic is for the whole family. It’s never too soon!
Common Questions & Answers regarding Chiropractic & Pregnancy
Q: Is chiropractic safe in pregnancy?
A: Chiropractic is very safe and very sensible for both mother and baby.
Q: Is it difficult to receive a chiropractic adjustment when pregnant?
A: Not at all. Chiropractors are trained in adjusting the spines of pregnant women and many chiropractic adjusting tables have special modifications and pillows for the pregnant figure.
Q: How late in pregnancy is it possible to get an adjustment?
A: Patients have received adjustments even during labour, as that is when movement/shifting happens in the mother's pelvic area.
Q: Can spinal care help postpartum depression?
A: For years chiropractic's beneficial effects on emotional stress and personality have been noted. At least one journal has quoted a doctor as saying that "postpartum depression is a rarity in patients receiving chiropractic care".
Q: Can back pain be helped with chiropractic?
A: With chiropractic spinal adjustments the body will be better able to heal its back and spinal pain, as well as many other health problems. Studies have shown a significant decrease in back and labour pains in mothers receiving chiropractic care.
Q:Do I have to have a problem in pregnancy to see a chiropractor?
A: Not at all. Chiropractic should be used as preventive maintenance. Periodic spinal checkups during pregnancy should be as common as periodic weight checkups.
Q: Can my baby receive chiropractic?
A: Infants a few hours old have been given spinal checkups and adjustments, if needed.
Tips to Ease the Strain of Caring for a Baby
Caring for a baby is rewarding - and hard work. Like other kinds of work that require lifting, bending, long periods of sitting, and repetitive motions, it can be harmful to your body. Try these simple tips to prevent problems before they begin.
~ Put one foot on a box or low shelf when you stand and change nappies. This causes your pelvis to tilt in a way that decreases pelvic fatigue.
~ Keep work surfaces at a comfortable height. Put something under the legs of the changing table, for instance, to raise it if you're tall.
~ Don't try to hold the baby and wrestle the side of a cot down at the same time. Instead, drop the cot side before you pick up the child.
Don't bend from the waist when you lift the child. Squat with your back straight, keep the child close to you, and use your leg muscles to rise.
~ Don't bend over into the car when putting your child in the car seat. Sit sideways on the seat with the child on your lap, then rotate to face front and put the child in the seat.
~ Make sure your feet touch the floor and your back is supported when you sit holding your child. Keep your knees at the same height as your hips or slightly higher.
~ Adjust stroller handles so you're not bending over when you push.
~ When loading a pushchair or groceries in the car trunk, rest one foot on the bumper and keep the load close to your body.
Teresa has experience treating women during pregnancy and in labour, please ring to ask more about this.
Also available Cranial-Sacral Therapy which will be discussed in a future article.
Teresa can be contacted via the wellbeing clinic on 01672 513583
