I’m pregnant, when should I see a chiropractor?

First off, congratulations! Pregnancy is a wonderful time for future mums and dads but that’s not to say that sometimes it can put an enormous amount of strain on your body with all the change you’ll be going through and with your baby’s growth.

Chiropractic care in pregnancy is effectively like for anyone about keeping your spine moving and ensuring balance is achieved. The more relaxed your spine, the better it functions and the better you can deal with the challenges ahead.

Here’s what to expect through the different stages:

Conception to 12 weeks (1st trimester) – all about keeping your body relaxed as things can start to get rough in the 1st trimester.

– 12weeks to 28 weeks (2nd trimester) – body and postural changes begin – perfect time to make sure all parts of your spine and muscluloskeletal system are relaxed so you can grow and be ready for these changes.

– 28 weeks to 40 weeks (3rd trimeseter) – body and postural changes reach maximum with strain and stress on all pelvic and spinal structures. Sometimes late into the 3rd trimester you find your baby is breech.

– Delivery – having a balanced and relaxed muscluloskeletal system helps with one of the complications of late pregnancy and labour – back pain.

Have a read of this study…

*Fallon J DC. The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Pregnancy and Labour: A Comprehensive Study. Proceedings of the World Federation of Chiropractic, 1991:24-31., Fallon J DC. Chiropractic and Pregnancy, a partnership of the future. ICA Review Nov/Dec 1990. (pg. 39-42)