Natural and Effective Method to Ease Labor and Delivery

Pregnancy is a very precious and unique time in a woman’s life.  It is a time in which the body chemistry and needs are unlike any other time in our lives.  After all, during pregnancy, one body is functioning to support and provide for the needs of two!  With this fact in mind, it’s easy to understand why nutrition and support of healthy function are so important.  Keeping the line of communication between brain and body functioning properly.  If you’re not familiar with how chiropractic works, here’s a short explanation:

As many of us know, the brain, spinal cord and nerves are the line of communication in your body, controlling pretty much all of the functions you can think of – movement, touch, pain, sight, hearing, smell, digestion, breathing and much, much more! The nervous system is largely protected by the spine and the skull, also allowing nerves to exit through openings in the spine.  These nerves then connect with organs and muscles to make the connection between them and the brain. Irritations in the spine due to injuries, poor posture, or in our case, extra stress like pregnancy, can cause joints in the spine to become fixated or “stuck”.  This can cause irritation to the nerves, causing not just pain, but often also a decrease in signal transmission between brain and body. This can cause pain, headaches, dizziness, poor coordination, and so much more.  Chiropractic physicians are part of a unique profession that involves applying specific “adjustments” to the joints in the spine to remove these areas of fixation and allow the body to function normally once more.  (visit: http://www.nhwchiro.com/what-is-chiropractic for more information on chiropractic, as well as answers to frequently asked questions). 

Many women seek out chiropractic care during pregnancy because it can act as a fantastic source of pain relief for the muscular and joint pains that often arise. In actuality, chiropractic in pregnancy is about so much more than pain relief.  As a matter of fact, pain relief is really just a side effect of restoring the body’s ability to function and communicate properly.  As we mentioned above, a number of body systems are affected by a chiropractic adjustment.  Let’s start by talking about the mother.  During pregnancy, the mother’s pelvis goes through a few different changes to accommodate the presence and delivery of the new baby.  The ligaments in the pelvis become more lax to give the baby more space, which frequently can lead to joint dysfunction and low back and hip discomfort².  This is probably the most common reason that pregnant women seek out a chiropractor.  However, abnormalities in pelvic alignment and joint motion can lead to difficulties during labor³.  Ensuring that the joints in the pelvis are moving properly also helps to ensure that the baby has optimal room to move and grow.  Additionally, as you can imagine, it is very important to keep the nervous system healthy to ensure proper functioning of your organs to support your growing baby¹.   Many chiropractors have special techniques that they use to accommodate the mother and her growing baby.  In our office, we have a special pillow that gently cradles the belly and allows the mother to lay   Please come back next week to find out what other benefits chiropractic care has on pregnancy. 
face down comfortably to receive her treatment.

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1.  Ohm, Jeanne.  Chiropractic care in pregnancy for safer, easier birth

2.  http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/bodily-changes-during#HormonalChanges1

3.  Cunningham FG et al, "Dystocia Due to Pelvic Contraction", Williams Obstetrics, Nineteenth Ed 1989.

4.  Fleming, A. Natural Health and Wellness Chiropractic, LLC.  www.nhwchiro.com