It’s an exciting time preparing to welcome your new baby into the world! Pregnancy displays the adaptability of our bodies.Pregnant moms experience new mechanical forces and strains, hormonal changes, and fluid movement changes, as baby grows and develops. Osteopathic manual practitioners provide support for these body changes throughout pregnancy and beyond, to encourage greater comfort, mobility and ease.
PREGNANCY: A FEW NOTES ON HOW THE BODY ADAPTS
BODY MECHANICS
As baby grows, your posture will respond to different forces affecting the body, resulting from the increasing size and weight of the uterus. This means that some structures in your body are under greater stress than what they’re used to, and this can lead to discomfort. Changes in hormones that soften your body’s connective tissues can exacerbate the effect of these forces. These changes in body mechanics are normal, but not always comfortable. Your osteopathic manual practitioner can help relieve aches and pains by freeing restricted tissues, and supporting your body’s whole, integrated framework.
FLUID CHANGES
A greater fluid volume circulates during pregnancy, combined with hormonal influences that promote fluid retention, and mechanical restrictions that hinder fluid drainage; you may find that your wrists or ankles are swollen. An osteopathic manual practitioner can assess for joint and tissue restrictions that may be creating a mechanical barrier to fluid drainage within the body.
BREATHING
Breathing can become more difficult throughout pregnancy as the ribcage changes shape and the forward pull of the uterus places new tensions on the respiratory diaphragm. The respiratory diaphragm acts like a pump within the body. Its unrestricted movement helps transport fluids through the circulatory system in the low-pressure venous and lymphatic vessels. To help you breathe better, an osteopathic manual practitioner can assess the structures influencing your ribcage and respiratory diaphragm, and get these structures moving more effectively.
The goal for manual osteopathic treatment during pregnancy is to support these natural changes and provide a gentle helping hand in keeping your body in its best working order. Treatment with an osteopathic manual practitioner addresses the body as a whole, integrating the anatomy for optimal function.
Osteopathic manual therapy supports both mom and baby after delivery as well. Treatment helps with birth recovery, feeding issues, sleep and more
-Jennifer Herring, M. OMSc., Osteopathic Manual Practitioner