Chiropractors use the Webster Technique to help pregnant women have a more comfortable pregnancy and better birth outcomes.
More and more pregnant women are inquiring about the Webster technique. Could you start by explaining what the Webster technique is?
Dr. Gregg Rubinstein: Absolutely. So, years ago, Dr. Larry Webster had a daughter who was expecting, and he was a chiropractor, and he was looking at the trouble that she was having and had been curious about this and been working on the technique. He was designing this technique to experience more positive birth outcomes because people will go in the C-section when they have breech babies and things like that. What he found by combining a couple of other techniques and adding a few things on his own, that using these gentle techniques to relax the round ligament, the uterosacral ligament and align the pelvis, he was noticing that women were having better birth outcomes and seeing much less need for C-sections, particularly when they had babies that were in breech position.
So initially they called it a breech turning technique, but where I got my certification through the ICPA, they said it’s not really a breech turning technique. It’s a technique that works with the mom essentially converting the one-bedroom apartment into two. So, the baby has more room to turn, flip and usually results in better outcomes. So, by just using some gentle pressures and some drop technique, which are all very gentle with special pillows that support the baby, we can actually do work on the mom, which increases birth outcomes and allows for a vaginal birth after C-section. And all the research shows if we do the Webster technique properly, it results in shorter delivery times, less pain during pregnancy, less pain during delivery, and most importantly, less need for interventions, particularly Pitocin epidurals in C-sections.
Does a chiropractor have to be certified in the Webster technique in order to practice it?
Dr. Gregg Rubinstein: The honest answer is no, they don’t need to be certified, but I chose to be certified by the ICPA. What it does is it provides a lot of consistency. So, if I go to an ICPA Webster certified practitioner in Florida or in Florence, Italy, I’m going to be seeing the same thing. So, I chose to be certified by them. They do the most research and support the techniques. They’re the ones who know, reined it back in and said, it’s not a breach turning technique, it is a support technique for the mom. It doesn’t really affect the baby. So, I trust them empirically. And when I do refer out, I do look for that Webster certification through ICPA, but it’s not mandatory. There are plenty of people out there who’ve learned the technique through gurus or someone that they’ve associated with, and I would feel comfortable that they know how to practice it. So, you don’t have to be certified, but I certainly prefer that certification and do look for it.
How does the Webster technique help a pregnant mother feel more comfortable, confident, and healthy throughout her pregnancy?
Dr. Gregg Rubinstein: Well, the great thing about the Webster technique, it really is there to support the mom. So, when she becomes pregnant, there are a lot of changes that go in the body. Later on in the pregnancy, we’re going to see the release of that hormone relaxant. Her center of gravity is going to move to the anterior by about two inches. She usually gains 25 or 30 pounds. So, by gently realigning and checking for misalignments in the spine, we can improve the overall alignment of the spine, relieve pressure on the nerve system itself, which usually makes the moms feel more comfortable during pregnancy.
Also, by relaxing some of the ligamentous structures and the muscles, and using our drop techniques, the moms just feel more comfortable, have less pain and march towards pregnancy, feeling better, more confident, knowing that they have the health that they need to deliver that baby. And so, the Webster technique can certainly help them feel more comfortable during pregnancy and increase the chances of having that natural vaginal birth. There is a lot of research also supports that the pregnancy is just more comfortable as is the delivery. So, it’s possible to go through pregnancy without Webster technique, but if you want to feel more comfortable and increase your confidence, I recommend getting a Webster certified practitioner and going through the protocols.
How are the growth and development of the baby during each trimester supported by the Webster technique?
Dr. Gregg Rubinstein: Well, that’s a great question. I wouldn’t necessarily word it that way because the growth and the development of the baby, that’s predetermined, right? That’s in the DNA. There’s innate intelligence that takes that baby from two half cells, the sperm and the egg into a fetus that grows really rapidly, and the nerve system and all the information that’s contained in that baby’s nerve system and the unique intelligence that’s creating it is all there.
When I support the mom, by improving the alignment, creating less pressure through the pelvic area and through the abdominal cavity, by using the Webster techniques and also some traditional chiropractic techniques, they just tend to have less pain and go about their pregnancy and really do well. But what I’m doing typically doesn’t really affect the fetus or the baby, right? We’re affecting the mom. So, the control is really in the fetus, in the innate intelligence that’s creating that baby.
So, my answer to the question is kind of a roundabout, well, we don’t really do anything to the baby. The baby supports itself, but the Webster technique supports the mom. And when the environment is better that the baby is in and there’s more room, they tend to be less stressed, more comfortable, and usually come to the world in the most proper way and the most natural way.
How does the Webster technique prepare the mom and baby for smooth delivery?
Dr. Gregg Rubinstein: That’s another great question. Again, I’m going to say that we don’t really do much to prepare the baby, right? We’re really preparing the mom. And when the mom’s environment is best, then the baby has the best chance of moving head down early, which is certainly going to relax and make the OBGYNs more comfortable and the mom more comfortable. Because a lot of times during pregnancy itself, it’s really about how the moms get scared because they’re telling you, “Oh, there’s not enough fluid, there’s too much fluid. The baby’s not in the right position, the baby’s in the right position.” And they’re constantly scaring the moms. And I spend really, I would say a third of my time talking moms off the ledge and explaining to them it’s a beautiful natural process. It doesn’t need to be medicalized. There’s nothing to be afraid of here.
Moms have been delivering kids for tens of thousands of years before doctors got involved. And it really prepares the mom’s body by again, relaxing the round ligaments, relaxing the uterosacral ligaments, making sure the pelvic girdle is in alignment, making sure the SI joints are free and moving the best they can. Because a quarter inch of spread at the sacroiliac joint is really the difference between a vaginal delivery and a C-section.
So, we really do a lot to prepare the mom, the baby, they’re prepared, they’re ready to go. They’re just kind of a passenger in this. There is a lot to be said for the baby’s part. There are some primitive reflexes that are used during delivery that help the baby expel itself, but primarily everything is really up to the mom and the body of the mom. And that’s what we choose to work with, the Webster technique, for preparing the mom. And as long as the mom’s prepared, the baby comes along just fine.
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To speak with Dr. Gregg Rubinstein, visit www.ChiropractorMidtown.com or call (212) 977-7094 to schedule an appointment.
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