Pregnancy presents a lot of challenges and unknowns for many soon-to-be mothers. With hormone changes, back pain, loosening of ligaments and muscles, changes in immune function, and a variety of other symptoms pregnancy can have a heavy impact on a woman’s health. In addition, women can still experience pain and complications, even after giving birth to their child. With all the pain and complications associated with pregnancy, it is essential for women who are pregnant to seek pain relief. Since prescription painkillers should be avoided during pregnancy, women need to find a solution that is not only safe but also effective.

When women are experiencing chronic back, shoulder, and neck pain during pregnancy, receiving chiropractic care is one of the best available options for pain relief. At Core Chiropractic + Wellness we are committed to helping pregnant manage the symptoms and changes related to pregnancy with natural, gentle, and safe chiropractic techniques. While some women are unsure about receiving chiropractic care during pregnancy, it can really be beneficial. To help all women out there, whether they are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, we created a guide to prenatal chiropractic care. If you are pregnant and are experience pregnancy-related back pain, visit our pregnancy chiropractors in Bakersfield! Now, check out our guide to prenatal chiropractic care!

The importance of prenatal chiropractic care?

During pregnancy, women’s bodies go through several changes to prepare and create an environment for the developing baby. These changes can potentially result in painful and uncomfortable postural adaptations that can cause the spine and pelvis to become misaligned, joints to become irritated, and other areas of the body, like the neck, shoulders, and hips to be put under extreme tension.

When the pelvis becomes misaligned, it can potentially reduce the amount of room available for the baby, which is known as an intrauterine constraint. This is when the uterus is compromised, not giving the developing baby an optimal amount of space to move freely and is responsible for a number of structural defects of babies craniofacial and peripheral skeletons. When this happens, it can affect a mothers ability to have a non-invasive and natural birth. Both posterior and breech positions can interfere with the natural simplicity of labor and can lead to drawbacks, such as a c-section.

Is prenatal chiropractic care safe?

One of the biggest concerns about prenatal chiropractic is whether or not it is safe. Like all chiropractic services, prenatal chiropractic care is safe, gentle, and natural. Many pregnancy chiropractors practice the manipulation of the spine and other joints to promote overall health, comfort, and well-being. Each chiropractor has completed some training in taking care of women who are pregnant. They understand the importance of relieving pain in the abdomen. Plus, they may even be able to recommend safe, effective exercises and stretches. Some chiropractors undergo more in-depth training to specialize in prenatal and postpartum chiropractic care. These pregnancy chiropractors are more equipped to go beyond traditional chiropractic techniques and focus on customized techniques and methods that make for an easier pregnancy and promote the overall health and well-being of the unborn child. At Core Chiropractic + Wellness, our pregnancy chiropractors in Bakersfield specialize in prenatal chiropractic care!

Benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy

Receiving regular prenatal chiropractic care can help expecting mothers be relieved of their pain and discomfort, generally in the lower back, neck, and shoulders. While pain relief is one of the main reasons expectant mothers seek prenatal chiropractic services, there are plenty of other benefits to seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy including the following six:

• Drug-free pain relief. Irritated joints, a misaligned spine, and sore muscles are some of the common symptoms pregnant women experience. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, women are limited to the kinds of medications they can take while carrying, and a number of painkillers can be harmful to a developing baby. For expecting mothers who experience any back, neck, hips, shoulders, legs, or other joints, spinal adjustments and other prenatal chiropractic approaches offer a safe and natural solution that can relieve musculoskeletal pain.
• Improved immune system. Pregnancy can cause changes in immune systems, making pregnant women more susceptible to illnesses, like the common cold or the flu. Visiting a pregnancy chiropractor can help improve an expectant mother’s immune system. With a simple spinal adjustment, the functioning of an immune system can significantly improve due to the connection between the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system, and the lymphatic system.
• Strengthened muscles used during labor. Pregnancy can weaken many of the muscles used during labor, especially the pelvic floor muscles. Experts estimate that prenatal chiropractic care can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, making them easier to relax them at rest. When pelvic floor muscles are relaxed, they can improve the chances of a natural delivery. Pregnancy chiropractors can teach their patients a variety of stretches and exercises that can help strengthen their muscles — like pelvic floor muscles — that are used during labor.
• Prevents the chances of a c-section. During prenatal chiropractic care, pregnancy chiropractors work on adjusting the spinal and pelvic areas to restore balance and coordination as well as increase the likelihood of a quick, natural, and safe birth. By practicing manipulation, stretches, and safe exercises on the lower back, chiropractic doctors can help properly align the pelvis to get the unborn baby in an ideal position for a comfort during pregnancy as well as the delivery, thus reducing the chances of a Cesarean section, or c-section, birth.
• Improved coordination and balance. Pregnancy can cause joints to become loosened, causing pregnant women to become less coordinated and more susceptible to injury. Spinal adjustments and other chiropractic techniques can help improve an expecting mothers coordination and balance.
• Better labor and birth. Expecting mothers who receive prenatal chiropractic adjustments are more likely to have a shortened labor and an easier birth process. If the carrying mother’s spine and pelvis are in the proper alignment, and if all the nerves to the organs and muscles in her body are healthy and free, both the labor and birth process can be simplified and can potentially take less time than it would if they had an issue of misalignment.

