Benefits of Getting a Chiropractic Adjustment Before and During Labor

Chiropractic During Labor

Getting chiropractic care while pregnant has many benefits. Your entire body is making room for the growing life inside of you, which means that things will shift around; nerves will get pinched, subluxations (aka misalignments) in the spine will become more prevalent, leading to back and neck pain, nausea and other common negative side effects associated with pregnancy. Let’s examine the benefits of getting chiropractic care during different stages of pregnancy in greater detail.

Benefits of Chiropractic During Pregnancy

First things first, you should always inform your chiropractor that you are pregnant if you are seeking care. It will significantly change the treatment regimen to ensure the safety of yourself and your child.

Seeking chiropractic treatment during your pregnancy is a safe and extremely beneficial method for relieving side effects in addition to preparing the body for a smooth birth and shorter labor. One of the main alignments we look at during pregnancy is the pelvis. 

A misaligned pelvis can be particularly troublesome during pregnancy. It reduces the amount of space the baby has to develop and can complicate delivery by making it difficult for the baby to get into the head-down birth position. Moreover, a misaligned pelvis can communicate with the nervous system to cause discomfort throughout the rest of the body. Chiropractic care will properly align the pelvis so the baby has enough room to come out naturally and reduce the amount of time in labor.

Chiropractic care can also help relieve some of the everyday symptoms experienced during pregnancy, like nausea, morning sickness, and fatigue. Chiropractic has proven to be effective at treating these symptoms as spinal realignments improve your overall nervous system function.

Can a Chiropractor Induce Labor?

If the soon-to-be-mother experiences extremely long labor before birth, a chiropractor can help to facilitate the birthing process. Through precise techniques, chiropractic will loosen the joints and muscles in and surrounding the pelvis to allow for a wider birth canal, making it less painful and minimizing the risk of birthing complications such as breech deliveries.

Women who practice yoga, pilates, or are avid runners/fitness enthusiasts tend to benefit the most from chiropractic during pregnancy because they tend to have strong, tighter muscles that take extra effort to loosen up. However, keep in mind that having a first-time adjustment during labor won’t be a helpful option. Chiropractic trains the body through intermittent adjustments over extended periods of time. It’s not a magical cure-all for long labors, so if the patient has never had an adjustment before they go into labor, it likely won’t have any effect.

Generally speaking, regular chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy and before labor will more than likely negate the need for having a chiropractor present during delivery. On average, mothers who receive chiropractic care during their pregnancy have a 24% shorter labor period. Taking precautions by seeking a chiropractor to prepare the body for birth makes for an easier, smoother process altogether.

Benefits of Chiropractic After Giving Birth

Having a chiropractor after birth is also beneficial to help get on the right track to getting in shape and feeling good about yourself. Chiropractic will make sure your body is properly aligned so you can heal faster and get your body back to the state it was prior to your pregnancy.

Patients often experience changes in their posture resulting from their pregnancy. This can be especially prevalent after giving birth as many parents tend to hunch and leand over while caring for their child. This can lead to further misalignment issues and experiencing pain in the back and neck.

Petrak Family Chiropractic Center is Here to Care for You and Your Baby’s Health

​​If you’re pregnant, no matter what trimester, it’s beneficial to have adjustments at any time to make for an easier birthing process. Get in touch today to schedule a consultation!

schedule an appointment