Welcome to the Friday 5!
Every Friday I will highlight 5 things I am currently loving. This can be anything from habits that are currently serving me, clothes, apps, people I am currently loving, podcasts, food, mom hacks and everything in between!
In honor of Mother’s Day, I am handing it over to my friend and chiropractor, Dr. Kristin Smith. Dr. Smith treated me throughout all 3 of my pregnancies and postpartum. She was a guiding light to me as I prepared to become a mom for the first time and continued to support me through my other two pregnancies. As well as all 3 of my girls as infants and now as kids. I had 3 uneventful pregnancies as well as 3 unmedicated and smooth deliveries. And I credit Dr. Smith for most of that. She kept me as comfortable as possible and had my body and baby ready for delivery.
A little about Dr. Kristin Smith:
Hi all! My name is Dr. Kristin Nuccio Smith and I’m a chiropractor and owner of Life Care Family Wellness & Chiropractic in Slidell, LA. I serve people from all stages of life but most of my practice consists of babies, children, pregnant Mommas and Mommas wanting to get pregnant. Wait…pregnant ladies and babies can get adjusted?! Yep, our office even has special pillows, equipment, and techniques for Moms and babies. Chiropractic is so important on your journey for a healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery, and a healthy, happy baby. Before I tell you why though, it’s important to remember that Chiropractic doesn’t cure or treat anything. We chiropractors work with your body’s nervous system to make sure everything is communicating properly so that everything can function and feel the way nature intended.
So, here we go…5 reasons why a Momma may seek out chiropractic care for her and her baby.
Fertility
So many factors can affect fertility but stress is a significant one. As stated earlier, it is important to note that chiropractic does NOT cure fertility problems. We don’t aim to specifically treat the issues causing fertility. What we do is work to regulate the nervous system, specifically the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) in this case. The ANS regulates heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, and its proper function is important to fertility among other things. It’s the director behind the fight or flight we always hear about. The problem is, when we are in constant stress or fight or flight, our bodies are too busy trying to help us manage the stress and isn’t necessarily worried about improving your chances to get pregnant. Based on several case studies and published research, chiropractic can not only just improve the way your spine moves, but also improve the way your nervous system functions. When the nervous system is no longer in fight or flight, it can communicate the best way possible and in theory, improve your chances of getting pregnant. Studies show that a calm ANS can normalize the menstrual cycle, improve hormone function, and decrease the stress response in the body, making it the ideal environment for reproduction.
Pregnancy
Once pregnant, Chiropractic can help in so many ways. It’s a time when our center of gravity moves forward and increases the lumbar or low back curve. This can cause extra strain on the lumbo-pelvic joints (the bones that make up your low back, hips, and pelvis). Making sure everything is lined up properly can improve the way your body accommodates the extra forces on your body and reduces the pain you may experience. Then there’s our friend Relaxin hormone. It’s a hormone designed to help your joints loosen up to prepare your pelvis for delivery but it can also create hypermobility that may cause previous injuries or misalignments to re-emmerge. It can also intensify any pelvic misalignments and make the muscles work harder to maintain alignment and joint function. While pregnant, we often develop a “waddle.” That abnormal style of walking can affect the way you feel especially if your aren’t lined up properly. All this is happening as your baby grows. Your body needs to be able to accommodate that growth and expand symmetrically. Making sure you are balanced properly is a big part of that because an adjustment is designed to specifically do that…make sure your pelvis is in the proper position. So, an adjustment can make sure everything is lined up properly, help you using your joints as symmetrically as possible, and reduce the body’s need to adapt to things that aren’t moving correctly. The nice “side-effect” is that you move and function with less pain and discomfort.
Labor and Delivery
While Chiropractic is important during pregnancy, it’s also designed to prepare the body for labor and delivery. Studies show, it helps with less back labor, reduced need for pain medication, shortened labor times, and decreased chances for intervention. Because the uterus is suspended in the pelvic cavity and attached to the bones that make up the pelvis, those bones must be properly lined up. One of the most important pelvic bones that need to be aligned is called the Sacrum. It’s the upside down triangular bone at the base of your spine. It is a particular focus for a specialized Chiropractic assessment and adjusting technique called Webster Technique. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association defines Webster Technique as, “…a specific chiropractic sacral analysis and diversified adjustment. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation/ SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is facilitated.” The sacrum is one of the MOST important bones of the pelvis because sacral misalignments may contribute to difficult labor for Mom. It can cause inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Correction of sacral misalignments may have a positive effect on all of these causes of difficult labor. As a Webster Certified Chiropractor, I feel it is imperative that your doctor has taken the special steps to be educated and certified in the technique so that you can ensure he or she is most up to date on the technique as well as the special accommodations and research that is necessary help your outcomes be as positive as possible.
4th Trimester
Pregnancy and birth are a lot of work for a body. Not only are you recovering from growing and delivering another person, you are also tasked with taking care of one! During the 4th trimester (the 3 months after delivery), you’re carrying a baby around, consoling a baby, and feeding a baby as your body is trying to return to its pre-pregnancy state. All these things you are doing while dealing with possible pelvic floor muscle imbalances/weaknesses from pregnancy and/or delivery, center of gravity changes due to no longer being pregnant, hypermobility effects of relaxin hormone. Did we mention recovery is further complicated by sleep interruptions and the stress involved with a life event change? Being adjusted and restoring normal joint and nervous system function can help the body better recover, reduce neck, back, and pelvic pain, and provide more comfort while breastfeeding.
Baby
So, you adjust babies? I get asked this question all time. Adjustments for babies look very different than adjustments for adult. There is no “cracking” and the amount of pressure used is similar to the amount of pressure you’d use to test the ripeness of a tomato. Babies may need adjustments because birth can be just a hard for baby as it can be for Mom. Chiropractic is perfect for making sure any spinal misalignments that occur are gently corrected so that your baby can grow with everything communicating as optimally as possible. Parents often seek care for their children when they have colic, sleep issues, nursing difficulties, torticollis or abnormal neck positioning, and even constipation. I may or may not have been given the name “The Poop Whisperer.” Y’all, I realize I sound like a broken record BUT, Chiropractic doesn’t treat any of these conditions. It makes sure everything is lined up properly so that the nervous system can identify that there is a communication issue and heal appropriately. Most of my post-graduate education courses have been geared toward learning techniques to better serve babies and I highly suggest asking your chiropractor if they adjust babies as some may not have the experience or tools to adjust babies and might not see babies in their offices.
In all, pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and the post-partum period are special times in life. They are times where a Mom needs to feel supported and understood. It’s time when she needs to be functioning as best as she can and they are all times I care about a great deal. So often, us Moms get lost in the process and that should never happen. At our office, Moms are our priority. We are very family friendly and welcome your children during your visits. We even include services at our office like pre-natal massage therapy, certified lactation specialists, and an infant/pediatric feeding specialist providing speech therapy care at our office. We know that team work makes the dream work and making sure Mommas get pregnant, have a comfortable pregnancy, a safe and efficient labor and delivery, a less stressed fourth trimesters, and a happy baby are our goals. Here’s to a Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommas, Mommas to be, and future Mommas out there. We hope it’s a great day!!!!
Written by Dr. Kristin Nuccio Smith. Life Care Family Wellness and Chiropractic is located in Slidell, La.
