Why Maternity Chiropractic? 

           Do you or people you know prefer pain-free pregnancies, increased comfort, ease of delivery and fewer interventions at birth?  Then specialized chiropractic care is for you! (or whoever it is that you know who is pregnant, so please tell them! )

I am frequently faced with curiosity, (and sometimes incredulity) when people begin to realize how passionate I am about providing specialized chiropractic care to pregnant mothers.  It is far less of a stretch to explain the benefits to a soon-to-be mother who is suffering from back pain, but the more functional benefits of prenatal care are far less widely known.

I consider this to be a large part of my mission in this life; to increase the number of genuinely natural, mother-centered births, which welcome our children into this world in an environment of love, and calmness, and relative ease.  I am doing this by educating people about what mother (and baby!) centered birthing models are, where to find them, and by providing excellent specialized care to as many mothers as I can.  I believe that mothers have been slowly and inexorably separated from their own intuition around birth, and pregnancy as well.  In my opinion, our culture has adopted birthing practices that are technology-centered, and birth-attendant centered, but mothers’ innate knowledge of the state of her own and her baby’s health is no longer being given adequate value in our system.  I believe this to be a detriment to births in general, for both mother and baby.  There are reasons why technological knowledge and equipment can be beneficial in birthing (especially post-natal, premies, etc) as well as in conception.  However, it has been noted that many obstetrical birth intervention practices have become utilized under questionably frequent circumstances in recent decades.  I believe many of them are based in concern for the best for our patients, but many of these procedures are not firmly rooted in objective research.  These include routine ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, attendant-centered birthing positions, induction, epidurals, episiotomies, general time constraints and immediate removal of baby from mom (surgically and physically) as well as others.

There do (most certainly!) exist obstetricians, general practitioners, and (many more) midwives and doulas who’ve dedicated themselves to a more mother-centered birth model, and there are several birthing techniques which teach consistent practices, therefore it is much easier today than it was 20 years ago, to find a birth attendant and model that will meet your needs for a warm, empowering, and secure birthing experience.

I am establishing a local network of birthing professionals and educators who share these philosophies, so that I can offer my patients those names, and the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of a positive birthing experience. ( I would be glad of information about anyone who you think would qualify here, so please share!)  I intend to have as extensive a network of specialties as possible so that we professionals may all keep in touch, refer patients for services in an appropriate and timely manner, and share our unique knowledge with each other. 

As a chiropractor in general, but particularly as a prenatal specialist, my knowledge of the anatomy and neurology helps me to see the ‘big picture’ of the pregnancy and birthing process.  What I focus on in the office is primarily;

a) Removing all nervous interference and neutralizing the pelvis of the expectant mother so she and the baby may enjoy the most spacious accommodations possible for the two of them, that they may have the best possible chance of having a positive pregnancy and birthing experience from a structural perspective (ie; uninhibited range of motion for mom’s body, favorable baby position, reduced reflux in mom, good sleeping patterns for both, etc.).  This is accomplished by very specific, gentle spinal, cranial and pelvic adjustments, muscle work, and stability exercises.  As every mom is different, so is every treatment.  Nothing is ever done without mother’s explicit permission, preceded by a full explanation of the process and reasons for it.

            I also (b) strive to educate moms (parents, friends of parents! – whoever feels drawn to learn!) about birth being, in essence, a parasympathetic nervous system function.  I emphasize that practices that should be embraced are those that help mom (and dad!) feel secure, loved, in touch with themselves and their bodies, and relaxed; that they can wait until they are ready and birth in the most comfortable position(s) that suit them.  Practices that do the opposite are those to be avoided, unless absolutely necessary.  However, when necessary, they should be taken in this nervous system context.  For instance, how do your vital signs react when you are sitting at ease, in a lounge chair on the beach in 80+ degrees, and someone walks up to you and says “… excuse me, sir/ ma’am, but I think someone just stole your car. “  Roughly the same things happen when someone whispers to a relatively calm laboring mother that “… if things don’t progress to ___cm in two more hours, we’re going to have to induce you.”  Or even; “… Honey, I’m sorry but I’m getting pretty nervous now; you’re up to five centimeters… I know we planned on having the baby at home, but your mother and I really would rather drive you to the hospital; is that all right? What would you like me to pack for you? Front seat or back?”  Does it make sense that anything that takes mom out of her ‘laborland’ place of relaxation, focus and security are going to work against the natural nervous regulation of the birthing process?  At the very least, I try to convey to expectant couples to find out as much as they can about ALL the different birthing options.  Once they decide on the philosophies that they agree on, they can find birthing professionals that agree with and support those choices (I have birth attendant questionnaires I give couples to help with what questions to ask).  I encourage them to write a birthing plan in advance, (I have blank templates in my office that I give out), and to give a copy to their attendants, so that all are aware of how the family wishes to be treated, if at all possible.  This plan helps the birth ‘team’ better prepare to support the birthing couple, and they generally appreciate the heads-up’s and forethought.  It helps guarantee that the parents may stay relatively relaxed and calm in the moment, and decreases the possibility that any unforeseen interventions will be performed, or requests / needs not be met, in the ‘heat of the moment’.   I also recommend that couples research the many birthing methods out there, and HypnoBirthing® is one highly understated method I encourage you to look into, particularly for moms or dads with anxious tendencies.  The Bradley method is also excellent; there are several different ones on the links page on this site.  Please take a moment to look.

So those are the two (relatively simple? :o) things I can do as a chiropractor to help with the pregnancy and birthing experience.  Secondarily, other services include Applied Kinesiological management for morning sickness, infertility concerns, other joint stability issues… and, of course – ‘back pain’.  (*grin*).

I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to read this, and encourage you to look to our research link to find studies that show a reduced incidence of dystocia (painful labor), c-sections, and breech presentations in mothers who were under regular chiropractic care throughout their pregnancies.  If what you’ve read here resonates with you, and you share or feel drawn to this philosophy around pregnancy and birth, I invite you to contact my office; I would be honored to work with you and yours to help you have the best experience possible.  I wish you support and love on your journey; it is the ultimate adventure!

Erin J. Sepic, D.C.

PS; PLEASE visit our LINKS page and view the sites I’ve flagged for expecting parents to read.  They are awesome.  Thank you for reading!