How New Moms Can Benefit from Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic Care After Pregnancy

Chiropractic care offers a holistic approach to medicine for everyone, including new mothers and babies. It can be used safely before, during, and after pregnancy. This includes pain relief, childbirth preparation, and overall wellness for the mother. It also includes improving health and reducing common health ailments for newborns.

How Chiropractic Care Supports the Health of Mothers and Babies

New mothers should seek chiropractic care for themselves and their babies for many reasons. 

First and foremost, it’s essential to understand how hard pregnancy and delivery are on the body. They are natural, and your body is designed to support the growth and birth of a baby, but this doesn’t mean it’s easy on your body. It can lead to a variety of misalignments and imbalances. Chiropractic treatment helps correct these issues. 

Even if you have a healthy pregnancy, you might experience pain. Changes in your body during pregnancy and childbirth might cause lingering issues. Some women experience problems for weeks, months, and years after their pregnancies. Chiropractic care helps alleviate many of these issues. 

In addition to helping with the common pelvic and lower back discomfort associated with pregnancy, chiropractors can also evaluate issues with muscles, joints, and ligaments in the upper back, shoulders, neck, and throughout the body.

Remember, even mild discomfort can interfere with your ability to care for your newborn. Chiropractic care after pregnancy helps you feel your best to give your best to your baby.

Chiropractic care is also safe for babies. Healthy babies can receive adjustments within days of their birth. Chiropractors help treat common issues with baby’s bodies, including:

• Stress of birth
• Exposure to birth devices, including vacuums, forceps, and manual traction
• In-utero positioning problems
• Tension and pressure in the body

Gentle chiropractic treatments are a safe and effective way to promote balance and correct dysfunction in your newborn’s body.

Chiropractic Care after Pregnancy

Mothers who deliver vaginally can have chiropractic adjustment anytime after giving birth. If the baby is delivered by C-section, they might need to wait three weeks or more after giving birth. Many chiropractors recommend seeking treatment within the first month after delivery. This prevents problems from “settling in” and becoming chronic, making them more challenging to treat.

Chiropractic care after pregnancy provides many benefits. It helps to soothe and calm the anxiety and depression common to new mothers. Chiropractic adjustment can also promote healthy milk production for breastfeeding mothers.

Common Postpartum Pain Issues

What are some common postpartum issues faced by new mothers?

• Excessive bleeding: Most women bleed up to six weeks after a vaginal or C-section birth. Sometimes the bleeding is excessive. It should begin to slow over time and eventually become darker until your cycle returns to normal. Chiropractic treatments encourage hormonal balance in the body that promotes healthy post-birth bleeding.

• Infection: There are a few reasons why an infection might develop after giving birth. Vaginal tearing that requires stitches or C-section wound healing increases the risk of infection. There’s also a risk of infection in the kidneys, urinary tract, or vagina after childbirth. Chiropractic treatment reduces your risk for infection by keeping your body as healthy as possible.

• Incontinence: Incontinence is common after giving birth. Many women find that sneezing or laughing aggravates issues with incontinence. There are at-home exercises you can use to reduce your risk of incontinence. Chiropractic care can also help with these issues.

• Constipation: Constipation is common after pregnancy, especially for women who struggle to stay hydrated due to breastfeeding. Dietary changes after your baby is born might also trigger constipation. Chiropractic care helps improve the health of the digestive system and get things moving when your digestion is lethargic.

• Postpartum depression: It’s normal to experience various feelings after childbirth. Many of these feelings are challenging and can be downright paralyzing. If your symptoms last more than a few weeks or have interfered with your ability to care for your new baby, chiropractic care can help. 

• Back pain: Besides the stress of childbirth, you might find that moving your body in new ways after having a baby causes discomfort. Sometimes this pain is mild, while other times, it can be severe. However, even if the pain is mild, seeking treatment is crucial so it doesn’t develop into something debilitating.

Chiropractic Care for Postpartum Recovery

Chiropractic care aids in labor and delivery recovery. It eases pain, reduces recovery time, and helps you avoid medication. Chiropractic care treats the central nervous system, which is the control center for all of your body’s functions. This includes the healing process.

Why should you consider seeing a chiropractor during your postpartum recovery?

• Restores balance to the pelvis and spine
• Helps improve posture and alleviates pain in the back and neck
• Provides helpful advice on at-home exercises and stretches to promote healing and good health
• Safe and natural support for healing
• Remedy common issues that arise during pregnancy and childbirth
• Promotes a healthy mindset and reduces the symptoms of postpartum depression

Chiropractic Care for Babies

Chiropractic care is considered safe for most babies. Regular adjustments can improve a baby’s overall health and reduce the risk of complications as they grow. Adjustments can also correct problems that arose during their time in-utero or birth.

Chiropractic care helps treat common health issues that arise during infancy, including:

• Gas
• Colic
• Sleep issues
• Poor latch in breastfeeding

There is no specific guideline for when babies should be exposed to chiropractic care. Some parents wait a few weeks after birth, while others begin treatments within days of birth. If you aren’t sure, speak to your baby’s pediatrician or seek guidance from a chiropractor experienced in working with newborns.

Benefits of Postpartum Chiropractic Care 

There are several benefits of postpartum chiropractic care. For example:

• Reduces neck and back pain and stiffness
• Improves digestion
• Prevents and treats postpartum depression
• Regain postpartum energy
• Regain posture and balance
• Regulate hormones
• Ease the stress of new motherhood

Chiropractic care can treat mild and severe health issues related to pregnancy and childbirth. It can also be used during pregnancy to prevent problems and promote healthy baby development and delivery. 

After childbirth, chiropractic care is appropriate for mothers and babies, no matter the issues they might be experiencing. If you want to be your healthiest and able to care for your baby to the best of your ability, and you want to give your baby a head start to healthy physical development, chiropractic care is a great option.

Dr. Darren Faherty D.C.

In 2004, Dr. Darren Faherty graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from UWEC - University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Dr. Darren continued education at the highly esteemed University of Western States (formerly Western States Chiropractic College) where he obtained his chiropractic degree in 2007. He has been helping people recover from injuries and return to their normal lifestyles ever since.