A growing number of pregnant women have found chiropractic care helpful throughout their pregnancy and birth. At Crystal Lake Family Wellness in Crystal Lake, we’re honored to care for women and babies at this important time of life.

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Benefits of Chiropractic During Pregnancy in Crystal Lake

There are so many ways that chiropractic naturally benefits pregnant mothers and their babies. (See our Resources section at the end for a list of studies.)

Here’s a list of a few benefits that we will focus on in this post:

• Improved neurological function
• Improved comfort
• Less restriction in baby’s movements
• Optimal posture and movement for the mother
• Fewer symptoms of subluxation, including sciatica, heartburn and insomnia
• Improved childbirth experience
• Optimal positioning for mother and baby
• Smoother labor process
• Fewer interventions

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How Chiropractic Improves Neurological Function for Mother & Baby

Pause for a moment to consider how incredible it is to go from two cells, to billions in a matter of 40 weeks. And not just cells of random goo, but billions of cells that are perfectly orchestrated into a new human being!

It’s truly beyond comprehension. Development occurs through innate intelligence, the spark of vitality that animates the body and the raw expression of life. As we think about this, it reminds us that “Nature needs no help, just no interference.” B. J. Palmer

With this in mind, what is the interference that could stop the flow of intelligence and life in a pregnant mother and developing baby?

Stress causes interference. It may be physical stress and trauma, mental stress, or chemical stress from food and environmental factors.

When the vertebrae get out of alignment from these stressors, it creates pressure and inflammation on the nerves. This interferes with the body’s ability to adapt and function optimally.

The brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves are all key to our neurological function. Specific chiropractic adjustments remove that interference gently and naturally, restoring the body’s flow of innate intelligence.

When Dr. Emily got adjusted throughout her pregnancy, neurologically she wasn’t the only one being adjusted; indirectly, her baby also received those benefits.

This is quite amazing! As the mother's body is adjusted, the ability to comprehend and respond to her internal and external environments is restored. This means better communication, digestion and function, which translates to the improved development of the unborn baby.

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How Chiropractic Improves Comfort During Pregnancy

Most moms can tell you about the various discomforts they endured during pregnancy. The wonderful thing is that by getting to the cause of how the body is functioning, we aren’t chasing symptoms trying to find relief anymore. We’re getting to the root cause.

As the spine and pelvis need to adapt to the weight of a growing baby, the mother’s body produces more of the Relaxin hormone to relax ligaments and allow more movement in the joints. This is wonderful and necessary, but it also means that those joints shift out of alignment more easily.

More subluxations can equal some of the more common discomforts of pregnancy, such as sciatica, heartburn and insomnia.

We definitely recommend that mothers be checked throughout pregnancy to restore alignment and function, especially if the body is signaling there’s dysfunction.

When she’s in alignment, well-rested and comfortable, many mothers are able to continue being active. Adjustments also help the mother to have the best posture possible so that her compressed organs have more room.

Specially trained chiropractors can take that one step further by using the Webster technique to help restore neuro-biomechanical function to the pelvis before birth.

Think about being under the bedsheets when someone is sitting on them. Your movement is restricted, right?

The Webster technique opens up and optimizes the pelvis, muscles and ligaments. This gives the baby the space to move freely and innately go into the best position for birth.

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How Chiropractic Improves the Childbirth Experience

We know and trust that womens’ bodies know how to give birth and were designed to do it well. We also trust that babies know their role in finding their position and possibly even triggering labor.

So removing any interference and improving the neuro-biomechanics can result in the smoothest labor process possible for that mother and baby. This also means fewer complications, interventions, or side effects from interventions.

Researchers have found that first-time moms under chiropractic care had on average 25% shorter labor time. Women pregnant with their 2nd or more, had on average 31% shorter labor times when under chiropractic care.

That being said, chiropractic doesn’t guarantee the shortest labor, easiest birth or no interventions (although it may!) Chiropractic adjustments sets mother and baby up well to adapt to whatever factors they may encounter throughout pregnancy and labor.

Thanks for sharing this information with expectant parents or folks hoping to start a family. At Crystal Lake Family Wellness, Dr. Josh and Dr. Emily Young address the cause of your pain, not just the symptom. We believe that education is a big part of your success! Call (815) 788-7504 for an appointment or click here to schedule online.

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Resources:

Chiropractic and Pregnancy studies

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/#bib8
• https://icpa4kids.com/training/webster-certification/webster-technique/