How Chiropractic Care Can Benefit Pregnant Women!

Curious about how chiropractic care can benefit you or anyone you know that might be expecting? Dr. Bob is here in this week's blog to talk about how chiropractic care can safely help bring ease and relief to pregnancy!
Hey everybody! Dr. Bob Salamon here with Lowcountry Chiropractic and another exciting and informative blog! I hope you're doing great out there! Today, we are going to be talking about pregnancy and why it's a good idea for pregnant women to be under chiropractic care. Let's jump in and get started. In case you have any questions or hesitations, I am personally trained to work with  women who are pregnant, and I do have extensive experience. Why is it so important to receive chiropractic care during pregnancy? As the baby grows, we see that this brings on a lot of physical, chemical, and hormonal changes in the mother's body. Let's talk about those physical changes! As the baby continues to grow bigger, this can cause your hips to become displaced, your pelvis can tighten up, and it can cause you to walk with a different posture than you normally do. All of these changes can put a lot of stress on the joints in your body. The baby can also sit on a plexus of nerves that are in the sacrum or lumbar area of the body. In this case, it is very common for a woman to experience low back pain.  My job is to help prevent or alleviate any of these issues to help you feel better and to help the baby remain healthy and safe throughout your pregnancy.
There are three main reasons why women seek me out during their pregnancy:

• The number one reason someone will come see me when they're pregnant is because they're hurting. Their back is hurting, the pain they're feeling is preventing them from sleeping at night, and they just can't get comfortable. When a patient comes in with these issues, I spend time looking and making sure that all the spinal bones and all the joints are aligned and moving properly. If there is stress on the nerves, I will work to remove this stress and alleviate the pain that is connected to it. Chiropractic care during pregnancy is focused on helping women stay comfortable during the entirety of their pregnancy.
  
• Another reason why pregnant women should receive chiropractic care during their pregnancy is to help with their pelvis. If your pelvis is working properly, which your baby passes through during the birthing process, it will be much easier on both the baby and mother if it is aligned properly. However, if it is not symmetrical and is locked up, the ligaments and tendons of those muscles around the pelvis are going to tighten up. This makes it more difficult to deliver a baby when your pelvis is out of alignment. There is evidence out there that says women who get adjusted during their pregnancy typically will have an easier delivery process than somebody who has not been adjusted. This is really important because you want short labor, a short delivery, and a less painful delivery process!
  
• The third reason why a woman should receive chiropractic care during their pregnancy is one that many don't think about. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive practice that helps to keep your entire body healthy, working as it should, and to strengthen all of your body's systems to function as they should. This affects how a mother's body naturally responds to providing and caring for her baby while inside the womb. The baby inside a mother's womb is getting all their nutrition from their mother. If the mother isn't optimally healthy, this will affect how well the mother will pass along proper nutrients to their baby. If the mother isn't healthy, then the baby isn't getting the optimal nutrition and goodness that they need. We want to keep our mothers as healthy as possible during their pregnancy so the baby can be as healthy as possible when they're born. I also want to address the subject of breastfeeding. In recent history, breastfeeding was looked down upon, and formula was widely being used instead. However, breastfeeding is and remains the best thing you can do for your baby. Breastfeeding helps the baby get all of the mother’s nutrients, antibodies, and vitamins that it needs. If the mother is healthy, she will be providing the best milk she possibly can for her baby. If the mother is not very healthy, then this will affect the quality of her breast milk. Chiropractic care helps a mother maintain wellness from top to bottom, providing the best care during and after pregnancy for both her and the baby.
  

I also want to share a little insight into my chiropractic table, to help with any concerns or questions. I want to note that it is very easy for a woman with a large abdomen, thanks to her little one, to get on and off my table to get adjusted. In fact, most women who come in to get adjusted will say, "Wow! I can't believe this, I can actually lay on my belly! I haven't been able to do that in months, and it feels so good to be able to relax like that again!". My table is a drop table. The pelvic section of the table opens up and the lumbar section releases down. The table, once these two sections have been set, will rise up to meet the mother getting adjusted, in the standing position. Once the table is raised in front of the patient, they don't have to crawl on it. All they have to do is lean on it, and the table will be lowered back down to the floor.
The space between the pelvic and the lumbar section is where mom’s belly fits, and the table can be adjusted to accommodate the height of the mother and the size of their baby. This allows plenty of room for mom and baby to be comfortable. Thanks to the type of table that I have in my office, I can give relief to my pregnant patients. If it weren't for this specific table, I wouldn't be able to adjust someone who is far along in their pregnancy face down. Being face down to receive your chiropractic care is one of my preferred ways to adjust my patents! Please don't hesitate to come in and get adjusted. You and your baby will be safe and comfortable throughout the entire process.
If you have any questions, or if you're pregnant and you would like to chat and ask me some questions about what you should be doing during your pregnancy, please feel free to get in touch with us. As always, we would be very happy to help anyone in any way we can! I hope this blog has been helpful and informative, and for any of my readers who are pregnant, I hope everything is going well for you and that you come to see me soon! I promise that we will take good care of you! Until next time, remember that I am Dr. Bob and I have your back covered!

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