Pre-natal Chiropractic Care

Caring for pregnant mothers is one of the most rewarding aspects in the field of Chiropractic. At RiverPath Chiropractic, we are passionate about optimizing the pregnancy and birthing experience of our moms. We welcome families and nursing mothers, and provide a quiet and private mother’s corner with a rocking chair and changing table.

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is both safe, gentle, and effective.belly

Many pregnant mothers recognize how proper motion and alignment of the spine/pelvis during pregnancy allows for optimal fetal
positioning and neural development of the baby. The movement of the mother’s spine is a necessary feedback-mechanism in the child’s development .

In addition to addressing the physical needs of mothers, we offer craniosacral therapy which promotes relaxation and stress adaptation. Mothers who exhibited high levels of stress during pregnancy tend to have babies with sub-optimal neonatal neurological scores, lower birth weights, and a smaller head circumference (1).  

Research has shown that mothers who seek Chiropractic care during their pregnancy benefit in a number of ways:

  • 25% shorter labor times for first time moms, and 31% shorter labor for subsequent pregnancies (2,3).
  • Natural relief from back pain and decreased risk of back labor (50% of pregnant women report back pain. Back labor is 3 times more likely to occur if a woman experienced back pain during pregnancy) (4). These women are less likely to require medical intervention and pain medication during labor, ideal for those birthing in at home or at a birthing center.
  • Relief from headaches that worsen with the ligament laxity associated with pregnancy.
  • Relief from round ligament pain; common in the first trimester.

 

Webster Technique- for Prenatal Chiropractic Care

Drs. Kim and Chris McHugh have taken additional training in pre-natal care and are certified in the Webster Technique. They are trained in this specialized procedure and provide Mothers-to-be with gentle and individualized care.

A woman’s anatomy during pregnancy is very dynamic. Each week, the body is different. The uterus is directly connected to the pelvis via ligaments, so our job is to find and release contractions that maybe causing torsion within the uterus. Chiropractors referround-ligament to this as “Intrauterine Constraint”.

When you consider the physical space inside the uterus and how torsion might lessen the space needed for the baby to engage into birthing position, it becomes clear how the Webster Technique can be very effective in aiding in the resolution of breech presentations. This may help mothers avoid C-Sections, if they are done for the purpose of a breech presentation. 33% of all births in the U.S. are via C-Section, which is why we are so passionate about the natural birthing process.

Babies born naturally, through the birth canal, receive many benefits: a necessary micro-biome that helps them develop an effective immune system, compression of the lungs and skull which helps remove water in their sinuses and lungs (they are in an aqueous environment within the womb), and avoiding pharmaceutical exposure.

1. Pistolese, R. A. (2002). The Webster Technique: a chiropractic technique with obstetric implications. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics,25(6), E1-E9.

 

  1. Lou, Hans C., Dorthe Hansen, Karin Nørgaard, and Merete Nordentoft. “Prenatal Stressors of Human Life Affect Fetal Brain Development.” Pediatric Neurology 36.9 (1994): 826-32. Print.
  2. J.M. Fallon. Textbook on chiropractic & pregnancy. Arlington, VA: International Chiropractic Association; 1994: 52, 109
  3. Fallon J.M. Chiropractic and pregnancy: a partnership for the future. ICA Int Rev Chiropr. 1990;46(6):39–42
  4. Diakow P.R.P., Gadsby T.A., Gadsby J.B., Gleddie J.G., Leprich D.J., Scales A.M. Back pain during pregnancy and labor. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1991;14(2):116–118.
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