Do you remember those days when you learned about your own or someone else’s pregnancy and you were so filled with excitement? You watch the belly get bigger as months go by and await A the baby’s arrival.

Whether you are a parent or a parent want to be or someone who wants to learn more about pregnancy, the information that I am about to share is something you do not want to miss. I say this both as a parent as well as a chiropractor.

Now, have you ever wondered what actually happens in a pregnant woman’s body?

Do you know that other than prenatal care and the many gifts that you can buy, there is something priceless that you can do for the baby growing in there?

Spinal changes during pregnancy

When a woman becomes pregnant, her spine and pelvis undergo many changes and adaptations to compensate for the growing baby. These compensations in her spine and pelvis are very likely to cause an imbalance to her muscles and ligaments in her pelvis.

A woman’s pelvis plays an important role during the pregnancy. As the uterus grows, the pelvis supports it with specific ligaments. The most ideal environment for a baby to grow is one where the uterus grows symmetrically with the baby.

Pelvic bones that are out of alignment can subject ligaments of the uterus to tensions and cause the uterus to torque and twist. This will in turn minimize the amount of room available for the development of the baby, or cause constraints in the uterus.

Unless you have seen a chiropractor regularly to have your pelvis aligned before pregnancy, it is highly likely that your pelvic bones are not in the most ideal alignment for your pregnancy.

Birth position & development

These constraints in the uterus can affect the baby’s position and development during pregnancy. As you may be aware, the best birth position for a baby is the vertex position. Any constraints in the uterus may prevent the baby from getting into the best possible position for birth. Even if the baby is in the desirable head down position, often times, these constraints can prevent the baby’s head from moving into the ideal presentation for delivery. The baby’s head may be slightly tilted off to one side or even worse, be presented in a “posterior” position.

When any one of these scenarios happens, labor becomes more difficult and painful and medical intervention during birth may be required. C-sections often result and both the mother and baby miss out on the many benefits of a natural vaginal birth.

What can you do for the mother and baby?

An ideal environment can be provided to the baby by getting the mother, mother to be or even mother want to be under chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care prior to conception promotes a more regular menstrual cycle and optimal function of the uterus and prepares one’s body to be as strong and balanced as possible to carry the pregnancy. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can relieve and even prevent common discomforts experienced in pregnancy. Specific adjustments eliminate these stresses in your spine, restore balance to your pelvis and result in greater comfort and lifestyle improvement.

As a family doctor of chiropractic, I am certified by the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (ICPA) to provide chiropractic care specifically catered to pregnant women (Webster Technique). I am trained to balance pelvic muscles and ligaments by correcting misalignments in the sacrum. This allows the constraints to be removed, thereby allowing the baby to get into the best possible position for birth. This technique has been able to facilitate easier, safer deliveries for both the mother and baby and has shown a high success rate in allowing babies in the breech position to go into the normal head down or vertex position.