Throughout your pregnancy, your body undergoes a variety of physiological and hormonal changes to support your growing fetus and prepare for the upcoming birth. At Hawker Chiropractic, we know pregnancy is a unique and special time in a woman’s life. Often, though, that special time does not come without its share of physical difficulties. To help make your pregnancy more comfortable and to encourage your baby’s optimal development, we offer prenatal chiropractic care in our office. Curious about what we do and why it works? Let’s take a look.

Prenatal Chiropractic Alleviates Spinal Curve Discomfort

As your baby develops and grows heavier, your normal center of gravity shifts, which alters your posture. This postural change can lead to misalignment of your spinal vertebrae or various other joints located in close proximity to the spine. Moreover, the growing protrusion of your abdomen typically causes the spine to curve too far forward, which often results in significant low back discomfort. An increased spinal curve can also limit your range of motion and affect your normal movement patterns.
Following a thorough physical examination, Dr. Hawker performs gentle chiropractic adjustments that work to position misaligned vertebrae and joints properly. These techniques help improve your posture throughout your pregnancy and help lessen the discomfort associated with the weight of your growing baby.

Chiropractic Care Alleviates Discomfort Associated With Spinal Misalignment

Throughout your pregnancy, several of your hormones fluctuate to facilitate various bodily processes and encourage the healthy growth of your baby. One of those hormones, relaxing, is responsible for relaxing your muscles, ligaments, and joints to make room for your growing child.
Unfortunately, relaxing doesn’t only relax the structures around your growing abdomen; it also relaxes the muscles and ligaments that keep your spine in proper alignment. When your soft tissues are overly relaxed, your vertebrae may gradually become misaligned, resulting in a number of uncomfortable and limiting conditions, including:

• Reduced range of motion
• Limited mobility
• Postural problems and associated back pain
• Premature contractions
• Sciatica
• Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain

At Hawker Chiropractic, our gentle prenatal chiropractic adjustments are a natural, low-risk method of alleviating the discomfort associated with the above conditions. By bringing the spine into proper alignment, we re-establish healthy posture, normal soft tissue function, and healthy nerve signaling, thereby reducing pain and improving mobility.

Pelvic Misalignment and Intrauterine Constraint

Around week 26 of your pregnancy, your baby should gradually shift position, moving toward a vertical lie. Ideally, your baby should move so that his or her head is pointing downward toward the birth canal, but for many women, the process does not occur as biologically planned.
During pregnancy, it’s common to see the pelvis shift abnormally, which chiropractors refer to as a sacral subluxation or pelvic misalignment. When the pelvis becomes misaligned, it places unnecessary tension on the surrounding ligaments. The increased tautness of these ligaments can result in excessive uterine tension, formally known as intrauterine constraint. Unfortunately, when this situation is present, your baby has difficulty moving into an optimal birthing position.
If you currently struggle with intrauterine constraint, you may learn that your baby is positioned incorrectly. Usually, this means that your baby’s head is pointing upward, and less frequently, it may mean that he or she is in a sideways position. Because your baby’s head must point downward to facilitate a natural birth, improper fetal positioning must be corrected if you wish to avoid cesarean delivery. Fortunately, prenatal chiropractic care is an effective solution for this common pregnancy complication.
At Hawker Chiropractic, we use a specialized chiropractic adjustment known as the Webster Technique to resolve intrauterine constraints. For decades, this highly regarded treatment has been used widely to realign the pelvis and alleviate the excessive uterine tension caused by misalignment.
Prior to the treatment, Dr. Hawker will examine your spine, pelvis, and legs to locate areas of excess tension and to determine which side of your pelvis features abnormal sacral rotation. After a thorough examination, he’ll then perform a gentle sacral adjustment to realign the sacrum and pelvis properly. This specialized adjustment releases tension in your uterine wall, thus freeing up space for your baby to move normally.

Pelvic misalignment during pregnancy can also result in undue discomfort during labor. Even if your baby is positioned correctly, Prenatal chiropractic care can facilitate a more comfortable birthing experience for both you and your child.