Do you visit your chiropractor regularly for preventative adjustments? Are you pregnant and wondering whether you can still continue your visits now that you're carrying a baby? The answer is yes; you absolutely should maintain your regular appointments. Not only can your chiropractor continue to provide you with the benefits of a preventative care plan, but he or she can also address a variety of pregnancy-related issues, three of which are discussed below.

Breech Babies

Babies develop in the upright position up until a few weeks before their delivery, at which time most of them rotate to the head-down position. In roughly four percent of births, however, the babies don't turn. Without the help of chiropractic care, the mothers of these breech babies are faced with a difficult decision. They can choose to deliver the babies via cesarean section (major abdominal surgery), or they can undergo an external cephalic version (ECV) in an attempt to turn their babies. ECVs can be very painful and only have a success rate of about 58 percent.

How can a chiropractor help? By using the Webster technique, your chiropractor can realign the bones, muscles, and ligaments in your pelvis, thus making the pelvis more relaxed and eliminating any stress and tension in the uterus that may be preventing your baby from flipping into the birthing position. The procedure requires your chiropractor to deliver only gentle thrusts to your abdomen and sacrum, thus making it a pain-free procedure with a success rate of 82 percent -- far greater than the success rate of a painful ECV.

Latching Problems During Breastfeeding

In order for a newborn to successfully breastfeed from their mother, their cranium, jaw, neck, and nervous system must work together. During difficult deliveries, though, where the delivering doctors need to use forceps or a vacuum to extract a baby, one or more of these components can be injured. When this happens, it becomes extremely difficult for the infant to form a seal over the nipple with their mouth. Mothers who experience this problem often get frustrated by watching their babies struggle to feed and resort to feeding the baby infant formula out of a baby bottle. 

What many of these mothers don't know is that their and their babies' breastfeeding problems could be cured with nothing more than a simple baby massage. By applying gentle pressure to the area of a baby's musculoskeletal system that was injured during delivery, a chiropractor can often realign all the parts the baby needs to successfully breastfeed. 

Acid Reflux

Pregnancy and acid reflux often go hand-in-hand. Not only are expectant mothers frequently plagued by heartburn, up to half of newborn babies (up to 3 months of age) also experience the uncomfortable sensation. Don't worry, though. If, at any time during or after your pregnancy, you or your baby experience acid reflux, your chiropractor can help alleviate the symptoms and prevent them from reoccurring. 

Recent studies suggest that poor posture, or back and/or muscle weakness play a big role in the development of severe heartburn. During pregnancy, your weight gain and altered body proportions can quickly negatively affect your posture. And your baby's posture can be weakened by the same delivery injuries that can interfere with breastfeeding. 

By performing a realignment on you or your baby, a chiropractor can remedy your posture, decrease the pressure on the stomach and esophageal system, and ease you of the discomforts of heartburn without the use of medication.

Should you continue to see your chiropractor during your pregnancy? Absolutely; schedule an appointment today. Not only can you continue to receive alignments to prevent future musculoskeletal issues, but you can get treatment for the above three pregnancy-related problems, too. Contact a clinic like Hidden Valley Chiropractic for more info.