Childbirth and Chiropractic

Thanks for reading last week’s post in such large numbers.  It was one of the most viewed posts ever.  If you didn’t read it yet, check it out before reading this weeks post.  Today, we’ll be continuing last week’s post which discussed Chiropractic and pregnancy by following up with the birth process.  Expectant mom’s:  it’ll be a good thing for your husband or significant other to read up on these posts also, so they are better prepared when the big day arrives.

I remember when each of our kids were born.  My wife was a trooper, totally in control and at peace the whole time. She gave birth to three kids, all at home with a midwife.  She began wanting to birth in a hospital because of all the fear based learning she had, but she took the time to educate herself by talking with other women who had good experiences and reading many (How to) books about birthing.  She did not ready any of the fear based propaganda that is generally accepted as the norm.  While painful, the sense of strength, womanhood, and empowerment that accompanied her births was well worth the effort and pain in her own words.  Her longest birth was the first at four hours.  After that, they were around two hours and maybe a half hour of pushing.

She credits it all to her chiropractic pregnancy, and the education she received during that time.  One of her goals is to help other women have as good an experience as she did, three times over.

I guess the first question that should be answered is “WHY?”  Why is a birth under Chiropractic care so positive and different from the norm?  That answer has to do with Chiropractic itself.  We teach people how to trust their bodies and what their body is telling them.  We teach a mindset of trust and to not override what you are feeling internally with educated information based solely on statistics.  Your body will never steer your wrong.  We need to learn how to listen to it better.

To help relieve some of the stress of childbirth, we have been in the delivery room to adjust a soon-to-be mom.  Chiropractic adjustments place the body and mind in a state of ease and this ease can focus the mother on the task at hand.  Because adjustments remove interference within the nerve system, the body will become more attentive when it comes time to push.

This is a time when the father needs to be involved as a calming, supportive, and encouraging, presence more than any other time.  A father who remain calm, supportive, and encouraging has a mother who is prepared, focused, and joyous.  You need to know the mother and her wishes and desires for the birth.  My wife wanted a completely quiet room, that is what helped her stay in the moment.  We communicated by touch.  What does your expectant mother want?  Be sure to ask her and plan it out.  While the best laid plans can change in a moment, you are there to see the plan through, so keep calm and protect your soon to be mother as best you can, as she desires.

Some final thoughts about the birth process:  Where you birth is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.  Hospitals tend to be busy and fear based.  But not all.  More and more, especially with the now popular birth centers, these can be quite pleasant experiences.  We are supportive of home birthing as that is what we did.  They tend to be more peaceful and comfortable and you can control the circumstances surrounding you.  In our opinion, there is no credible evidence to support one type of birth process (home vs hospital) is safer than another.  Each has it’s pros and cons and you have to make a decision.  If you choose to birth at home, be sure to have your local ambulance made aware and are prepared in case a complication does occur.  But these are rare, especially with a seasoned midwife who is supportive and comfortable presiding over a home birth.

On that note, a final story.  We used the same midwife for all three of our births.  She has thirty years of experience birthing children at home, including being the midwife for amish folks in Pennsylvania.  During our third birth, I was allowed to deliver the baby myself.  She coached me during the pregnancy and as the birth was happening and was always within a foot of my wife during the birth.  Dads, there is nothing cooler than to catch your son during birth.  I was blessed to have a wife who was prepared and loving enough to allow such an experience.  Believe me, birth is all about mom and the baby, but if you are an expectant mom AND have birthed before, consider giving dad this connection to his children.

Chiropractic is about experiencing life to its fullest potential.  The birth of a newborn is one that we should all experience the joy of.  We can help make these moments just what you want them to be.