If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.
Support, support, support. This is the key to the fourth trimester: The one where you, your life partner and your baby are getting to know each other. Our team feels that this is a period of time that is sacred, and also one where many new families in our area feel alone and isolated. Our hope is to provide a safe and loving space for new and repeat parents to share their experiences, challenges and accomplishments. There are many incredible resources in our area that we can direct you to for support.
During pregnancy, your spine and the soft tissues of your body undergo the most rapid transformation that they will go through in your entire life. The first part of this change happens over a nine-month period, but the second part of this change (the return to previous form) happens more rapidly, as the weight of the baby is suddenly no longer there. Your body is able to integrate these changes with more ease when you receive chiropractic care. In fact, many of the common symptoms during pregnancy, especially neck pain, back pain, headaches and heartburn, are related to the stress on your nervous system from this rapid change. Remember, the spine encases the central nervous system and when it is misaligned, it can put tension on the exiting nerves and decrease normal function. The same goes for the fourth trimester. Your spine is trying to adjust to the absence of the baby in your belly. Chiropractic adjustments aid beautifully in this process by realigning your spine and pelvis.
Your spine is also very “soft” at the end of pregnancy. Your body has produced a hormone called relaxin to soften the joints and ligaments and allow for your pelvis to open wide and birth your baby. As you begin to nurse and carry your baby in your arms, you may find that you feel back pain and headaches again because this softness allows your joints to become misaligned more easily. Once again, chiropractic is an excellent way to restore function and reduce pain and discomfort.
After the birth of your baby, your body must recover from a certain amount of trauma. Even in a “perfect” birth, the body still sustains tissue trauma. The placenta detaches from the uterine wall, leaving a large “raw” area that must heal, and the vaginal tissue is stretched to its fullest state, sometimes tearing or receiving an episiotomy. A C-section birth has incisions to heal. There is significant blood and fluid loss as well, and a tremendous amount of energy is spent. Postnatal chiropractic focuses on supporting the aftermath of this process and bringing the mother’s body back into a state of balance as it works to rebuild the blood, balance fluid levels, and heal the affected areas.
You are a mother now and your body may not look the same, and that’s OK. There is no need to be in a hurry to fit back into those skinny jeans. You do not need to hide the evidence that you’ve just had a baby. Be patient and gentle with your body in your fourth trimester. Learn to look in the mirror and laugh and love the body that made your baby. No matter how you have given birth, you are a brave warrior.