How Chiropractic Care Can Help During Pregnancy
Every year, there are an estimated 6 million pregnancies in the United States. Pregnancy is an incredible journey filled with joy, excitement, and some nervousness. As moms will tell you, pregnancy can also come with less exciting symptoms, such as back pain, digestive issues, fatigue, joint pain, hormonal changes, and morning sickness. Since certain drugs and invasive procedures can harm the mom and baby, it can be challenging to find all-natural, safe pain relief. Chiropractic care is a great option, which can safely reduce a pregnant woman’s pain and discomforts. Despite the lack of more awareness, prenatal chiropractic care is a great option during pregnancy due to it being safe, gentle, and effective. Furthermore, chiropractic does not need or use drugs or invasive treatments to work, which could harm the mom or baby. Keep reading to learn more about the various benefits of prenatal chiropractic care.
1. Reduce Back and Joint Pain
As a baby grows, this places additional stress on a mother’s lumbar spine, which is the part of the spine above the pelvis. This can lead to back pain, spine misalignment, and muscle spasms. To reduce back pain, chiropractors receive specialized prenatal training to safely treat pregnant women. Prenatal adjustments can reduce common back pain caused by changes to the body. Some studies indicate that 75 percent of pregnant patients who receive chiropractic care found pain relief. Depending on the mother’s health and well-being, a chiropractor may also recommend strengthening exercises to prevent spine misalignments.
2. Faster Labor and Delivery
A fast and pain free labor and delivery is more appealing than a long, painful one with complications. Regular chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy can help ensure the mother’s spine, pelvis, and hips are properly aligned. These gentle adjustments also ensure the mother’s nerves are working properly for optimal brain to body communication. Since the nervous system controls a mother’s contractions and cervix dilation during labor, it’s essential for the nerves to be working correctly. If the nerves can do their job, this can promote a faster and easier labor and delivery with reduced pain and complications.
For mothers that want a natural birth, they can also benefit from this holistic care. Chiropractors do not use harsh medicine to address and treat pain and discomfort. Thus, an easier and faster labor and delivery can be achieved with the aid of chiropractic care.
3. Reduce Nausea
Morning sickness is one of the least exciting parts of pregnancy, which many moms experience. Nausea is not only uncomfortable, it can also make it challenging to do daily tasks, such as eating, working, and going places.
Fortunately, prenatal chiropractic adjustments help reduce nausea and vomiting symptoms. These adjustments are safe, gentle, and effective and can realign the spine. When the spine is properly aligned, this can improve the nervous system and help rebalance a mother’s hormones. By restoring the mother’s hormones to a healthier level, this can reduce those annoying nausea symptoms.
Additionally, heartburn and constipation can also lead to nausea during pregnancy. Chiropractors can help improve these digestive issues, so moms can find relief with less nausea.
4. Reduce Labor and Delivery Complications
Creating a new life is both exciting and a bit scary. A healthy, low-risk pregnancy sans complications is always ideal, but not always possible. When a baby is not in the position to be delivered head first during labor, this is known as a breech position. Breech positions can lead to complications, such as difficult vaginal deliveries, cord prolapse, or C-section deliveries. To help minimize these possibilities, chiropractic care can help mothers have a healthy pelvic balance. A healthy pelvic balance is essential as it allows the baby to have adequate space to easily move head-first into the proper delivery position.
During the third trimester, it’s recommended that mothers consider receiving regular adjustments. This helps prevent breech positions during delivery, which moms can appreciate.
5. Promote a Healthy Pregnancy
As moms, having a healthy pregnancy is important for the mom and the baby’s health. Since chiropractic care is a holistic treatment that focuses on providing lasting health and well-being, it makes sense that receiving regular chiropractic adjustments can promote a healthy pregnancy. Indeed, prenatal chiropractic care identifies and reduces any nerve obstructions in the spine that could interfere with a mother’s organs and immune system from functioning properly. A mother with a strong and healthy immune system can help their baby start off with an optimal immune system at birth.
We hope you found this week’s article helpful, which discussed some of the benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women. Creating new life is a lot of work and takes a toll on a mother’s mental and physical health. Contact Anchor Health Chiropractic in Noblesville, Indiana today to learn how Dr. Mitch can help you achieve a healthy and safe pregnancy.