Interested in seeing a prenatal chiropractor at Active Life Chiropractic, but unsure whether chiropractic care is safe during pregnancy? Put your mind at ease. Not only is chiropractic care safe for pregnant women in Charlotte, it’s also very beneficial.
Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Even while baby is still growing inside mother’s womb, chiropractic care holds significant advantages. With professional treatments from Active Life Chiropractic in Charlotte, pregnant women have the opportunity to keep their bodies in top shape over the entire nine months of pregnancy and minimize the various discomforts experienced by many expecting mothers.
Throughout pregnancy, a woman’s body is constantly changing as it prepares for the baby’s birth. Increased frontal weight changes a woman’s center of gravity and puts more pressure on her joints when she walks and moves. Also, as the big day approaches, the ligaments holding the joints together begin to loosen. Chiropractic care is a safe, effective way to ensure the joints remain stable during this process so that the nearby muscles don’t tense up or tighten in response to any perceived instability.
Another approach we use on our pregnant clients is the Webster Technique. This technique is supported by years of research as a trusted method for not just supporting pregnant women, but also facilitating the ideal birth-positioning for the baby.
More Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Pregnant Women
In the section above we mentioned how a pregnant women’s center of gravity changes due to added frontal weight. Not only does this affect a woman’s joints, it can also result in a spinal misalignment. A protruding abdomen often times leads to an increased back curve. Other physiological changes that can cause misalignment include postural adaptations (always trying to find a comfortable sitting position) and changes in the pelvis.
A misaligned pelvis can limit the amount of room available to the baby, a condition called “intrauterine constraint”. This condition may also result in the baby having difficulty assuming the ideal position when it’s time for delivery (i.e. the baby gets stuck in a breech or posterior position). In the worst-case scenario the difficulty is such that a natural, non-invasive birth isn’t possible, and a c-section must be administered.
A prenatal chiropractor can help reestablish pelvic balance and alignment, and keep the spine aligned so that the nervous system and reproductive system work in perfect harmony. And there are several other upsides to choosing chiropractic care during pregnancy, including:
- Controlling symptoms of nausea
- Reducing labor time and delivery time
- Facilitating a healthy, natural birthing process
- Consistent relief for neck, joint, and back pain
- Offering a great opportunity for an overall healthier pregnancy
Another benefit chiropractic care offers, albeit a rare one, is the ability to facilitate pregnancy. There have been cases in which women were told they couldn’t conceive because of a spinal issue, only to visit a chiropractor and discover they had a pinched nerve in their spine that was interfering with the reproductive system. Once the pinched nerve was corrected, the women had no problem conceiving.
With so many terrific advantages, whether commonplace or rare, it’s no wonder the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) recommends that pregnant women be seen by a chiropractor over the duration of their pregnancy.
If you’re an expectant mother, our chiropractors in Charlotte highly recommend pre-birth chiropractic care for the benefit of both you and baby.