Helping Moms with Pregnancy
Post by Matthew Hidy DC
I am often asked by curious patients if we treat mothers during their pregnancy and I am happy to say yes! Working with expectant mothers is especially fun because we have the privilege of following mothers through the many changes she will experience before and after birth.
The word dystocia is used in medicine to describe a difficult labor.Problems can occur with the Power, Passage, or Passenger as defined by William’s Obstetrics. The power is the expulsive forces, the passage is the bony pelvis, and the passenger is the presentation/position/development of the fetus. If any of these three areas have dysfunction than dystocia can occur. Fortunately chiropractic care can often help the mother’s body move better with less pain so that there is less interference during birth.
Recent Case Study:
A mother in her last month of pregnancy presented to our office with a diagnosis of a transverse fetal presentation from her medical doctor the day before. During the exam I found some pelvis restrictions and tenderness on a round ligament of the uterus that attaches to the pelvis. With gentle treatment after the exam, the mother experienced less tenderness, felt less tightness, and less stiffness overall. The following day, her obstetrics doctor re-examined her and found the baby with the proper head down position. Our whole office is very happy for her, and her MD recommended continuing with chiropractic care.
*Disclaimer*: Every patient is unique and needs to be evaluated independently. Chiropractors in the state of Washington treat the mother and never the fetus. After the child is born, they can begin chiropractic care, too.
