At 57th Street Chiropractic, we specialize in pediatric and family care. I often share information with my patients about how we can help an expectant mom through her pregnancy.
There are many different aspects and many different needs of the new mom-to-be when she comes to a chiropractor. To be honest with you, in probably about 70% of the cases, it’s back pain that sends the expecting mom to our office. What makes that so important: number one is that when you’re pregnant you share the blood stream with that developing fetus inside of your body. You cannot take over-the-counter drugs. They tell you not to drink alcohol. You can’t take aspirin; you can’t take pain killers, muscle relaxers… anything that could negatively impact those rapidly dividing cells in your new bundle of joy that’s developing inside of you. It’s extremely important to understand that taking medication is not an option for the pregnant woman, but she does need relief.
Chiropractic is a great way to offer safe and gentle relief for that aching back. When a woman starts to gain twenty or thirty pounds her center of gravity starts to move forward, this stresses the lumbar spine. We can help a lot of expecting moms through their pregnancy by even just being more comfortable and having a more positive outlook on life which is really important to the new mom.
Now, that weight gain certainly will cause more back pain. The treatments we provide, the chiropractic adjustments are really safe for both the mother and the baby. We have a special table that supports the abdomen where they can lie nice and flat and the baby is completely 100% supported. It’s a really safe and effective way to work on the mom. I was being interviewed recently and we were explaining how for some of the moms just to be able to lie flat on the table with that pelvic piece dropped out made them so happy that they would probably pay just to do that. So it’s pretty remarkable in that respect.
Also, it is important to understand when talking to a mom about pregnancy and how chiropractic can help is that the alignment of the lower back and pelvis is extremely important for ease of delivery. The better aligned the pelvis, the easier it is for the baby to pass through the birth canal which can lead to a less painful birth and a more expedient birth. It can actually happen faster. There is a lot of research put out by the IPCA (International Pediatric Chiropractic Association) which allows everyone to read the research and the studies that show the faster births and less complication. So that’s another great aspect of chiropractic when dealing with an expecting mom. It can lessen delivery time and be a less painful procedure in general and usually moms under chiropractic care will have a less likely need for any major interventions like C-section. So those things are also very important.
Chiropractic also works in a general way to keep the spine and the nerve system healthy. The healthier the nervous system, the healthier the individual will be because your nerve system is a master system controlling everything that goes on in your body including all the hormonal release and the contractions and everything when a mom is giving birth. So that neural control of the birthing process is extremely important. I always encourage woman to try and have natural child birth. As soon as they start giving Pitocin or any type of epidural, you’re actually going to deaden the nerves that control the contractions and the delivery of the baby and then the doctor needs to do more intervention to get the baby out. So it’s actually safer to have a natural child birth. It’s better for the mom and it’s better for the baby because with C-section you have a higher risk of infection and then it involves longer hospital stays and many other things. So a natural child birth with a great pain free properly pelvic aligned mother is always going to be a better option if it can happen.
Please don’t get me wrong. There are times where things can go wrong and medical intervention is necessary and I’m glad that it’s available but it’s not as necessary as many people think. The C-section rate of fifty percent – it is a sad statistic in our medical care for expecting moms these days. There are other options that many people should be considering when it comes to being pregnant.
Dr. Gregg D. Rubinstein, D.C., is a midtown Manhattan chiropractor with over 20 years of experience providing customized chiropractic treatment services to a wide range of clients in the Midtown Manhattan/West New York City area. Dr. Gregg Rubinstein and 57th Street Chiropractic can be reached at (917) 534-6484 and is located at 119 West 57th St. in New York, NY.
Click here to receive more information & to schedule your consultation.
