Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy (Plus Some Favorite Utah County Chiropractors!)

The first time I ever visited a chiropractor, I was 36 weeks pregnant. I'd been waking up for my middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks with SO much pubic bone pain that I had to wake my husband to help me walk the five feet to the bathroom.

I waddled into her office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, feeling very pregnant, very uncomfortable, and very desperate. At the end of my appointment, I stood up and walked to the door. I realized that, for the first time in weeks, I wasn't doing my pregnant waddle! I was SO much more comfortable. My pubic bone discomfort (symphysis pubis dysfunction, also called SPD or pelvic girdle pain) was minimal. I visited her for the last few weeks of my pregnancy and was extremely grateful for her specialized care.

And I'm certainly not the only prenatal chiropractic success story!

A doula friend of mine had a client who had been in early labor for three and a half days. She was having contractions, but they just weren't forming a pattern to lead to active labor, opening of her cervix, and birth of her baby. On day four of early labor, she went to a chiropractor (the fabulous Dr. Nick Shelton at Shelton Chiropractic in Salem, UT), and within five minutes of her appointment, her contractions were strong and regular. Her baby was born 6 hours later!

When I asked for prenatal chiropractor success stories in a birth group on Facebook, my post was flooded with comments.

One mom said, "My chiropractor knew I was working hard for a VBAC so he was a key part in that for me. I saw him weekly my entire pregnant and it always gave me some relief from the pregnancy related aches. Then in my last 8 weeks, he saw me twice a week and would focus more on adjusting my hips so we could get the baby in a good position. The consistency of my visits not only helped me stay active my entire pregnancy but I also had a very smooth delivery and a successful VBAC! I completely credit a part of it to my chiropractor."

Another mom shared her story of how she'd barely been able to walk due to SI pain (pain at the sacroiliac joint, where the spine joins the hips). She visited Timpview Chiropractic in Orem, UT. After chiropractic care, she was able to walk and stay active during the rest of her pregnancy and birthed a 9 lb baby!

​Still another mom shared how uncomfortable she'd been during her pregnancy, suffering from general pain and sciatic pain. Her chiropractor was able to reduce her general pain and eliminate her sciatic pain. Now pregnant again, she's made regular chiropractic care at Renegade Chiropractic part of her self-care, and she's able to stay active as a student, at work, and as a mom.

There were too many stories shared for me to recap all of them here, but I'll share one last story about how a chiropractor was able to help a client have a successful VBAC:

"My chiropractor is the reason I was able to have a VBAC. My baby in a sunny side up orientation was no match for stalled dilation; but once my chiropractor adjusted my back, and aligned my hips, my baby was able to drop and rotate into a more optimal position. I labored for 26 hours, got adjusted, and had our baby 90 minutes later at the birth center."

Why is prenatal chiropractic care so effective?

At this point, you're probably thinking, "are they magic? How are chiropractors so effective at minimizing pain and speeding up labor?"

During pregnancy, labor and birth, your baby descends into your pelvis. The pelvis is, in my opinion, the coolest-shaped bone in the body. Check it out:

Technically, it's two bones: the ossa coxae (singular: os coxae), that meet the sacrum (the large bone at the base of your spine) in the back, your left and right femurs (thigh bones) on each side, and come together at the pubic symphysis in the front.

Along with the muscles of your pelvic floor, your pelvic bones are responsible for holding much of the weight of your growing baby and body throughout pregnancy. As your baby grows and your body accommodates baby and grows as well, sometimes the pelvis can get a little out of whack, or misaligned, as chiropractors would say. Your spine can also get misaligned during all of this growing and stretching.

One way chiropractors work their magic is by re-aligning any misalignments in your spine and pelvis, which in turn helps your whole body work together more effectively. This also creates optimal space for baby to rotate and descend during labor and birth.

This is not my field of expertise, so from here, I would invite you to reach out to some of my favorite chiropractors serving Utah County who specialize in care during pregnancy. They are also great resources for pediatric chiropractic care and see kids as young as newborns!

Recommended Prenatal  Chiropractors

FLOW Chiropractic - Lehi, UT

Dr. Steven Roushar is incredibly passionate about his chiropractic work. He is a kind and knowledgeable prenatal and pediatric chiropractor.

Sound Corrections Chiropractic - Orem, UT

Dr. James Beadle is very involved in the birth and pregnancy community and provides compassionate, informed care during pregnancy.

Shelton Chiropractic - Salem, UT

I first met Dr. Nick Shelton when I had the privilege of being a doula for him and his wife for the birth of their second child. His wife's labor was incredibly smooth, and I credit much of that to the regular in-home chiropractic adjustments Dr. Nick gave his wife throughout pregnancy!

Platinum Chiropractic - American Fork, UT

Like all of the chiropractors listed, Dr. Debbie Pun is also very involved in the birth community in Utah. She is light-hearted, fun, and offers expert care during pregnancy and beyond.

Kids Only Chiropractic - Bluffdale, UT

Dr. Matthew Roller is actually in Salt Lake County, and serves kids (as evidenced by his business name) and also pregnant women. He is joyfully passionate about his work and offers amazing monthly membership plans so you can receive care as often as needed without extra costs - a lifesaver at the end of pregnancy!

Other Resources

If you're looking for a prenatal chiropractor in your area or more information about chiropractic care during pregnancy or for infants and kids, check out ICPA or Utah Pediatric Chiropractors. For more amazing resources about physiological birth and how your positioning, alignment, and body balance impact your comfort during pregnancy and your baby's descent during labor, check out Spinning Babies.

Wishing you a well-aligned pregnancy and birth!