Pregnancy Care & Paediatric Care
Pregnancy Care
The average healthy weight gain in a pregnant woman is approximately 30 lbs (more if having twins!), most of which is localized around the abdomen adding a significant amount of frontal load. The added weight puts stress on the back, hips, knees, feet and ankles. This additional weight can lead to altered posture and biomechanics as we change the way we sleep, stand and move during pregnancy. As the baby grows, the uterus expands and the abdominal muscles stretch which lessens their ability to support the body as they once did. The change in posture, shifting forward, may cause pain and discomfort specifically in the lower back.
At least 50% of pregnant women will experience back pain with severe discomfort that impacts their activities of daily living. Back pain, wrist pain, and leg cramps are the most common complaints reported. Dr. Meldrum has completed specialized chiropractic training to provide safe and effect exercises, stretches and manipulations (adjustments) to the low back and pelvis in pregnancy patients to help optimize function and reduce pain. She will perform a complete history and physical examination on the expecting mother and create an individualized treatment plan based upon her findings.
How can a chiropractor help with postnatal care?
Often after birth, whether naturally or via C-section, the mother’s pelvic biomechanics change – these changes can bring discomfort with walking, nursing and sleeping. We restore the pelvic balance with similar manipulation, exercises and stretches that were used in the prenatal care. It can also be beneficial to mobilize the thoracic region due to positions during breastfeeding, bottle-feeding or simply rocking children. There is a tendency for new mothers to flex forward for long periods of time, which can aggravate the mid back area. Carrying car seats with infants in them also alters biomechanics.
The most common conditions we treat are pregnancy-related sciatic nerve or pelvic pain with walking, sitting and/or sleeping. We also treat middle back pain in postnatal mothers related to breast-feeding, bottle-feeding or simply rocking babies to sleep.
Dr. Meldrum is Webster Technique trained, a specific chiropractic technique used to assess and manage sacral dysfunctions in pregnant patients. As a mother to twins herself, Dr. Meldrum understands what pregnancy related low back pain feels like. Regular chiropractic care helped her continue to work throughout her pregnancy. She also understands the importance of appropriate postnatal rehabilitation and core stabilization to help you regain strength and functional abilities as you recover from pregnancy and birth.
Can acupuncture be performed on expecting mothers?
Yes. We often use acupuncture to treat conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back and neck pain, as well as headaches throughout pregnancy.
Paediatric Care
Chiropractic is safe for children. There have been several-large scale research studies verifying the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care for kids. The amount of force used to adjust an infant or small child is comparable to the amount of force you use to test a ripe tomato at the grocery store.
Why do children need chiropractic care?
Bones model in response to outside physical stresses placed upon them and proper joint motion is needed to distribute these forces for optimal bone development. There are periods of time when skeletal growth is accelerated (commonly known as Growth Spurts) during which balance in the muscles and joints is especially important.
Just like the bones of the skeleton, your child’s nervous system is also developing at a rapid rate. The nervous system includes the brain, the spinal cord, and all the millions of nerves that serve every inch of your body and control most of its functions. Just like the bones, the nerves need proper joint motion for optimal development in order to develop good communication .
When should I bring my child in?
Chiropractic care for kids will vary as much as chiropractic for adults. It can be difficult to know when a child needs to see the chiropractor because they generally do not present with pain. Parents will typically bring their child in for an assessment within the child’s first month following birth, every 3 months for the first year, every 6-12 months for each year after this. Other times to consider bringing your child in for an appointment include major milestones (such as sitting up, crawling, walking etc), trauma or a fall, if you notice signs of imbalance (limping, head tilt etc)