Adjusting to Pregnancy

The above is the actual headline from the August 7, 2007 Milford Daily News in Massachusetts. This article addresses the benefits of chiropractic care in pregnancy. The article starts by following the story of one chiropractic patient, Amanda Giampaoli-Martinez, who was receiving chiropractic care throughout her pregnancy. The story notes that when Amanda was ready to give birth she called her chiropractor Dr. Maryam Ahsan, to be present at the birth.

It was not two minutes after the birth of Amanda's new baby girl, Arianna, that she was checked by Dr. Maryam. New mother Amanda recalled the activity by stating, "Dr. Maryam was driving when I called her and asked if she could come to the hospital. She just turned her car around." Giampaoli-Martinez continued, "When I was having bad pain, (Dr. Ahsan) put me on my side and adjusted me while I was on the table." Ms. Giampaoli-Martinez was pleased with her results and noted, "I went three times a week, and after a month my back pain was gone. I was also having shooting leg pain and the hip alignment helped to take that away."

The article explains that the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association teaches a technique named after the associations late founder Dr. Larry Webster, called the Webster Technique. The article explains that the Webster Technique decreases intrauterine constraint, resulting in a quicker, less difficult delivery. This technique became prominent after it was discovered that certain adjustments had a high success rate in reversing the position of breech babies.

Dr. Jeanne Ohm, executive director of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, explained the procedure, "There is no deep tissue massage with this technique. It's a really light force," she said. "Chiropractors will check the woman's sacrum (pelvis bone) and press on different areas to restore balance. They (patients) turn her on her back and check her belly and a round ligament for tightness." Dr. Ohm continued, "There are no known contraindications or complications to the adjustments. No one's ever called back to report a problem, and I would definitely be the first to know. Osteopathic studies have shown the adjustments reduce labor time and fight dystocia (abnormal or overly long childbirth)."

The article also interviewed Dr. David Bilstrom, a board certified physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist, and director of Oasis Center for Health in Hinsdale. He feels that most medical doctors are unfamiliar with chiropractic care. He states, "Chiropractic care tends to be quite safe. In the right hands, I would feel very comfortable seeing the treatment done."