Pregnancy is a time in a woman’s life when just about everything that can change, does. There are structural changes, hormonal changes, shape changes, mood changes, and the list goes on. You want to have the advantage of good health when you go through a pregnancy because you also want to pass that advantage on to your baby, growing inside you. Here are a few things to consider so that you can have the most optimum health during pregnancy.
Get chiropractic adjustments
Staying healthy through your pregnancy can make a huge impact on the baby’s development, your comfort, and the delivery. With every pound put on from the baby, there are ten added pounds of pressure to the joints in your back. That’s a lot of stress to carry around for nine months! Adjustments relieve low back pain and also keep your pelvis loose and mobile, which makes for a quicker and less complicated delivery. During pregnancy, there are a lot of hormonal changes and one of the hormones that is specific to pregnancy is called relaxin. It makes the ligaments and joints in your body more pliable and stretchy, so when the baby comes down the canal, the pelvis is able to open up sufficiently. Relaxin does not only target the pelvic joints. It affects all joints in your body. That is why it’s a great idea to get checked throughout your pregnancy to make sure all of your joints are moving and functioning optimally.
What if my baby is breech? Can I still get adjusted? What is the Webster Technique?
Yes! The Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nervous system and balances maternal pelvic muscles and ligaments. This in turn reduces torsion in the uterus, a cause of intra-uterine constraint of the baby and allows for optimal fetal positioning in preparation for birth.
Ask Dr. Hall about supplements
There are a few things that are essential to healthy fetal development. One of those is omega 3 fatty acids. The neurologic system is the first thing to develop in a growing fetus. It becomes the control system, or foreman for the rest of development and ultimately for the rest of that child’s life. The neurologic system made up of the brain and spinal cord is largely made of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are great for neurologic health, cardiovascular health, inflammation reduction, and the list goes on. The best source of omega 3’s is from fish. The best way to get it is by a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil supplement. Pharmaceutical-grade fish oil guarantees no mercury contamination and ultra-pure sources. Another source of omega 3’s is flaxseed. However, humans are not efficient at processing the omega 3 in flaxseed, so a lot more is needed to provide sufficient amounts of omega 3. What does a lot more mean? You would have to eat cups and cups of flax to get the amount of omega 3 that you need. Also, the only way to extract the omega 3 oils from the flaxseed is by grinding it up very finely. Otherwise, the seeds just pass right through you. Flax tends to spoil very quickly, so keep it refrigerated to prevent that. Bottom line is that good quality fish oil is by far the best source of omega 3 fatty acids. Ask Dr. Hall for a good quality fish oil today. Another supplement that is critical during development is folic acid. Folic acid is important especially in the early stages of development when the nervous system is forming. When expectant mothers are low on folic acid, sometimes babies can be born with spina bifida, when vertebrae in the spine do not fully fuse together. Spina bifida can vary in severity and location. Most of the time it goes unnoticed until x-rays are taken of the spine for other purposes. Sometimes there can also be a little tuft of hair on the skin over the level of spina bifida. A good source of folic acid is green, leafy vegetables such as kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard. Make sure you also have a good quality prenatal multivitamin recommended by Dr. Hall to get all the nutrients and vitamins you need. Pregnancy can be a little scary sometimes, especially if it’s your first time going through it. You want to do everything possible for your baby to give it the best advantage when it is born. With these tips and suggestions, you and your baby will have a better labor and be healthier for it afterward.
Call Dr. Hall today and get checked! It’s the most valuable gift you can give your child.