Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy
You may have noticed that chiropractic care is becoming an important part of birth preparation for many pregnant women these days. Women are realizing the benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments as they prepare for safer, easier birthing for both themselves and their babies.
Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
- Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
- Controlling symptoms of nausea
- Reducing the time of labor and delivery
- Relieving back, neck or joint pain
- Prevent a potential cesarean delivery
Chiropractic care and breech deliveries?
The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman’s pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis has been clinically shown to allow for optimal fetal positioning. The technique is known as the Webster Technique.
A breech presentation (not head down) for a baby is considered normal by some until the third trimester. Most birth practitioners are not concerned with breech presentations until a patient is 37 weeks along. Approximately 4% of all pregnancies result in a breech presentation at the time of delivery.
The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported in the July/August 2002 issue an 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique. Further, the results from the study suggest that it may be beneficial to perform the Webster Technique as soon as the 8th month of pregnancy when a woman has a breech presentation.
Currently, the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association recommends that women receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to establish pelvic balance and optimize the room a baby has for development throughout pregnancy. With a balanced pelvis, babies have a greater chance of moving into the correct position for birth. When a baby is in the correct position, natural child birth is more readily achieved and the worry associated with the possibility of a surgical delivery for breech babies or more painful birth process with posterior presentations can be reduced. Optimal baby positioning at the time of birth also drastically reduces the potential for dystocia (difficult labor) and therefore results in easier and safer deliveries for both the mother and baby.
Byline:
Dr. Tiffany Juergens-Clark specializes in pre-natal, pediatric and family wellness care. She is diplomate-certified to treat pediatric and pregnant patients with additional certification in the Webster Technique. Her three children were all born at home and she and her family are living the chiropractic wellness lifestyle.