Pregnancy

Progressive moms are choosing wellness chiropractic care before and during pregnancy. The doctor of chiropractic is the only healthcare professional that acknowledges and supports you and your baby’s inborn ability to express your own wellness. 

Preconception Advice:  If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, your doctor of Chiropractic would encourage you to begin the dialogue six months to even a year before you are ready to have a family. Physical, chemical and emotional stressors can affect the quality of your pregnancy and a family wellness Chiropractor is as much an educator as they are a healthcare provider. 

Pregnancy

Steps to Wellness: Recognize that healthy pelvic function is vital for your baby’s development. During your child’s first nine months they will undergo tremendous growth and development as they prepare to enter this world. Your baby’s brain and nervous system is the first to develop following conception. The spine and skull, which is the housing that protects this vital master controller, develops later. Even before conception or during pregnancy a woman’s pelvic bones may lose their normal position or ability to move causing interference to their nervous system (pelvic subluxation).  

A Wellness Mom: Even more than just good nutrition and less stress the well-being of your spine and nervous system influences the development of the baby. Preconception and prenatal chiropractic care for you can mean less morning sickness, less low back pain and an improved quality labor and delivery but more than that, it supports the integrity of your pelvic function, which includes the uterus, the muscles and ligaments, and the interfacing of the nervous system with fetal development and preparing for a healthy delivery.

Dr. Lee has been trained to evaluate and care for you during this important time adapting her technique to meet your specific needs. Not only do you benefit, but so does your developing baby.

Webster Technique

The Webster Technique, discovered by Dr. Larry Webster, founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, is a specific chiropractic adjustment to correct sacral subluxation. Used most often on pregnant women, this adjustment balances muscles and ligaments in the woman's pelvis and may remove undue tension to the uterus. The goal of the Webster Technique is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation (misalignments), and sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction. Sacral subluxations may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia). Dystocia is caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation.

Dr. Denais and Dr. Lee are certified to perform the Webster Technique. The goal of the Webster Technique is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation(misalignments), and sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction. For clarification, the SI joint is located in the lower back, approximately where the lumbar spine ends and sacrum begins. After performing the Webster technique adjustment, the alignment to the spine and pelvis is greatly improved. 

Common symptoms of sacral subluxation include (but are not limited to) low back pain, abnormal menstrual cycles, changes in bowel function, and sciatic nerve irritation. Sacral subluxations may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia). Dystocia is caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. The correction of a sacral subluxation may have a positive affect on all of these causes of difficult labor.

In this framework, it is suggested that sacral misalignments may contribute to three primary causes of difficult labor: uterine nerve interference, pelvic misalignment, and the tightening and torsion of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments. These effects on the uterus may prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the best possible position for birth.

When an expecting mother seeks chiropractic care because her baby is in breech position, the restoration of pelvic alignment through the Webster technique also allows for an optimal fetal position. “Although research by members of the ICPA is ongoing, these studies provide insight into the benefits of the Webster technique,” Dr. Lee notes.

Research in Chiropractic care has determined that correct positioning of the baby in-utero is crucial in decreasing stress to the baby’s developing spine and nerve system.

Correcting sacral and pelvic alignment through Chiropractic adjustments creates healthy pelvic positioning, which ultimately may help to prevent birth complications. Because of its importance, the Webster technique (adjustment) is recommended throughout pregnancy to detect and alleviate any imbalances and optimize pelvic alignment. These are more common during pregnancy because of the mother’s increase in hormones. 

Serenity Health Chiropractic