Be Prepared With Prenatal Care
The miracle of life is the most incredible phenomenon in the universe. And to say that the process of growing and developing a baby is “complex” would be the understatement of the century. The mother’s body is going through rapid and intense changes in a relatively short time, which puts an incredible amount of stress on her musculoskeletal system and nervous system. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can be extremely beneficial for both mother and baby. It has been shown to help with the aches and pains of pregnancy and it has been shown to help reduce labor time by up to 25% (6-8 hours!). Most importantly, when a woman is pregnant, her baby is depending on her for absolutely everything. Without exception. Therefore, it is of the upmost importance that her body and nervous system are working properly to help optimize the environment for growing that baby.
Power. Passage. Passenger.
Labor and delivery is powerful and intense and both mother and baby play an active role in this process. Regular Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy is an important aspect of having a comfortable and quick delivery. By establishing and maintaining proper biomechanics of the spine and pelvis, chiropractic adjusting have a positive impact on the “3 Ps” – Power, passage and passenger. Since Contractions and pushing are accomplished by using muscles that are innervated by nerves that leave from the low back and pelvis, keeping these areas moving properly reduce the risk of obstructions to the nerve communication to these muscles, thus allowing mama to have the “power” for pushing during delivery. “Passage” refers to the opening in the bony pelvis where the baby travels during delivery. Misaligments in the pelvis often lead to distocia or prolonged labor because the baby physically doesn’t have the space to move through the pelvis. “Passenger” refers to the baby. When the spine and pelvis are moving properly and there is no tension on the round ligaments, the baby has the space they need to move into the proper position for engagement and delivery. Therefore, keeping the pelvis and bones of the spine moving properly reduce the risk of a baby getting stuck in a breech or transverse position, neither of which are ideal for labored delivery.