Escondido chiropractic care through pregnancy is not only safe, it is essential. We can look at the implications of subluxation from a bio mechanical, hormonal and neurological standpoint. It is easy for all of us to see postural changes through pregnancy-the centre of gravity changes, the weight of the baby places increased pressure on the spine and pelvis, and toward the end of the pregnancy changes are seen on gait pattern-the “waddle”. What we can’t see are the millions of different hormonal changes and chemical reactions occurring both in the mother and the developing baby—all of which are controlled and coordinated through the nervous system.
Adjustments result in easier pregnancy, significantly decreased mean labor time, and assists new mothers back to prepartum heath. In another study, women receiving Chiropractic care through their first pregnancy had 24% shorter labor times than the group not receiving Chiropractic, and multiparous subjects reported 39% shorter labor times. Thirty-nine percent- that’s a massive difference. In addition, 84% of women report relief of back pain during pregnancy with Chiropractic care. Because the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis function better, there is significant less likelihood of back labor when receiving Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy.
Body position during delivery is also critical. Any late second stage labor position that denies postural sacral rotation denies the mother and the baby critical pelvis outlet diameter and jams the tip of the sacrum up to 4cm into the pelvic outlet. In other words, the popular semi-recumbent position places the laboring woman on her back onto the apex of the sacrum, which closes off the vital space needed for the baby to get through the pelvic outlet.
The delivery position is the main reason why so many births are traumatic and labor is stalled, the mom becomes fatigued and overwhelmed by pain, so the utilization of epidurals, forceps, episiotomy, vacuum extraction and cesarean increases. Just consider this analogy – how hard would it be to have a bowel movement while lying on your back? You’re right, very hard, and it may not happen. This is why squatting is the preferred position-gravity works to help and the pelvic outlet can open to a great degree. Squatting during delivery results in decreased use of the forceps and a shorter second stage of the labor than the semi-recumbent position.
Greater complications during delivery result in greater neurological insult to the newborn due to injury to the head and neck. Even after vaginal births, 4.6% term neonates suffer unexplained brain bleeds and 10%suffer neonatal encephalopathy. Because so many children had been injured with forceps deliveries (facial nerve palsy, tearing of cervical spine musculature) vacuum extraction was developed. Suction cups are placed on the newborn’s head, and the baby is literally sucked out of the mother.
When utilized, 120 pounds of pressure goes through the baby’s head and neck. Decapitation occurs at 140 pounds of pressure, to give you an idea of how high forces involved. Remember when you were a little girl or boy and there was a new baby you were introduced to? Our parents always said, “Watch his head- you don’t want to hurt him.” We’re careful because the fontanels of the skull are so pliable, and neck and brain are fragile and unprotected. This is why so many babies sustain injuries to their heads and neck during vacuum extraction-the force is far greater than their little bodies can tolerate.
Adjustments to newborns contain only ounces of force. But that force is directed into the spine to facilitate health and remove subluxations. We adjust babies as soon after birth as possible, to alleviate subluxation caused by in-utero constraint and the journey down through the birth canal. There has been a lot on the media lately about children not needing Chiropractic care, but there is no better way to get a head start in life. As you all know, Chiropractic care is not a cure for anything-it is a system of wellness to help us be who we’re supposed to be. It is not a cure for ear infections, for colic, for allergies, for asthma, for frequent colds, nor for ADD/ADHD.
When we listen to mother’s stories of their pregnancy, labor and delivery, the children who suffer the most from the above complaints are the ones who’ve had the greatest trouble with their births. Even relatively easy deliveries can result in subluxations. That’s why every child should be checked, before problems with their heath even develop. That’s preventive care in the truest sense-preventing subluxations in mothers to prevent subluxations in their babies during childbirth. This is why every woman needs chiropractic therapy Escondido through pregnancy- so that the arrival of their baby is a “wonderful experience”, as one of my patients told me last week, after her son was born.
Rickards Chiropractic
1111 E Washington Ave Ste D
Escondido Ca 92025
(760) 274-0564