Prenatal Chiropractic, Pregnancy and Birth-Like You’ve Never Known-Vuja’de
Not only is Vuja’de the name of my sailboat, the meaning is: this experience is really much different than any I have had in the past. This inspiration came from a conversation I was having with my mom regarding her prenatal and birth experiences. In the end, her wisdom was that if she was empowered by the knowledge she had gained by her last birth, her earlier prenatal care experiences would have been graced with prenatal chiropractic, and better choices and habits during her pregnancy and delivery.
Nine months of a healthy pregnancy is the best gift you can give yourself and your baby. One of the most important times for a woman to be receiving chiropractic care is during pregnancy. From the moment of conception the body goes through a series of remarkable changes. Some are easy to spot: a growing belly, changes in posture, and changes in gait (the pregnancy waddle). What one cannot see are the millions of different hormonal changes and chemical reactions occurring both in the mother and the developing baby, all of which are controlled and coordinated through the nervous system. Now, more than ever, during pregnancy one needs a nervous system that responds immediately and accurately to changing requirements in all parts of the body, and thus the need for a healthy spine.
Some may think the benefits of having chiropractic prenatal chiropractic care are limited to supporting you when you have pregnancy pelvis, low back or sciatic pain. But the reality is the benefits are substantial in helping you grow and birth your baby from pre-conception, trimesters one-three, to delivery, and then postpartum recuperation. Why and how can one be helped in so many ways with chiropractic care? It is because a person’s spine is made of 24 movable bones called vertebrae, plus the sacrum (tailbone), pelvis, and skull. From the brain, nerve impulses travel down the spinal cord, branch out into nerves, and exit between the vertebrae. When the vertebrae become misaligned or unable to move properly, a condition called vertebral subluxation occurs, irritating and interfering with the nerves. The message from the brain is slowed down and the life-energy carried by the nerve is unable to reach the organs and tissues at full potential. A doctor of chiropractic aligns the vertebrae and pelvis through gentle adjustments to the spine, relieving the pressure on the nerves and allowing the full nerve energy to reach the tissues it serves. Adjustments are safe, gentle, specific; and pillows and supports are utilized to help in the differing stages of pregnancy. In addition, in the third trimester, any misalignments of the pelvis and sacrum specifically can interfere with the baby and mom from being able to get into the optimal head down, nose back position for birth.
Creating nine months of healthy pregnancy with prenatal chiropractic care can look like this:
Pre-Conception Care– Supports a healthy menstrual cycle and uterine function, preparing the body to be strong, supple, and balanced-as-possible to support pregnancy. In fact, restoring nerve supply to reproductive organs has helped many couples who thought they were infertile.
Trimester One Care– A quality nerve supply can positively affect challenges with morning sickness, acid reflux, migraines or headaches, a strong immune system, energy and sleep.
Trimester Two Care – Supports comfortable growth and baby development, optimal digestion and elimination, energy, and sleep. Trimester Three Care – Optimizes comfort in back, pelvis, pubic area and sciatica; as well as confirms optimal baby positioning in preparation for birth.
Postpartum Infant and Mother Care –Helps insure optimal start to life for both baby and mom- helping with mom’s recovery, addressing new positional strains on mom when carrying and feeding her baby, sustaining energy of mom in her new transition and supporting baby’s initial skill sets of eating, sleeping, digesting, and pooping with ease and comfort.
For those who are influenced by statistics, studies have shown:
- Prenatal Chiropractic care results in easier pregnancy, including comfort in all trimesters.
- For first time moms, women under prenatal chiropractic care demonstrated 24% reduction in overall birth time.
- For second births, women under care reported 39% reduction in labor times.
- Prenatal chiropractic care related to 50% reduction in pain medications at delivery.
- Prenatal chiropractic care showed 91% reduction in pregnancy low back, pelvic, pubic, and neck pain.
- Breech Positioning: chiropractors trained in the Webster technique can help moms and babies get into the best position for birth by balancing pelvic alignment, ligaments, and muscle symmetry.
For those who are influenced by the experience of others, I have practiced for fourteen years helping families get their start. In this time, my observation is that moms and babies who had chiropractic care incorporated as a part of their entire prenatal care, pre-conception to post-delivery, hands down, had the best and most positive birth stories, satisfaction, comfort, and successful natural births. This is true for first-time moms, and return birthers rave about the difference between previous experiences and those now supported with chiropractic care. Care can be utilized as a reaction to pain, sciatica, or breech positioning, but these moms and babies miss out on the support and successes they could have had for the entire pregnancy had they chosen chiropractic care. Most of these moms state they wish they had started their care sooner.
Whether you are preconception and only considering a family or well into one of your trimesters, whether you are influenced by science and statistics or experience and stories, what wise women have shared is “Vuja’de.” Live the wisdom of multiple births at your first birth and thereafter. Have the knowledge to take the actions to build you and your baby’s start to life, empowered with a healthy and well functioning nervous system. Sailing can be your metaphor for life. Sailing starts with a well made, tuned, and properly functioning craft that has received the tender loving care and ongoing maintenance to carry you through all waters to your ultimate destination. Happy sailing and Vuja’de – May your pregnancy and birth be graced with the wisdom of ages and may you know it before you experience it.
Dr. Kimberly Maxwell is Bozeman’s Pediatric and Prenatal Chiropractor. You can find her at www.AbundantHealthFamilyChiro.com or contact her directly @ 406-585-7000 or info@abundanthealthfamilychiro.com . When your child and family is in need of a wholistic natural approach, she is here to be that resource for you.
Side Bar note:
How do you choose a family chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and pediatric care? The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (www.icpa4kids.com) has a directory of chiropractors with specific training and interest in caring for pregnancy and pediatric populations. In addition, you can find certified Webster technique doctors, who have specialized training in working with the bones, muscles, and ligaments of the pregnant pelvis. Whether you are flat on your back debilitated with pain or are a family who desires to have the most optimal birthing experience, including chiropractic as a part of your health care team is essential and will support you in having a relaxed, energized, safe, and beautiful birthing experience.