Benefits of Chiropractic Care after Pregnancy

You have waited for this moment!  Months of OBGYN appointments, getting the nursery ready, and experiencing every new exciting development in your body as your baby grew inside and your body prepared for birth.   Now your precious newborn has arrived and your body must recover and adapt to all of the new things that come with having a baby.  After giving birth, many changes are happening in your body.  Your hormones fluctuate, your ligaments are beginning the process of tightening up, your center of gravity has shifted, and your milk may be coming in, changing your breasts.  You may have sleepless nights, new aches and pains, or just want to jump back into exercise, but notice it seems different from before you had the baby.  All of this may leave you overwhelmed as to where to start to GET YOURSELF BACK to your pre-pregnancy state.

There are many benefits of Chiropractic care.  It can be especially helpful during pregnancy and YES, postpartum too!  Chiropractic treatments are focused on improving overall alignment, joint function and muscular balance.  Adjustments also stimulate the nervous system for proper communication between the brain, spinal cord and the whole body thus promoting optimal function.  In addition to adjustments, chiropractors offer stretching, exercise, and nutritional advice among other recommendations to ensure you are moving and living your best.  Here are some of the benefits of what chiropractic can do for you after pregnancy.

Chiropractic helps keep you aligned.  Getting adjusted promotes pelvic and spinal alignment for proper function as your body adjusts back to its pre-pregnancy shape.  New moms often report having headaches and upper back pain all of a sudden from the rounded repetitive posture of the upper back while caring for the baby after birth.  The prolonged posture can cause stress on the on the joints and muscles in the upper back and neck.  This can lead to subluxations in the spine.  Doctors of Chiropractic are trained to detect these joint changes and realign them before they become symptomatic or correct the problem if there is discomfort in the joint. 

Chiropractic helps to decrease pain.  During and after pregnancy, changes in pelvic biomechanics can bring on some discomfort.  We may start noticing tightness, aches, or pains that weren’t there before or that we thought would go away after pregnancy.   The new demands that come with a new baby, lifting, carrying, bending over to feed and change can also take some time to adjust to.  Chiropractors frequently treat new moms for low back, mid back and neck discomfort. They can restore balance to an area and help aid in your recovery process. 

Chiropractic adjustments support your new activities of daily living and exercise.  Many of our daily activities differ once baby is here.  We start feeding, carrying, lifting our baby and exercising all while our ligaments are still “loose” from the Relaxin hormone that prepared our bodies for birth.  This can lead to some instability in the joints that you must be mindful of especially once you get the ok from your OBGYN to start an exercise routine.  Weakened pelvic floor and core muscles after pregnancy can also contribute to added stress in the spine and pelvis.   As you ease into a workout routine make sure it is one that is not too jerky in movement and is gentle on the joints while strengthening the core and back muscles to minimize the risk for potential injury.  Chiropractic care can help maintain good posture, properly moving joints and decrease muscle tension so you can keep up with all of your daily undertakings.

And best of all, it is NATURAL, SAFE, and EFFECTIVE!   Pregnant and postpartum women who are breastfeeding, often look for a drug-free alternative for pain management.  Good news, Chiropractic care is absolutely that!  It looks to the source of what is causing the pain to correct it.  Many patients say that they experience some immediate relief after an adjustment.  In addition there is no referral from your OB or primary doctor necessary to set up an appointment.  At your first appointment a doctor of Chiropractic (DC) will do a thorough history and physical exam to assess and determine a diagnosis and treatment plan that will help you live your life the way you want to as a new Mom!