Building Your Rockstar Birth Team
Pregnancy is THE most transformative journeys of your life. As you and your partner create your dream birth plan, it is crucial to decide what kinds of providers you want supporting you along this journey. Depending on what your birth plan looks like, this will determine what providers will be right for you! From a midwife or OB to a doula, each and every one of these individuals plays a pivotal role in guiding you through pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum. With all this being said, have you ever consider including a chiropractor on your birth team?!
Here’s why having a prenatal chiropractor on your birth team can be a total game changer during your pregnancy and birth experience:
Important Members to Include on Your Birth Team
Chiropractor: A prenatal chiropractor is going to focus on maintaining optimal nervous system function and pelvic alignment. The main goal is to support a smoother pregnancy, labor, and delivery.
Midwife or OB-GYN: Provides prenatal care, monitors your health, and oversees the delivery of your baby.
Doula: Offers emotional and physical support during labor and delivery. A doula also helps advocate for your birth plan and birth preferences.
Pelvic Floor Therapist: Helps strengthen, stabilize, and rehabilitate your pelvic floor - preparing your body for labor and supporting postpartum recovery.
Lactation Consultant: Provides expert guidance on breastfeeding, ensuring a positive experience for you and your baby.
Each of these birth professionals contribute something unique, creating a comprehensive support system for you, your family, and your baby.
Why a Chiropractor is an Essential Member of Your Birth Team
Pregnancy pushes your body’s limits every single day, so we want to make sure that it is functioning at its very best! Chiropractic care ensure that your body and nervous system is functioning at its best. By supporting your body with chiropractic care throughout pregnancy, we are helping you feel more comfortable while also prepping your body for labor and delivery. Here’s how!:
Pelvic Alignment: Stress throughout pregnancy can cause your pelvis to become misaligned. This, of course, can lead to pain and discomfort, but it may also restrict the space that your baby is growing and developing in. This can make pregnancy more uncomfortable and delivery more challenging. Prenatal chiropractors utilize Webster technique - the gold standard technique for supporting women throughout pregnancy. Chiropractic adjustments and Webster technique help maintain pelvic alignment, supporting a smoother pregnancy and labor process.
Nervous System Function: Your nervous system is the control center of the body and impacts every function in your body - including those involved in pregnancy and birth! Chiropractic care has a direct influence on optimizing nervous system function. Women who are under regular chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy have experienced lower stress levels and higher overall well-being.
Pain Relief: Pain throughout pregnancy is incredibly common, but it is NOT normal. It is possible for women to experience comfortable, pain-free pregnancies. Common discomforts of pregnancy include back pain, sciatica, and round ligament pain. All of these discomforts can be alleviated with gentle and specific chiropractic adjustments.
Improved Labor Outcomes: Research shows that women who are under regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy experience reduced labor times and less need for birth interventions. This is because chiropractic care ensures that your body is in optimal condition for labor and delivery.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Your Baby
You aren’t the only one who may benefit from a well-aligned pelvis throughout pregnancy! A well-aligned pelvis may create more space for your baby to move into an ideal position for birth. Babies occupy the space they have in utero, so we want to do everything we can to optimize their space! By creating a well-balanced environment, this can reduce the likelihood of your baby getting “stuck” in a suboptimal birth position (breech, transverse, etc.). This may also reduce the risk of other birth complications, overall setting the stage for a healthier labor and delivery.
When to Begin Chiropractic Care
It is never too early to bring a chiropractor on to your birth team. Regular, weekly adjustments throughout your pregnancy help your body adapt to its changing needs and helps prepare you for the physical demands of labor. Postpartum support with chiropractic care is equally important, aiding your body in recovery and supporting your body as it adapts to life after birth.
We Want to Help You Feel Empowered
Here at Seahaven Chiropractic, we want to support you through this transformative journey. Our gentle, family-focused approach guarantees that you and your baby are going to receive the care you need to thrive! Let us help you on this journey. We are here to support your birth goals and want to help you create a balanced, empowered, and joyful birth experience. Schedule your first visit today!
