Gentle Care for Moms and Babies
Nurturing growth and comfort during pregnancy
Prenatal/Pregnancy Chiropractic focuses on optimizing health and wellness from the very beginning. Tailored to expectant mothers, this gentle approach supports the body's natural healing abilities, promoting a smoother pregnancy by keeping mom aligned, balanced and as comfortable in her changing body as possible. By ensuring proper alignment and function, we help pave the way for a healthier start for your little ones, while also offering mothers a more comfortable pregnancy journey.
Pregnancy Chiropractic On St. Clair West
While pregnancy is considered one of life’s most beautiful events, many moms-to-be experience considerable discomfort. Weight gain during pregnancy can cause back pain, leg pain, groin pain, round ligament pain and general discomfort in the body. The body changes are quite quick and it is often difficult for the spine (bones, muscles and nerves) to adapt as fast as the changes are happening.
Natural and gentle chiropractic care may help pregnant women enjoy a more comfortable and pleasant pregnancy. Rest assured, chiropractic is considered highly safe throughout every stage of pregnancy.
We find that if women are existing chiropractic patients here at Health Haven, they want to continue chiropractic while pregnant.
The Webster Technique
The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis of the sacrum and its alignment within the pelvis. Adjustments are performed to reduce the effects of sacral misalignment and SI joint dysfunction. Massage and stretching of the uterine (round) ligaments on the abdominal wall and of the sacro-tuberous ligament (the rear uterine ligament) is also performed. The overall effect is improved neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis. Sacral misalignment may contribute to difficult labour for the mother (i.e. dystocia), caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction and baby mal-presentation. Correcting this misalignment may have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystocia.
What Are Some Benefits?
As your body rapidly changes during pregnancy, you likely will have some discomfort such as back pain, pelvic pain and sciatica. During pregnancy, the breasts grow larger, everything’s a little heavier, and you’re carrying around more weight, which can cause back pain. Because taking medication isn’t advised during pregnancy, chiropractic may help relieve pain naturally.
In the last trimester, your body changes considerably. Pregnant women also have relaxin in their body, which relaxes their joints and ligaments. Many women feel a little off balance and want stability. We can provide stabilizing chiropractic adjustments.
How Do You Adjust Pregnant Patients?
We use the Thompson Drop Technique to adjust the pelvis and low-back area. Diversified, which is a form of manual adjusting, is used between the shoulder blades. Our chiropractors are trained in many different techniques and will adjust in a way that is comfortable for each patient. We pride ourselves on being great listeners and will accommodate treatment to each patient’s specific comfort level.
You may wonder how an unborn baby is affected by an adjustment. “It’s been my experience that after the adjustments, some babies like to move around because their space is opened up even more, and some stretch out and have a great long nap,” said Dr. Jordanna Clarfield-Henry.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start coming in for care and how often?
Chiropractic may benefit you at every stage of pregnancy. The sooner you start care, however, you may have a more comfortable pregnancy. Our chiropractors have been practicing for many years (16+) and have a lot of experience with pregnancy care. We like to work with the patients to set up the best program of care during pregnancy. During the first and second trimesters you may see the chiropractor once a month and then around 25 weeks move to biweekly care and then around 32 weeks move to weekly care. Every pregnancy is different and we always aim to provide individualized care that is best for each patient.
If you are coming in with a specific problem you want addressed or you are in pain, then expect to see the chiropractor 2-3x per week until that specific problem is corrected, them you would move back into the regular pregnancy protocol.
Should I come in after giving birth?
We encourage all mom’s to come in as soon as they are ready to. In our experience we have found that women who have had a vaginal birth often are ready to come in a week or two after delivery, and c-sections usually show up in about 6 weeks after delivery, once their stitches are healed, to get checked and aligned. At the same time, we recommend that you bring in your newborn as well for Dr. Jordanna to do a quick check. Because babies grow fairly quickly during the first two years, chiropractic may help them grow and develop properly.
Can you help with breastfeeding difficulties?
Yes! Some women have infants who are unable to latch properly or prefer one breast over the other. Other women have a breast milk supply issue. Most often, it’s typically a positional issue for the baby; they’re not comfortable turning their neck to one side or the other because there’s something that’s not quite in place. This could be due to being carried or from their sleep position or even the birth process. Chiropractic can also help infants pre and post tongue tie release with intra-oral and jaw joint tightness.
Dr. Jordanna always helps moms with breastfeeding issues and likes to give mothers something they can do at home to help. We also recommend that moms get some sort of supportive device for breastfeeding such as a pillow called My Brest Friend.
Prenatal/Pediatric Chiropractic
Chiropractic care can be amazingly helpful during your prenatal/pregnancy journey. It helps keep the body balanced, minimizes pain and discomfort and can also help if there are any injuries that occur.
Pediatric chiropractic can help with a lot of issues that infants have: Colic, latching difficulties, excessive gas, constipation and other things.
We also see kids of all ages to help with injuries and postural issues, and many parents report behavioural calming and other benefits.
Dr. Jordanna Clarfield-Henry
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