Prenatal & Postpartum Chiropractic Care

If you are symptom-free and seeking treatment for preventing aches and pains, treatments are spaced out to checkups to ensure the body remains feeling good throughout pregnancy. If there are symptoms, a course of treatment will be discussed with each client to ensure the best course of action is taken. Every session is based on the individual needs of the client, and treatment is custom to their pregnancy journey.

An initial visit, which includes: thorough history taking, performing a regional examination, and treatment is one hour in length. The initial visit will include patient education, a clinical impression of what is going on, what you can expect regarding your particular case, and treatment which includes muscle work, gentle chiropractic care, and home care exercises. Subsequent visits are half an hour long and include muscle work, adjustments if needed, and a review of home care exercises and possibly new ones to keep your progress going. By putting emphasis on longer appointment times, we believe this is the best way to have patient-centered, thorough chiropractic care with the highest quality of care.

Our goal is to have you feeling better leaving our clinic following treatment. You will be equipped with exercises, stretching, and breathing activities to help manage your symptoms, and improve your pregnancy experience. We want your body as prepared as possible for the birthing process, regardless of what that ends up looking like for you. Some mild soreness -often described as “post-workout soreness”- may last up to a couple of days after treatment. If your body needed a lot of movement or this was a new experience for you it may be slightly sore as well. A follow-up visit will be discussed, and then treatment as needed on an individual basis.

It’s never too early to start chiropractic care during pregnancy! Many pregnant people start experiencing aches and pains as early as their first trimester. It is incredible how your body starts changing almost immediately. In order to better enjoy your pregnancy, it is beneficial to have aches, pains and discomforts resolved sooner rather than later. Removing these ailments can aid in keeping you moving, working out, and generally improve the performance of normal activities more comfortably.

Patients who visit our Vancouver clinic for care usually complain of the following during their pregnancy: ● Low back pain ● Pubic bone pain ● Neck pain ● Sciatica ● Rib pain ● Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain ● Headaches ● Pelvic girdle pain ● Round ligament pain ● Carpal tunnel syndrome ● Tailbone pain ● Hip, knee, ankle pain

The body changes so much during pregnancy. There is more tension on the low back and pelvis, muscles and ligaments are under more strain, posture changes, and the pelvis must expand to make room for a growing baby. All of these changes take place during a relatively short amount of time. Although aches and pains during pregnancy are common, they are in fact not normal. Pain is an indication that something is wrong in the body and it needs assistance. It’s our job as chiropractors to find out where the issue is coming from, to realign the body, and to give our clients tools to help manage these symptoms outside of the office.

● Relieve pregnancy-related aches and pains ● Support activities of daily living comfortably ● Reduce the uncertainty regarding safe movement and activities during pregnancy ● Relieve tight muscles and joints ● Support other systems of the body such as the nervous system (ex. sleep and digestion) ● Balance the body to ensure movement and workouts can still happen ● Discuss topics of interest such as pelvic floor and deep abdominal activation ● Provide you with stretches and exercises to support your lifestyle through pregnancy ● Patient education to reduce any uncertainty regarding safe movement and activities during pregnancy ● Empower you to take charge of your health and learning to listen to your body

We see many issues that can be resolved with gentle chiropractic care, however, if we feel that another professional may be best suited to help we can refer you to our integrated network of health care professionals. ● Doulas ● Mid-wives ● Pelvic Floor physiotherapists ● Lactation consultants ● Sleep specialists ● Naturopathic Doctors ● Prenatal massage therapists ● Mental Health professionals ● Acupuncturists