Common prenatal chiropractic care techniques.

A common approach to prenatal chiropractic that many chiropractors follow is a spinal adjustment. Adjusting a misaligned spine can not only help restore alignment, but it can also reduce pressure on the spinal cord. This can improve coordination, reduce pain, and enhance the functioning of the nervous system.

• Exercises and stretches. Proper prenatal exercises and stretches can help improve the strength of muscles as well as coordination.

• Strategy recommendations. Chiropractors teach their patients about health behaviors and habits during pregnancy and will recommend strategies to ensure their body is healthy during their time of pregnancy.
• Webster technique. The Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which allows pregnancy chiropractors to establish balance in an expectant mother’s pelvis. This helps reduce stress on their uterus and supporting ligaments. This adjustment makes it easier for a breeched baby to naturally turn into a safe and comfortable position during labor and delivery.

Benefits of postpartum chiropractic care

Chiropractic care is not only beneficial for women who are pregnant, but it can also be helpful for women after the birth of their child. In fact, many women who receive prenatal chiropractic care will continue their chiropractic visits after the birth of their child. With the physical changes that occur during and after pregnancy can cause hardships, even months after the baby is born.Fortunately, postpartum chiropractic care offers gentle, safe, and natural solutions to the pain and discomfort that women commonly experience after giving birth!

Postpartum body changes

After a baby is born, the new mother’s body does not instantly go back to its original state. In fact, after giving birth a woman are considered to be postpartum for the first year. Because their body’s state is not as it was before the birth, physical issues and complications can occur, such as chronic pain, trouble sleeping, headaches and migraines, appearance changes, and others; each of these differences that can all cause discomfort months after a baby is born and alter the health of the mother

How chiropractic care after pregnancy can help

Similar to prenatal chiropractic care, postpartum chiropractors focus on strengthening the immune system, relieving muscle and joint pain, and help with the overall healing process. The process doesn’t involve any drugs, pain medications, or invasive procedures. This can be beneficial as some medications can soil a mother’s breast milk supply.

Final thoughts

Chiropractic care can benefit an expecting mother and her developing baby in a variety of ways. As we discussed, visiting a chiropractor can potentially reduce back, shoulder, and neck pain, as well as any other pain or discomfort they are experiencing. Plus, chiropractic care has the potential to help with getting the developing baby in the best possible position for a comfortable and smooth pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Spine and pelvis misalignments can be troublesome and cause complications. For expecting mothers who want a comfortable, safe, and natural pregnancy experience, visiting a pregnancy chiropractor may be the most efficient and effective solution.

Contact a prenatal chiropractor in Bakersfield

If you are pregnant or postpartum and are experiencing any pain or discomfort in your back, shoulder, neck, or other areas, you may want to visit a chiropractor. And for those in Bakersfield, CA, there’s not a better chiropractic practice to go to for prenatal and postpartum relief than at Core Chiropractic + Wellness. Our pregnancy chiropractor is one of the best prenatal chiropractors in  Kern County. Many local obstetricians and midwives refer their patients to our practice’s safe, gentle, and natural chiropractic care. To learn more about how our prenatal chiropractic services can help you, contact our Bakersfield pregnancy chiropractors!