Pregnancy is rough on the body. Many mornings I woke up wondering how the bus ran me over and never left even a tire mark on my wood floors. “Oh!” I yelp, even 5 weeks postpartum… “My aching back!”
Dave tries and tries to rub my back and, while I love massages, I want to get the the root of the issue: my body isn’t aligned. Weeks of growing a human pushes and pulls the body, and the months that follow that of late nights and early mornings, bending to nurse and pick up and change diapers, minutes that pass by rocking in any way to soothe the baby and irritate the sciatica are passing by. I wake up with a nursing baby, dreamily enjoying milk, while my body is contorted in a way best saved for Cirque du Soleil performers.
Around month 5, I stopped walking with any form of normalcy and was near tears trying to drive. I broke down and called my bestie who swears by her chiropractor for both her and the kids, “HELP!” I whined into the phone, “I can’t walk anymore.” She gave me the number I was jonesing for, and I made the call.
Frye Chiropratic, just 20 minutes from my house, was the start of a great relationship.
For me, I wait until the pain is debilitating, but (I hope obviously) this is a terrible idea. There are incredible benefits to chiropractic care for everyone, but during pregnancy and during postpartum care, going to a chiropractor should be the standard of care. Chiropratic care offers multiple benefits, including the all-encompassing assistance of maintaining a healthy pregnancy. A chiropractor, trained in treating pregnant women, can help control symptoms of nausea, relieve joint, neck and back pain, and proper alignment can reduce the time of your labor and delivery while reducing your chances of needing a c-section.
Facts!
For me, proper care means I can also chase my toddler while baby wearing, or swinging the car seat in a makeshift mommy-swing (this is especially terrible for your back!). Being properly aligned also means that I experience less sleepless nights (if the baby is sleeping and I can’t, it’s a recipe for disaster!), fewer headaches and have the energy to make it through late night feedings.
Finding the right doctor was key for me, as I was not happy with the chiropractor I saw last, and the doctor I saw when I was pregnant with Addie didn’t have the connection I was looking for. Talking to your doctor, being candid about what hurts and letting them know you’re still feeling pain is important. The first chiropractor I saw for pregnancy had strange hours that were hard for me to keep and I didn’t feel the warmth and bedside manner that I was looking for. That really can hinder feeling better, and shortly after birth, I stopped seeing that doctor. The next chiropractor I saw was not very hands on (really). There were a few other techniques used, including a massage chair- which felt good… but I would have a twinge and headache within hours of leaving. This doctor was incredibly over-booked, and while the price was right, the care was not for me.
When I found my current (and forever) chiropractor, it was a match. Nervous, I walked in and introduced myself. Many of my friends see Dr. Frye (Frye Family Chiropractic), and her smile at Addie made me feel more at ease. She’d read about Addie (and the Crazy Pickle Lady!) and I immediately loved that the office was made for kids to be in (no glass tables, hearty plants, and, best of all, a room FULL of toys! While I am on the table, Addie is busy decorating a Melissa & Doug pizza or cake, or making pretend coffee, reading stories, or a hundred other things. None of them crying for attention.
As I write, I am 6 weeks postpartum and, as usual, I waited too long and am in the process of a multi-day treatment to get my body back into alignment… but, with the new year approaching, I have a goal to keep my back as healthy as the rest of me, and take my chiropractic care more seriously with regular treatment (monthly, weekly, bi-weekly…). Find your doctor and talk with them! What makes the best sense for your care? How can you achieve pain-free living, less illness, more energy? And, don’t forget you can pass these benefits onto your children, too! Kids can benefit from chiropractic care from infancy up- better sleep, concentration and health are all just an adjustment away!
Addie… fell asleep at the office! A peaceful trip for us all!
I love feeling better… don’t you?!
So glad you are feeling back to you energy self….
Thanks!
Great information and congrats! I hope you start to feel the effects of your treatment now and the pain subsides
So glad its helping! Its the worst feeling when moms dont feel our best. We push through until it becomes to the point where something needs to be done. Addie is adorable napping btw! I miss that age 🙂
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I so wanted to go to a chiropractor when I was pregnant with the surrogate baby. She really threw my back out of whack.
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I remember the back pain I had when I was pregnant! It was terrible!
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Yes back pain hurts so much. Good to see you plan on visiting your chiropractor more regularly. You’ll fee so much better.
Glad you found the right chiropractor. It is indeed a must for women to take care of their body. The right chiropractor will make you feel more at ease.
So many Congratulations to you Eileen,
It’s really good to read your story. Pregnancy is best happiness for any woman in the world but bearing it’s problems and pain are really worst specially back pain. I am so happy that you are well now. Pregnancy comes with lot of physical and hormones changes which raise the various pain problems. Massage and therapy from chiropractor is perfect solution for it because so much medication can be harmful for you and your little one.
