The importance of chiropractic for pregnancy and remaining active during and after for patients
After years of caring for women before, during and after pregnancy, I have found that the women who are physically fit prior to pregnancy and then maintain an active lifestyle throughout their expectant journey not only feel much better during the entire 10 months of gestation, but as a result of chiropractic for pregnancy they also have a more efficient labor and delivery.
Growing and birthing a baby takes tremendous physical resources and endurance, which is why women who enter pregnancy with a healthy lifestyle mindset have fewer medical complications and interventions during the birth process.
Due to the increase in blood volume in a pregnant woman’s body, her need for cardiac endurance allows her to most effectively pump the blood throughout her body without increased fatigue.
Exercise that gets the heart rate slightly elevated keeps the heart primed for the additional weight gain (approximately 30 pounds) that occurs during a healthy pregnancy. Additionally, strength training keeps the muscles strong for not only carrying the extra load of baby but also preparing for the marathon of birth, which requires strong legs for squatting to help move the baby down the birth canal and activate pelvic floor muscles for delivery.
The benefit of balance
As a maternity chiropractor, I know that the key to lining-up the baby’s position with the mama’s pelvis (i.e. birth canal) is strongly dependent on the balanced alignment of the pregnant woman’s pelvis at the time of delivery.
Like a basketball going through a hoop, the most flow in birth occurs when the two objects are directly lined up for an ease of passage. Therefore, my job with chiropractic for pregnancy is to support a pregnant woman’s pelvis in maintaining proper alignment throughout the pregnancy and especially as she prepares to give birth.
Sounds easy — however, a little hormone called relaxin can create some challenges in the pelvis holding its alignment because the job of this hormone is to create ligament laxity, allowing the pelvic basin to fully open during baby’s delivery. The ovaries and uterine lining begin secreting large amounts of relaxin at conception of the embryo and therefore, even women in their first trimester of pregnancy may experience pain related to hypermobility of their spinal and pelvic joints.
Sacroiliitis and pubic symphysis dysfunction are related to the relaxin hormone both during and after pregnancy, as the relaxin hormone may stay at higher levels in a woman’s body until six months after she stops breastfeeding. Despite a woman’s body having increased mobility during the perinatal phase of her life, if she continues to keep active with walking, strength training, yoga and low-impact cardio exercise like spinning, the muscles surrounding her pelvis and spine will continue to help create stability.
The role of custom stabilization
Additionally, I have found that custom orthotics that support all three arches of the foot to be extremely valuable for pregnant and postpartum women as the arches are also susceptible to laxity and stretch from the relaxin hormone. When the arches of the feet are not well-supported, the alignment of the pelvis is unable to stay level when a person is in a weight-bearing state like walking or standing. We also know that exercise while weight-bearing will not be as effective if the muscles and joints are compensating for asymmetrical collapse in the arches.
When mama’s pelvis is able to hold its alignment better between chiropractic adjustments, she not only experiences less pain and improved quality of life, the baby’s in utero development is maximized for optimal growth as intrauterine restrictions are minimized. Vertex babies during the third trimester have decreased hip flexion, less cervical strain and minimal cranial distortion; therefore, they also benefit from mama’s balanced pelvis, even weeks prior to birth.
Constricted in-utero position can also create breastfeeding challenges, irritability, elimination issues and sleep interruptions in the newborn. Additionally, a baby in the head-down position at the end of the pregnancy will not be an automatic-scheduled Cesarean section like a breech or transverse positioned baby. If a mama is able to avoid a surgical birth with chiropractic for pregnancy, she typically will have a much easier recovery after the birth, which also positively impacts her milk supply, ability to bond with baby and improved mood.
Chiropractic for pregnancy and resuming activity after baby’s birth
Most birth providers will recommend waiting at least six weeks after the baby is born before a woman is able to return to her exercise routine. However, gentle yoga postures, stretching and non-strenuous walks even days after birth can also assist the body in returning to equilibrium.
Like exercise during pregnancy, it is very important to listen to the body’s needs for movement without the expectation that it is ready to return to its pre-pregnancy state of exercise, especially high-impact activities like running and jumping. Due to the high levels of relaxin hormone that continue to circulate in her body after birth, there is higher risk for injury, so care must be taken to go slow and gentle in her return to exercise.
After the baby arrives, it’s just as important for her to stabilize and balance her body as it was during pregnancy. Relaxin can cause permanent flattening of the arches, requiring ongoing use of custom orthotics to restore proper foot function for overall body alignment and healthy movement. Stabilizing orthotics can support a new mama in a quicker recovery from the birth as she cares for her infant.
Complete alignment care
Supporting mamas in staying active and fit during and after pregnancy is dependent on helping them feel good throughout all stages of the pregnancy and beyond. As chiropractors, we serve as essential members of a woman’s birth team, ideally caring for her with chiropractic for pregnancy from preconception all the way through the postpartum phase. When her body and especially her pelvis are in alignment, she will thrive throughout her pregnancy journey, which sets her up for an empowered birth experience and easier transition into motherhood.
LAURA BRAYTON, DC, CSP, CSCP, CACCP, is a graduate of New York Chiropractic College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a holistic chiropractor and speaker, she holds certifications in chiropractic pediatrics, Webster Technique for breech presentation, Sacro-Occipital Technique (S.O.T.) and craniopathy, and is an advanced-level practitioner of Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET). She is an active member of the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors and the American Chiropractic Association, and was selected by New Jersey Family magazine as one of NJ’s Favorite Kids’ Docs in 2010-2021. She created the “Well-Adjusted Mama” podcast, and launched her online program, “Brayton Birth Method,” to educate and empower women through the perinatal journey. She is owner and founder of Hoboken Family Chiropractic + Wellness, in Hoboken, N.J. Check her out on Facebook and Instagram @drlaurabrayton and at drlaurabrayton.com.