Pregnancy is an amazing journey filled with joy, excitement, and nervousness. Of course, pregnancy also comes with common symptoms and discomforts, such as morning sickness, digestive issues, fatigue, hormonal changes, back pain, and joint pain. Did you know that chiropractic care can safely remove a pregnant woman’s pain and discomforts? Despite the lack of more awareness, prenatal chiropractic care is an excellent option during pregnancy because it is safe, gentle, effective, and does not use drugs or invasive procedures that could harm the mother and baby. Indeed, chiropractic care for pregnant women can help provide relief from back pain, reduce labor, and delivery times, and reduce the possibility of complications during pregnancy and labor. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of prenatal care.
1. Reduce Back and Joint Pain
As a baby grows, this puts extra stress on the mother’s lumbar spine, which is the part of the spine above the pelvis. This can lead to back pain, spine misalignment, and even muscle spasms. To address back pain, chiropractic doctors undergo specialized training to treat pregnant women in a safe, gentle manner. Prenatal adjustments can reduce common back pain caused by changes to the body. Indeed, studies indicate that 75 percent of pregnant patients who receive chiropractic care found pain relief. Depending on the mother’s health, a chiropractor may also suggest strengthening exercises to avoid spine misalignments.
As a mother’s body gets closer to giving birth, it produces a hormone known as relaxin, which relaxes and loosens the pelvic area (joints and ligaments). This natural process can cause spine discomfort and pain, mainly due to the supporting ligaments becoming more loose and fragile. Additionally, some mothers may curve their backs as their babies get bigger. This can lead to spine misalignment and increased back pain. Fortunately, regular prenatal chiropractic adjustments can remove back and joint pain throughout a mother’s pregnancy.
2. Faster Labor and Delivery
Yes, you read that right! A fast and pain-free labor and delivery is much more appealing than a long, painful, and complicated one. Regular chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy will help ensure that the mother’s spine, pelvis, and hips are correctly aligned, as well as their nerves are working properly for optimal brain to body functions. Since nerves control a mother’s contractions and cervix dilation during labor, it’s important for the nerves to be working properly. If the nerves are able to do their job correctly, this can lead to a faster and easier labor and delivery process with less pain and complications.
Mothers who want to have a natural birth can also benefit from chiropractic care. Indeed, chiropractors do not use medications to address pain and discomfort. Thus, an easier and faster natural labor and delivery is possible with the help of chiropractic care.
3. Less Nausea
Morning sickness is one of the less fun parts of pregnancy that many mothers experience. Nausea is very uncomfortable and can make it hard to do daily tasks, such as eating, working, and going places.
Prenatal chiropractic adjustments can help decrease nausea and vomiting. These adjustments are safe and effective and can realign the spine. When the spine is in proper alignment, this will improve the nervous system and help rebalance a mother’s hormones. By restoring the mother’s hormones to a healthier level, this can reduce or even get rid of the unpleasant nausea.
Aside from hormones, heartburn and constipation can also cause nausea during pregnancy. Chiropractic care will also help improve digestive issues, and thus, decrease a mother’s nausea.
4. Decrease Labor and Delivery Complications
Bringing new life into this world is both exciting and a bit scary. A healthy, low-risk pregnancy without complications is always ideal, but isn’t always the case. When a baby is not in the position to be delivered head first during labor, this is called 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 a mother have a healthy pelvic balance. A healthy pelvic balance is important because it allows the baby to have enough space to easily move head-first into the proper delivery position. It’s recommended that mothers in their third trimester regularly receive adjustments, so they can help prevent breech positions during delivery.
5. Have a Healthier Pregnancy
As mothers, having a healthy pregnancy is important for both the mom and the baby. Since chiropractic care is a holistic type of care that seeks to provide lasting health and wellness, it makes sense that receiving regular chiropractic adjustments will help promote a healthy pregnancy. Indeed, prenatal chiropractic care aims to identify and remove any nerve obstructions in the spine that could interfere with a mother’s organs and immune system from functioning properly. A mom with a strong and healthy immune system helps ensure their baby has an optimal immune system when they are born.
We hope you enjoyed reading about some of the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy. Creating a new life takes a lot of work, which takes a toll on a mom’s mental and physical health. Contact West Michigan Chiropractic today to learn more about how Drs. Ryan and Sarah Malarney can help you achieve a healthier, safer pregnancy.