As a natural healthcare approach, regular chiropractic adjustments at The Joint can restore and maintain balance within your body, leaving you better prepared to live life to its fullest.
I am wheelchair bound with a terrible back. It seems to get worse the older I get. The last thing I want to do is manage the pain with prescriptions. Would chiropractic work be a good idea for existing health problems?
I cannot tell you yes or no, because I’m not a doctor, but I think that speaking to a chiropractor would be beneficial!
Chiropractors recognize that many factors affect your health, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, environment and heredity. Chiropractic focuses on maintaining your health naturally to help your body resist disease, rather than simply treating the symptoms of disease.
According to Chirobase, chiropractic care has been used to treat a number of conditions not connected to the musculoskeletal systems. This includes hypertension, dizziness/vertigo and chronic pelvic pain.
Chiropractors really enhances some recovery from injuries.
I guess it’s never too late to go get adjusted. I gave birth, oh… almost 17 months ago, now? And my hip aches have turned into this strange clicking in my hip. It’s not a constant thing, but it builds up, like needing to crack your knuckles. It’s so strange! I’ve never had this symptom before. I really hope a chiropractor can fix it.
I love my chiro… my back is ALWAYS doing something strange, which makes my hips and knees all funky, too!
According to Chirobase, chiropractic care has been used to treat a number of conditions not connected to the musculoskeletal systems. This includes hypertension, dizziness/vertigo and chronic pelvic pain.
According to Chirobase, chiropractic care has been used to treat a number of conditions not connected to the musculoskeletal systems. This includes hypertension, dizziness/vertigo and chronic pelvic pain.
As a natural healthcare approach, regular chiropractic adjustments at The Joint can restore and maintain balance within your body, leaving you better prepared to live life to its fullest.
Rehabilitation process may be speed up by some chiropractors help.
Pregnancy is one of the toughest duration for a lady and after delivery of a baby, the lady has to go through from lots of skeletal pain. And at time she should definitely go to a chiropractor. At that time chiropractor can help a lady to reduce her pain and also removes the stress. It is important to go a chiropractor after delivery otherwise it can create several skeletal issues afterwards.
Yes, I know, back pain is such a disgusting and the worst thing for all and it really dangerous for a pregnant woman. It’s better for you if you meet with a consultant.
Without my chiro, I don’t think I would have considered getting pregnant again. Childbirth was less painful than my back pain during pregnancy.
Lots of chiropractors in the comments seem to agree that chiropractors are beneficial!
They can be good (and yours sound great!) but they can also be bone-breakers 🙂
I would suggest trying out Alexander Technique for a different approach. You might be surprised!
Jane
I have never heard of that technique. As with all medical practices, I’m sure there are not so great docs, but I’ve never been to a chiro I’d call a “bone breaker” and I have been to a few!
Chiropractors is real skill that takes time to master. Helps a lot in recovery of bone injuries.
SO true!
Thanks so much for providing all the useful information! I had no idea about some of the tips you give but it definitely should be a help in stopping or preventing that horrible back ache.
For sure!
A broad range of techniques are used to locate, analyze and gently correct vertebral misalignments (subluxations) in the spine. Chiropractors may use manual adjustment, electrical muscular stimulation, ultrasound or massage. But they never use pharmaceutical drugs or invasive surgery. Chiropractic is a natural method of healing that stimulates the body’s communication system to work more effectively to initiate, control and coordinate the various functions of the cells, organs and systems of the body.
So true. No meds always works for me as a breastfeeding mama!
Visiting a chiropractor can help you deal with a number of conditions. In some cases, a visit to the chiropractor can take away the need for painkillers or at least reduce it.
super post 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Hope to see more of your blogs. Chiropractor needs? We got it for you. Contact us. Visit our site. Thanks.
Regular chiropractic visits may help maintain bodies at the high level of activity to which they have become accustomed and even aid in function allowing the body to self-heal when proper alignment is achieved and maintained.
Visiting a chiropractor can help you deal with a number of conditions. In some cases, a visit to the chiropractor can take away the need for painkillers or at least reduce it.
According to Chirobase, chiropractic care has been used to treat a number of conditions not connected to the musculoskeletal systems. This includes hypertension, dizziness/vertigo and chronic pelvic pain.
As a natural healthcare approach, regular chiropractic adjustments at The Joint can restore and maintain balance within your body, leaving you better prepared to live life to its fullest.
Really glad a chiropractor was able to help you get back to feeling like your normal self. Thanks for sharing!
There is a lot of helpful information in this article. Thank you for sharing this!
I am glad you benefit so much from chiropractic care, because I know I do! Thanks for sharing.