Benefits with Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy.

At Balanced for Life we are passionate about giving care to pregnant women. It is such a special (yet challenging) time, with the body changing daily. Growing and carrying a tiny human is hard work!

Many women begin their care due to pregnancy related back pain, sciatic pain and later on in their pregnancy due to concerns over vaginal birth and breech babies.

In many instances, I have seen positive changes and outcomes for the mother and her desire for the positive birth plan, which often she is able to execute, and I’d like to think it was because the body was in the best possible state to be able to go through labour.

So, let me share with you how we help women going through their pregnancy, what that looks like in our practice, and why we have such positive results.

But first let's talk about the changes that occur to a woman's body during pregnancy.

The things that change in pregnancy:

1. Postural changes

As the baby grows and the abdomen begins to protrude the low back curve increases as well- putting more pressure on the discs and joints of the lumbar spine.

2. Pelvic changes

As your body begins to prepare for labor, the hormone relaxin increases This change starts to make the ligaments quite lax to prepare the body to stretch and push out a baby. As this happens the mother is more likely to have sprains and injuries. Now imagine an underlying or previous injury? They are often brought to the surface with these hormonal changes.

Regular chiropractic care while you’re pregnant can offer the following benefits:

Help you maintain a healthier, more comfortable pregnancy

Relieve pain in the back, neck, hips, and joints

Help to control symptoms of nausea

Improve the body’s ability to give birth naturally

But the question you may have is:

Is chiropractic Safe For Pregnant Women?

The short answer is Yes.

The long answer is: Chiropractic care focuses on: the maintenance and adjustment of joints and muscles in the spine and body and this type of therapy reduces stress on the spinal nerves (which increases during pregnancy) without the use of surgery or drugs, allowing the body to maintain greater overall health.

Chiropractic care is not an option with these conditions:

Vaginal bleeding

Placenta previa

Ectopic pregnancy

Moderate to severe preeclampsia

At Balanced for Life, pregnancy care often look like this:

We use tables and special pillows so the new mum can finally get some tummy time again.

We check her pelvis and the alignment of her hips- optimising her ability to give birth without issues from the pelvis.

Often times we check muscles and ligaments such as the round ligament and pubis (Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), or pelvic girdle pain (PGP),

These treatments are gentle, safe and effective helping the woman enjoy her pregnancy.

I'm sharing this with you because at Balanced for Life we believe moving better matters - especially during such a special time!