Pregnancy Chiropractic in Canberra

Pregnant woman smiling at her belly When you’re looking for pregnancy care, you want to know you’re dealing with someone knowledgeable. At Canberra Spine Centre, in addition to regular chiropractic care, we have several doctors with advanced training in pregnancy care. We understand there are other things to look out for and different techniques. One of those is the Webster technique, developed specifically to help women during pregnancy.

Caring for Mum and More

Since we are trained to care for women during pregnancy, chiropractic has become a common choice for expecting mothers who want to move, function, and feel their best throughout their gestation. Having the spine, pelvis, cranium, and nervous system properly aligned and working at their best during this time just makes sense.
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During pregnancy, the woman’s body goes through many physical and hormonal changes, putting great stress on her muscles, ligaments, and joints. The Webster technique helps to reduce uterine constraint brought on by pelvic misalignment. Excess weight from her growing baby also changes the centre of gravity, contributing to postural problems and discomfort.

Pregnant woman holding sonogram of her baby Sacral misalignment can influence uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Poor sacral alignment may contribute to difficult labour (dystocia). Correcting sacral subluxations may positively affect many of these causes of dystocia.

While some discomfort during pregnancy is very common, pain is never normal. It’s a sign something’s not right—your body is signalling something is wrong. Ensuring the mum-to-be is comfortable and pain-free is good for her and the baby.

How We Help

Chiropractic care helps to improve spine and pelvis alignment, thus helping to improve function. Making adjustments to the pelvis may relieve some of the discomfort that accompanies pregnancy. Many of our female patients tell us that having better pelvis and spine movement makes the labour and delivery process shorter and less painful.

We take extra precautions to ensure your comfort. We have pregnancy pillows that allow you to lie on your belly, and we modify our techniques to suit each client.

Aiming to Improve Function

Pregnancy chiropractic works on the pelvis’s bony ligament systems and muscular structures. Correcting pelvic misalignments influences the pelvic outlet diameter to lessen the chances of intervention and a difficult birth.

Not to worry, your baby is not touched at any point. Some common conditions we help include:

Lower back pain
Buttock and leg pain or sciatica
Pelvic pain/symphasis pubis disorder
Headaches
Neck and shoulder pain
And more

FAQs

Does chiropractic treatment harm the baby?

We take extra precautions to ensure safety of your unborn baby. We have pregnancy pillows which allow you to safely lie on your belly. We modify our techniques to suit each client and we will make sure you are comfortable with these techniques before we begin. For more detail on this topic, read our article, ‘Is chiropractic care safe for me and my baby?’

Does chiropractic treatment hurt?

This is a very similar answer for any of our adult clients. Generally, our techniques are not painful, however, if you are already in a lot of pain, our techniques may initially be a little painful until your body starts to heal and there is less inflammation. At Canberra Spine Centre, listening to you and finding out your preferences is a normal part of our management.

Does it matter how far along I am in my pregnancy?

Many of our pregnant clients have already been under care before falling pregnant. We help them stay well and feel good right up until a few days before they’re due! Some women who are pregnant only come in late in the picture, often with concerns about the position of their baby or pain and discomfort. We recommend that women who are pregnant receive chiropractic care early in their pregnancy so that we can help get them in shape as early as possible and help maintain them that way. As mentioned, your body will be prone to other injuries between weeks 10-17 when relaxin is at peak levels.

Why should I have chiropractic care when I’m pregnant?

Your body is undergoing huge structural, biomechanical and hormonal changes involved in growing another person! Often women who are pregnant experience a lot of pain and discomfort during their pregnancy. They are also told that ‘this is normal’. While some discomfort during pregnancy is very common, pain is never normal. It is a sign of something not right in the body – your body is sending you signals that something is wrong. As mentioned earlier, pain medications are being linked to future conditions in children, so a drug free approach to solving pain syndromes may be safer for your unborn child. There are other benefits for pregnant women under chiropractic care aside from pain. For more on this topic, read our article, ‘How can chiropractic help during pregnancy?’

Do chiropractors need a special qualification to care for pregnant women?

Providing appropriate care for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is common for most chiropractors. Our five-year full-time degree qualifies us to not only provide the right care for pregnant women, but to recognise the need to adapt techniques to individual needs, and also to know when to refer.

Some chiropractors take a specific interest in prenatal and postnatal care and seek additional training. Two of our team of chiropractors at Canberra Spine Centre have undergone many hours of extra training in the care of pregnant women and chiropractic paediatrics. Drs Chelsea Dickins and Jon Powderly both have a special interest in these areas.

What is the Webster technique?

The Webster Technique is a combination of specific chiropractic sacral analysis, adjustment and soft tissue techniques. The goal of this treatment is to reduce the effects of sacral misalignment or SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function of the lower spine and pelvis is improved.

Sacral misalignment may contribute to difficult labour for the mother (i.e., dystocia), caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Correction of sacral subluxation may have a positive effect on all these causes of dystocia.

What are some tips for pregnancy?

From 14 weeks, your newborns vestibular system (the system that is involved in regulation of balance and posture) is present, so movement each day, (a 30 minute walk) is highly advisable. This helps to stimulate the vestibular system while it is developing.

Pelvic floor exercises – simple kegel exercises from the start of your pregnancy can help prevent future issues related to poor pelvic floor muscle tone.

Sitting the other way on a chair (facing the back rest) can be a comfortable position, allowing your pelvis to tilt forward, your belly to be forward and arms resting on the top of the chair. You can also rock your pelvis in this position. Another chair solution is a swiss/exercise ball that can be utilized at work.

High levels of stress have been shown to negatively impact your baby. Even though you are getting so much information thrown at you during this time, take a breath and only take on what makes sense for you – everyone’s needs and choices are different. A meditation or mindfulness practice can be hugely beneficial in helping reduce stress.

Helping prepare yourself for birth can also help in reducing anxiety and helping you have a better birth experience. You may want to consider a program such as Calm Birth to help you with this. Other planning, such as creating a birth plan, and organising well in advance when you want to finish work, can also be helpful.

Want to know more? Read these 4 great articles.

Is chiropractic care safe for me and my baby?

How does a chiropractor treat pregnant clients?

How can chiropractic help during pregnancy?

What are the changes in my body during pregnancy?

Start Your Journey

Our team wants you to enjoy your pregnancy without pain or discomfort. We’ll support you all the way through—and after! Postpartum care is a step that’s essential for your continued health and well-being.

Discover how good chiropractic care can make you feel. Call today to book!
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