Baby Got Back Pain

It can be said pregnancy is the most life changing experience in a woman’s life. Your body is providing you the unconditional love you didn’t know you were craving until baby arrives.  We can chat endlessly about how beautiful and natural the process of pregnancy is and all the fun you had feeling baby kick, choosing nursery decor, picking clothes and everything involved in preparing for your new addition.

But, let’s be real here. There are many unpleasant modifications happening to your body to accommodate baby. Although ultimately worth it,  some of these changes can be hard on your body, making your pregnancy experience uncomfortable. Many of these issues pile up and get swept under the rug, including back pain.

Most women are unaware they are able to undergo chiropractic services while pregnant with complete safety for mother and child. Some even have the idea that back pain is specific to them and nothing can be done about it until after baby has been delivered. Wrong. Fact is, a large majority of women experience back pain during pregnancy. If you didn’t have some sort of everyday wear and tear pain in your back  before your pregnancy, you can be sure that you will have it at some point during, and most likely afterward. Several things are going on in your body at this time.

Hormonal changes:

Most women probably remember the vivid back and joint pain during the first trimester of pregnancy (unfortunately lingering throughout the entire pregnancy for some). This is a result of the intense hormone changes the body is going through, preparing for more physical changes ahead. Ligaments are softening, causing the severe pain.

He ain’t heavy, he’s my baby:

Secondly, your baby puts a lot of weight on you. Your spine has to carry this extra weight without the luxury of time to help it become acclimated to the new weight. As your baby grows, it needs more room. Lots of pressure, muscle separations and shifting around is happening, and could cause pain in your lower back and pelvic region. If you’re lucky it stops there.

Compounding the problem:

The vast majority of us have changed our posture to alleviate the lower back pain. Although this seems to help, the relief is short-lived. Improper posture spreads the pain into your middle back and possibly higher. Additionally, your sleeping positions have changed, which is unintentionally changing your posture as well.

Love’s Labors Lost

Most women who are in alignment when going into labor have less than 3 hours of true labor. When the system is working properly, the nerves tell the proper muscles to fire at the proper time, making for an optimal delivery system; of course, the opposite is true for a woman whose system isn’t working properly. According to NUCCA Dr. John M. Kowalczyk, “I have seen over 100 pregnant women in my practice and 95% of them that went into labor on their own (i.e., not induced), progressed quickly through labor.” Wow.

You do not have to live with the intensity of these afflictions. Chiropractic care is increasingly becoming encouraged during pregnancy due to the safety of the practice. NUCCA alignments, in particular, are super gentle and highly effective. Your body is going through many uncomfortable changes; severe back pain does not have to be one of them. In fact, your NUCCA doctor can guide through a customized treatment program that will help alleviate pain during pregnancy, and in many cases, can even shorten labor and delivery time. NUCCA chiropractors are more than aware of the alterations your body is going through during pregnancy. You may not receive the typical chiropractic remedy you have previously, but there is a wealth of special techniques to benefit you and your baby.