Educate your patients about the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe and effective. Through chiropractic, you can help your patients enjoy their pregnancies and experience these potential benefits:
- Reduce / eliminate morning sickness and nausea
- Women under regular care report lower frequency of morning sickness. Long time chiropractic patients often report that they've had no nausea
- Avoid / relieve back, neck, hip or joint pain Baby's growth will change mom's posture, which can lead to neck and low back pain. Increase in baby's size combined with change in hormones will loosen pelvic ligaments; some moms experience hip pain
- Improved sleep and relaxation. Mom's sleeping position will be affected to accommodate her growing belly, creating new stresses on her spine
- Enjoy a healthier pregnancy Reducing stress on the nerves allows for greater expression of life for both mom and baby
- Experience a vaginal birth / prevent possible Cesarean section. Pelvic misalignments may reduce the amount of space available for the developing baby. Misaligned pelvis may hinder baby from getting into proper position for vaginal birth
- Reducing the time of labor and delivery. First time mothers under regular chiropractic care reported an average of 25% shorter labor than moms not under care. Moms with previous children under regular care reported an average of 33% shorter labor than moms not under care
Teach them about breech babies and chiropractic
The Webster Technique, developed by the late Larry Webster, D.C., combines a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment to establish balance in the pregnant woman's pelvis, which reduces stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. When the pelvis is balanced, it becomes easier for a breech baby to turn naturally. While a breech presentation is considered normal into the early weeks of the third trimester, some birth practitioners will tell your patients that the baby must turn by a specific date or a Cesarean section will be necessary; often the given date is 34 weeks.
Most midwives are not concerned about breech presentations until a patient is 37 weeks along. Even at that point, a well adjusted mom may trust in her innate as well as the baby's innate to know when it's time to turn. It is not uncommon for baby to turn during labor - especially with twins. Although much attention is focused on baby's position, only about 4% of all pregnancies result in a breech presentation. In the July/August 2002 issue, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics reported an 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique. Further, the results from the study suggest that it may be beneficial to perform the Webster Technique as soon as the 8th month of pregnancy when a woman has a breech presentation.