Chiropractics and Pregnancy: Can Adjustments Improve My Delivery?
Pregnancy is an exciting time, but it’s also nerve-racking, with labor and delivery just around the corner. Knowing you’ll finally get to “meet” and hold your new baby can make labor and delivery more bearable — but they can still be extremely uncomfortable experiences.
At Body Balance Chiropractic & Wellness Center, our team helps women in Houston, Texas, manage labor and delivery discomfort with chiropractic care tailored to the unique demands of pregnancy. Here’s how regular chiropractic visits during pregnancy can help ease the delivery process.
Pregnancy and your body
Your body changes a lot during pregnancy — not just in ways you can easily see, like your growing belly. During pregnancy, your body releases hormones that help “relax” the ligaments that hold your uterus in place, creating an effect that allows your uterus and your pelvis to expand.
These changes enable your body to accommodate your growing baby. But they can also result in “too” lax ligaments, increasing the risk of muscle strain and discomfort in your lower back and hips. Many pregnant women develop sciatica during the last months of pregnancy as their growing belly pulls their spine out of alignment, irritating the long sciatic nerve.
Chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments, helps keep your spine aligned, reducing the risks of nerve irritation and muscle strain. In addition to relieving many of the aches and pains while you’re carrying your baby, chiropractic care can also help prepare you for delivery.
Chiropractic care: For a more comfortable delivery
Chiropractic adjustments have other benefits besides relieving nerve pain and muscle strain. Ensuring your spine and surrounding joints remain aligned may also help “pave the way” for an easier delivery by optimizing the positioning of the birth canal, making it easier for the baby to exit the uterus.
Other chiropractic techniques can help gently reposition the baby before birth, decreasing the risk of breech birth and reducing the need for cesarean deliveries. The American Pregnancy Association notes that chiropractic care may shorten labor by ensuring the baby is in the proper position for a faster birth.
One of the biggest benefits of chiropractic care is that it can be entirely customized for your needs, especially as they change during pregnancy. Regular visits help you stay more comfortable during pregnancy, through delivery, and in the months afterward as your body recovers.
Learn more about chiropractic care and pregnancy
Being ready for delivery helps relieve anxiety and worry about your “big day” and lets you focus on the excitement of pregnancy instead. To learn more about the pregnancy care services we offer, call 281-890-5599 or book an appointment online with the team at Body Balance Chiropractic & Wellness Center today.