Should you be seeing a Chiropractor while you’re pregnant?
Whether you’re a mom, a mom-to-be, or somebody who is essential in the birthing process such as an OBGYN, a nurse, or a doula; odds are that you’ve heard somebody suggest seeing a Chiropractor during pregnancy. I’m also willing to bet that you’ve never got a straight answer to where Chiropractic care fits in the process. I’m here today to educate you on why Chiropractic care should be deemed essential to every pregnancy, not only to alleviate Mom of any back pain that may arise but more importantly to prepare Mom’s body for the birthing process!
During the birthing process, your body emits a hormone called “relaxin”, this hormone allows the joints of your pelvis (primarily the SI Joints and Pubic Symphysis) to expand an additional 6-8mm in order to make room for the baby to make it through the birthing canal safely. If there are any underlying fixations in these joints of the pelvis that exist from everyday life (sitting too long, crossing your legs, etc.) it will just make the pelvic expansion process more difficult when it is time to give birth. This is where chiropractic care can help!
Not addressing these everyday fixations before it’s time to give birth can lead to an increased amount of work required by the body to get the baby through the birthing canal, ultimately leading to a longer “push time”. Although there is no hard research to back this, a vast majority of the patients that we’ve cared for here at Suess Family Chiropractic through pregnancy have reported a “push-time” of less than one hour. It’s my belief that this is because they were willing to put in the work to remove those pelvis fixations prior to the big day!
This is why we recommend that our expecting mothers present for maintenance visits during their pregnancy. As for the frequency of care during pregnancy, we recommend that mom schedule her maintenance visits during the same week as her OBGYN appointments. So early in her pregnancy, she will present once per month, and as pregnancy progress, we increase the frequency of care.
So what does Chiropractic care look like during pregnancy? More importantly, is it even safe to see a chiropractor when you’re pregnant? Below we take you through what Chiropractic care looks like in each trimester!
Note: Although we recommend that you begin seeing a Chiropractor in your first trimester, some patients don’t present until the 2nd or 3rd trimester for their first treatment and still reap the benefits. It’s better late than never!
Trimester 1
Recommended Frequency: 1x/month
Trimester one is a tricky trimester for most Moms. Not only is mom going through physiological changes that can lead to symptoms like nausea and hormonal changes, but she’s also oftentimes going through social changes as well. No caffeine, no alcohol, wondering when it’s safe to announce to the world that she’s pregnant. Pregnancy itself is already a stressful process, now add these social stressors to the mix and it can really have an effect on Mom.
So how can someone like a Chiropractor, whose job is to treat the musculoskeletal system help with stress? Check out this publication by the APA (American Psychological Association) published the following:
“With sudden onset stress, the muscles tense up all at once, and then release their tension when the stress passes. Chronic stress causes the muscles in the body to be in a more or less constant state of guardedness. When muscles are taut and tense for long periods of time, this may trigger other reactions of the body and even promote stress-related disorders. For example, both tension-type headache and migraine headaches are associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck, and head. Musculoskeletal pain in the low back and upper extremities has also been linked to stress, especially job stress.”
Shaw, Williams. “Stress Effects on the Body: Musculoskeletal System.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Nov. 2018, www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress/effects-musculoskeletal.
Trimester 2
Recommended Frequency: 2x/month
Enter low back pain! Why does this happen? Look at it this way, of course, you’re aware that you’re pregnant, your family and friends are aware that you’re pregnant, and by now your social media following is probably aware that you’re pregnant too. The only thing that doesn’t know your pregnant at this point is the part of your brain that is responsible for your biomechanics.
When we see a rapid shift in weight distribution it throws the body’s balance system out of whack. As your stomach starts to grow forward, your center of gravity begins to shift forward as well. This confuses the body’s balance system and the body reacts by squeezing the muscles in the low back in an attempt to bring the body back to the center of gravity. This tightening of the low back musculature can cause conditions like low back pain, hip pain, sciatica, to name a few.
Trimester 3
Recommended Frequency: 1x/week until Child Birth
Alright, we’ve made it this far! It’s almost game day for you and your family. The excitement to meet your little one is mixed with the anxiety of the birthing process. But I’ve got good news for you! All the work that we’ve been doing to keep you out of pain in the first two trimesters has also secretly been getting your body ready for birth.
Remember that hormone “relaxin” that we mentioned earlier? It has been working tirelessly to relax the joints of your pelvis for the last few months. The magic word here is persistence. With the big day right around the corner, we would hate for something silly like a long car ride or too much time on the couch reverse all the work we’ve done to loosen your pelvis during the first two trimesters.
Trimester 4
Recommended to follow-up at 6-weeks postpartum, or when receiving full clearance from OBGYN.
Surprise! I bet you didn’t know there was a fourth trimester. I probably don’t have to tell you this, but childbirth is considered a traumatic event to your body. You did such a great job of following all of our pregnancy recommendations to make sure that your baby arrives healthy and happy, but now the focus shifts on to Mom to make sure that she can make an easy and full recovery.
Remember the conversation that we had about rapid shifts in your center of gravity earlier? Well, the same thing happens after giving birth, only this time your gravity shifts backward. Mix that with the “hardening” of your ligaments and joints as the relaxin leaves your body, and it could lead to pain and occasionally more chronic conditions.
Jesse J. Suess, DC CCSP®
Waldwick Family Chiropractic, LLC
22 Wyckoff Ave., Suite 1
Waldwick, NJ 07463
(201) 972-6121
drjesse@waldwickchiropractic.com
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