Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the first publication of From Belly to Baby. This is the first publication in Ottawa to bring you cutting edge health information pertaining to you and your baby during the months leading up to birth.

I'm sure you've discovered that everybody has advice for you during your pregnancy from your well meaning "been there" mother-in-law, to the woman behind the counter at the local coffee shop. Processing new information is always challenging and attempting to understand what will be best for you and your baby can be even more daunting. Our goal at From Belly to Baby is to provide information that will help you make informed choices.

As a chiropractor that caters to the special needs of pregnant women and their newborns, the one thing I know is that women talk amongst themselves about what has helped them during pregnancy and labour. Should you happen to eavesdrop on a group of sling-wearing moms at Bridgehead, you will probably hear them discussing the wonders of yoga, massage therapy, and yes, chiropractic care.

I always encourage patients to investigate different options regarding their health, to take charge, and to ask questions. Just as you should dig a bit deeper and research suggestions made by your mother-in-law, I encourage you to do the same with the information provided to you in this publication. Women usually are the ones in the family that make healthcare decisions for themselves and their family, and From Belly to Baby is dedicated to delivering the kind of information that will answer and create questions for you.

Let's start with labour. The "buzz on the street" is that chiropractic care can help reduce the time a woman spends in labour, and can help reduce the number of interventions performed during labour, including a reduction in the use of pain killers. An orthopaedist by the name of Per Freitag, M.D., carried out an interesting hospital study that incorporated chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy. He found that the need for pain killers during delivery was reduced by half. (Freitag, Per. Expert testimony of Pertag, M.D., Ph.D., comparing the results of two neighbouring hospitals, U.S. District Court Northern Illinois Eastern Division, No. 76 C 3777)

You can imagine that women get pretty excited when they hear about this. You may be surprised to know that the majority of the big beautiful bellies you will see in our office on any given day are there, not because of aches and pains, but to achieve a peaceful birth.

How? Chiropractic is effective prior to a birth because it restores proper movement in joints, thereby enhancing nervous system function. There is a hormone that is released during your pregnancy called relaxin, and this hormone's job is to loosen up your joints so that the pelvis can open up during the birthing process and allow the baby to come through as effortlessly as possible.

Now, imagine trying to give birth to a baby if your pelvis is "stuck" and isn't opening up as it should. A peaceful birthing process requires that your body be functioning optimally. Gentle chiropractic care allows restoration of proper movement in the joints of the pelvis, allowing for an easier birth.

I encourage you to investigate the possibility of adding a chiropractor to your Health Team during pregnancy. Every expectant mom can benefit from having a chiropractic check-up. Stay tuned for more on the benefits of chiropractic care in future issues of From Belly to Baby. We hope you enjoy the publication!