Is Chiropractic Care Safe During Pregnancy?
Yes, chiropractic care is safe and beneficial throughout all stages of pregnancy. Especially when performed by a trained and licensed chiropractor. Gentle, pregnancy-specific techniques are used to relieve common discomforts, support pelvic alignment, and promote optimal nervous system function. Maintaining proper alignment can help reduce back pain, improve sleep, encourage ideal fetal positioning, and prepare the body for a smoother labor and delivery. At Third Coast Chiropractic, we tailor every adjustment to ensure both mom and baby are safe, supported, and thriving.
How Chiropractic Helps
Their are many benefits to receiving chiropractic care throughout your pregnancy. Each trimester brings its own challenges unique to every mom to be. Lets discuss each issue and how chiropractic care can help you and other with each issue:
- Optimal Nervous System Function: Your nervous system is the command center of your body. It controls every organ, muscle, and hormone involved in pregnancy. As your body changes, added stress on the spine and pelvis can interfere with how efficiently your brain and body communicate. Chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper alignment and reducing nerve interference, helping your nervous system function at its best. Supporting your nervous system means supporting a healthier, more resilient pregnancy, for both you and your baby.
- Pelvic Support: As your baby grows, your pelvis becomes the foundation for both your posture and your baby’s positioning. When the pelvis is misaligned or under tension, it can lead to discomfort, restricted movement, and even limit the space available for your baby to move. Thus making it hard for baby to settle into an ideal position for birth. Chiropractic care gently addresses imbalances in the pelvis and surrounding ligaments. In doing so it creates a more stable, supportive, and flexible foundation. Reducing common discomforts like low back pain, hip pain, and pubic symphysis dysfunction. While also encouraging optimal fetal positioning, and a smoother labor process. A well-aligned pelvis helps your body work with you, not against you, throughout pregnancy and birth.
- Low Back Pain: Low back pain is one of the most common complaints during pregnancy, affecting up to 50–70% of expectant mothers. If left unaddressed, persistent low back pain is linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing back labor. This is a type of labor where intense pain is felt in the lower back, often due to poor fetal positioning. Studies suggest women with untreated back pain during pregnancy are significantly more likely to report back labor. Resulting in longer or more difficult deliveries. Chiropractic care offers a safe, drug-free way to relieve low back pain. Through restoring alignment, reducing tension, and supporting the body’s natural ability to adapt to pregnancy.
- Improved Sleep: Sleep challenges are incredibly common during pregnancy. Commonly caused by hormonal shifts, physical discomfort, increased stress, and changes in posture. As your body adapts to pregnancy, tension in the spine, hips, and pelvis can make getting comfortable difficult. Chiropractic care helps improve sleep by reducing physical discomfort, relieving pressure on the nervous system, and restoring balance in the musculoskeletal system.
What is Webster Technique?
Dr. Bradley Hahn has acted as a instructor for many chiropractors learning the Webster Technique. He was also a proctor for all the ICPA courses in the St. Louis, MO classes while he lived in Missouri. During his time as a proctor he got to spend extra time learning from all the teachers for every class taught. Even learning first hand the Webster Technique from the then head of the ICPA Dr. Jeanne Ohm.
The Webster Technique is a gentle, specialized chiropractic adjustment used during pregnancy. It focuses on aligning the pelvis and reducing tension in the surrounding muscles and ligaments. Focusing especially on the round ligaments and the sacrum. This helps create more balance in the pelvis, allowing the baby to move freely and get into the best position for birth.
It’s not about turning the baby, but rather about creating the most optimal space for the baby to turn on their own.
The ICPA teaches and certifies chiropractors in the Webster Technique to ensure it is performed safely and effectively for pregnant mothers. Many women report relief from back and pelvic pain, improved comfort, and better birth outcomes when receiving Webster care.