Prenatal and Postpartum Care
Pregnant mothers do not have to live in pain and discomfort. Chiropractic care is gentle and effective for the expectant mother and for her baby. Dr. Laura Colman works together with local OBs, midwives, doulas, birth instructors and lactation consultants. She has completed over 200 hours of extra education geared specifically for pregnant, nursing and post partum moms, as well as infant and child chiropractic care. Where else can a Clarksville mom find expert advice and referrals on all aspects of pre-natal, birth and postpartum care?
What is Webster Technique?
According to the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association), "The Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and diversified adjustment. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation/ SI joint dysfunction. In so doing neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is improved."
"The obstetric literature has determined that correct positioning of the baby in-utero affect birth outcome and decrease the potential for undue stress to the baby's developing spine and nerve system. Obstetric literature has determined the importance of normal pelvic neuro-biomechanics including uterine function and pelvic alignment for the prevention of dystocia (difficult birth).
It has also determined that correct positioning of the baby in-utero affects birth outcome and decreases the potential for undue stress to the baby's developing spine and nerve system. Chiropractic literature has determined the significance of sacral adjustments in normalizing pelvic neuro-biomechanics.
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It is therefore considered prudent that this specific sacral analysis and adjustment be used throughout pregnancy to detect and alleviate sacral imbalance and optimize pelvic neuro-biomechanics in the mother. Because of the particular female adaptations from the increase of hormones, weight gain and postural adaptations, pregnant mothers have a greater chance of sacral subluxation and neuro-biomechanical imbalance than the general population.
Additionally, because of the effect the chiropractic adjustment has on all body functions by reducing nerve system stress, pregnant mothers may have significant benefit by having their spines checked regularly throughout pregnancy, optimizing health benefits for both the mother and baby."
When it comes to Pregnancy the last thing mom needs to worry about is her body hurting, having complications, and worrying about how she is going to care for her baby. After treating thousands of women we have fine tuned our unique approach to prenatal care which has two main elements: eliminate pain and inflammation helping mom feel better, then get your body strong and healthy in preparation for labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. According to the American Pregnancy association chiropractic during pregnancy not only is safe during the whole pregnancy but also helps to:
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Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
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Controlling symptoms of nausea
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Reducing the time of labor and delivery
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Relieving back, neck or joint pain
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Preventing a potential cesarean delivery
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Why do women experience issues during pregnancy? Well the growing baby puts extra demands on your entire body, this added stress, along with the hormonal changes of relaxin being released into your body lends itself to causing postural changes that can leave mom feeling pain, discomfort, numbness and tingling, swelling and a variety of other symptoms. Without proper care, as the baby continues to grow and the stress on your body increases week after week your body can become real issue that interferes with your experience of life and enjoying your pregnancy.
We love serving pregnant and postpartum mothers so they can get back to enjoying their life. Once moms understand how our approach to chiropractic is really a lifestyle choice for people that want to have an amazingly functional, free, and fulfilling experience of their bodies with the confidence that they are doing what it takes to live that life.
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Postpartum care is a big concern of ours as well, breast feeding and caring or a young one is taxing on your neck and shoulders and can cause some issues if not addressed properly. On top of that making sure your hips, lower back and abdomen are healing properly postpartum will influence how your back functions as you get back to exercising and over time. Many women in the later years of their life never realized that by properly rehabbing their bodies postpartum could have made a massive difference in their pain. Many chronic lower back pain sufferers in women could have been prevented by identifying the issues earlier on in their life, especially pre-conception and postpartum.
With specific chiropractic adjustments and exercises; both of which are safe during pregnancy, Dr. Laura offers relief of back pain, sciatic pain, and pelvic pain related to pregnancy. Treatment also focuses on the optimum in-utero environment for proper neurological development of the fetus. Many of the sensory-motor systems that are critical for later social, motor, and academic learning rely on proper fetal movement in-utero. Chiropractic care is also known to help minimize the need for c-sections or other traumatic events that can be associated with pregnancy and/or the birthing process. There is substantial research that links various neurodevelopmental disorders with birth trauma and/or difficult pregnancies; particularly with c-sections.
For example, autistic children are 12 times more likely to suffer birth trauma or complication than their non-autistic siblings. Emma Glasson and colleagues from the University of Western Australia School of Psychiatric and Clinical Neuroscience compared the birth records of the 465 children diagnosed with autism between 1980 and 1995 with the records of 1,313 randomly selected non-autistic children. They found that compared to the non-autistic group, the autism cases experienced more difficulties during pregnancy, labor, delivery and during the neonatal period. One of the common factors was that of cesarean section delivery.
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According to the Desert News (February 2007), Utah is said to have one of the highest autism rates; 1/133 children and 1/79 boys. They also have a higher ratio of breech births, c- sections and newborns that required more than 30 minutes of assisted ventilation among children with autism.
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According to a study by Irvin Hendryson, MD, a member of the American Medical Association board of trustees, “visiting a chiropractor while being pregnant can help the expectant mother deliver the baby with more comfort.” Research has also found that women who receive chiropractic care during pregnancy have approximately 6 fewer hours of labor than women who did not receive care.
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Another important reason for care throughout pregnancy is to help establish balance in the mother’s pelvis. Williams Obstetrics Text states that “Any contraction of the pelvic diameters that diminish the capacity of the pelvis can create dystocia (difficulty) during labor.” They further state that the diameter of the woman’s pelvis is decreased when the sacrum is displaced. Also, if the bones of the pelvis are out of alignment or subluxated, this will directly affect the way the uterus will be supported. Unequal ligament support of the uterus will twist/turn the uterus reducing the amount of room for the developing baby. Allowing your baby room to move and grow keeps moms and babies happy. It's not too early or too late in a pregnancy to get adjusted.