With over 10,000 babies born in the U.S. every day, there are many women nationwide who should be feeling and functioning at their most optimal in order to safely bring the babies they are carrying into the world. How can we support these powerhouses? The process from conception through postpartum is long and intricate. While often the media portrays it as “not for the faint of heart,” and a scary and dangerous process, pregnancy through childbirth is one of the most natural processes the body can go through and should be supported as such.

During the three trimesters of pregnancy, the body and pelvis go through many chemical and physiologic changes. From a physical standpoint, the bones and joints, muscles, and ligaments of the pelvis and uterus change and expand to account for a growing baby and placenta over the course of 40 +/- weeks. This change can be supported by continuously improving the mother’s pelvic balance and alignment. With misalignment and imbalance comes increased tension and tone, resulting in a “distortion” to the baby’s environment, causing potential discomfort and sub-optimal movement for the woman carrying the baby. For the baby, the tightening of the uterine structures due to pelvic imbalance acts more like a trampoline or overly tight bedsheets, restricting free and natural movement and assuming the best possible position in the pelvis for a natural birth (if that’s the goal) and general comfort for the mother all around. Prenatal chiropractic care and, specifically the Webster Technique, can allow for safer, easier births and more comfortable pregnancies.

The myths of “everyone suffers through pregnancy” and “it’ll all get better once the baby is born” are finally being replaced with education and actionable items to allow women to take control of and responsibility for their pregnancies and even thrive through the stereotypically grueling 10 months.

More and more women are staying active throughout their entire pregnancies. They are seeking out specialists to help them with the weekly changes, and educating themselves and their partners on what is available to them through pregnancy in all stages and many birth options. A perinatal chiropractor is one of the aforementioned specialists who can facilitate balancing the bones, muscles and ligaments of the pelvis. This type of bodywork and getting adjusted during pregnancy is safe, gentle and effective. Chiropractic adjustments have a positive impact on the nervous system, which is the master command center of the body.

Most perinatal chiropractors have hundreds if not thousands of hours of continuing education specific to pregnancy and pediatrics. A good perinatal chiropractor can address common misconceptions about chiropractic care and, especially chiropractic care during pregnancy. Some of the myths include it is not gentle and it hurts, if you go once you have to keep going for the rest of your life, it is going to hurt the baby, it will induce labor, it is only for pain relief, and/or it will move my baby can all be discussed and dispelled by your chiropractor in more detail. In short, however, seeing a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and pediatrics throughout a pregnancy is far more beneficial than not.

A perinatal chiropractor works specifically with the pelvis balancing its bony, ligamentous and muscular structures, enabling the growing baby to have as much room as possible to move where they need to be optimally. The baby is never touched or flipped; the bodywork balances the pelvis, enabling the baby to move into a more ideal position within the pelvis. With the Webster Technique, there is no twisting or cracking of the pelvis or low back. A good perinatal chiropractor will work with the goals of the pregnant patient. Perhaps the goal is to have a natural birth and/or immediate pain relief, or perhaps the goal is to support the body as much as possible prenatally to heal quickly and successfully from a planned cesarean section. Each goal and treatment should be unique to each individual patient.

So, now that we have supported the person doing the birthing (naturally or medically), how can we support the new little life, the passenger on this cooperative endeavor, who is vitally connected with and to Mom throughout the entire journey? Birth, no matter how “perfectly” it may have gone, is still a “stressor” on the birthing and birthed. While it is the most natural process in the world, it is also one of the most intense. This very natural stress can lead to birth trauma. Some contributing factors include overly long labors, extremely short labors and precipitous births, the use of various medications to alter various states of the labor, the use of equipment like forceps or vacuums, aggressive manual force on a baby’s head to deliver the rest of their body, and the sense of being out of control and scared on behalf of the woman. Babies respond to all of this and, while we as human beings innately adapt, why not give these babies the best chance at adapting and therefore thriving from their very first breaths outside of the womb?

Like prenatal chiropractic, pediatric chiropractic is highly specialized. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are extremely gentle and specific. While some parents want to be proactive and get their infants adjusted at birth regardless of any symptoms, many parents will experience symptoms with their newborns that can be addressed with gentle bodywork. Due to the aforementioned contributors to birth stress and/or trauma, babies may be showing symptoms of colic, torticollis, difficulty latching (onto breast and/or bottle), sleep difficulty, inability to be soothed, and constipation and gas. Children past infancy may display asymmetrical crawling or walking patterns, sensitivity to solid food textures, teeth grinding, constipation, and bed-wetting, to name a few. When a pediatric chiropractor can thoroughly examine all aspects of a child’s birth and life up until now, they can provide to the parent and the child education and gentle, hands-on support to help address various symptoms.

Many perinatal and pediatric chiropractors work closely with other specialists so that the whole wellness team can look at the entire person, instead of just a textbook of symptoms. It is important for the person seeking out support to choose a specialist they like and get a second opinion if the first one does not seem like “the right fit.”

The bottom line is that neither we nor our babies need to suffer through pregnancy, labor and birth. Support can come in many different forms.