Postpartum Chiropractic Care
When's a good time to start?
I get asked all the time, “When is the best time to start chiropractic care postpartum” or “Do I need to wait a certain amount of time after having the baby”. The short and simple answer is, come in as soon as you feel ready.
Having time after birth for bonding as a family is very important. I know some local midwives will tell mothers to stay at home in bed with their baby for 1-2 weeks to aid bonding and healing. There are many cultures that also include bed rest at the beginning of the postpartum period.
My advice is always to honor your body and listen to what it says is right. If you are in pain, feel like there is something wrong, or know your body needs support, I am always here for you whenever you are ready. There is no required amount of time that you need to wait and there are many times that I have done a home visit the day after birth to help mom and baby with the transition into this new adventure.
In general, my recommendation for a postpartum check in visit is:
3 weeks after vaginal birth
4 weeks after c-section
However, if you are experiencing discomfort I recommend coming in as soon as possible.
The techniques I use are very gentle, especially immediately postpartum. This allows care to start right away even if a c-section was required. Rest after a c-section is very important and I always encourage post c-section patients to give themselves extra time to rest.
What do I check for at your postpartum visit?
Diastasis Recti- seperation of the abdominal muscles
Breathing- often during pregnancy our breathing patterns change so we need to make sure you are breathing properly and in all directions
Pelvis- the pelvis needs to open up for baby to exit and we want to make sure it is no longer in the open birthing pattern and goes back to a neutral position
Whole spine check- we want to make sure the whole body is functioning well, many times new pain points arise postpartum due to breastfeeding, holding baby, and the birth process. Many moms will begin to experience thumb, wrist, neck, and mid back pain postpartum due to the new stresses on the body.
Remember, you need to take care of yourself to be able to continue taking care of others. You are important. Many times if we ignore our body asking for help it will force you to listen. Of course baby is important, but you deserve to be taken care of too.
Feel free to reach out with any questions. I’m always happy to jump on a phone call.
~ Dr. Janelle Provost
