During pregnancy, your body is going through tremendous changes: physically, hormonally and physiologically. Your osteopath can support you during those changes and accompany your body throughout pregnancy to allow pain relief, comfort and to promote better function. The more your body is comfortable and at ease, the more your baby is growing in an optimal environment!
As your baby grows, your body adapts and changes. That will affect your digestion, your gait, your posture, and your mental wellbeing. Your joints become looser due to relaxin and increased ligaments laxity and your chest is increasing in size etc. All of those modifications over the course of the nine months of pregnancy can cause common issues such as:
Pubic Symphysis Disorder (PSD or SPD), or other pelvic pains;
Lower and upper back pain, hip discomfort or other musculoskeletal aches
Sciatica or other nerve impingement
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Heartburns (reflux) or difficult digestion (constipation or inflammatory bowel)
Difficulty with deep breathing/ shortness of breath
Trouble sleeping
Poor circulation/heavy legs
Pains/discomfort where the baby is tucked in (under ribs/ pelvis hip etc)
Osteopathy can help with those common issues: during the session (ideally from 2nd trimester due to fragile 1st trimester), after an appropriate assessment and diagnosis, your osteopath will treat you as a whole in a comfortable manner with specific techniques to pregnancy, to help you with your discomfort and to promote balance. Depending on the initial issue, a prognostic will be given regarding the recommended amount of sessions and appropriate exercises + stretches will be given for you to do at home.
We will also work closely with your midwife and doctor shall you have any specific medical condition that requires further supervision.
How often should I see an osteopath during my pregnancy?
This entirely depends on you and your wish to be treated; and the opinion of your doctor and midwife. A lot of future mums will be working full time (in an office or being a mother to older children at home), throughout most of their pregnancy and may use osteopathy as general support for the changes going through their bodies and the regular aches and pains of their daily life.
Will it help with the birth?
Birth is a significant challenge to both your body and your baby’s. If you are in pain, especially with areas like the lower back or the pelvis, this will get in the way of an effective and optimum labor. Osteopathy will prepare your body the best it can for that, and aiming to get body in the most comfortable way. Obviously, many more factors are to be considered and involved in the mechanisms of birth.
Author: Emma Nicolau, paediatric osteopath
Emma is one of our osteopath specialised in women’s health and paediatrics.
For more information get in touch: emma@babyandme-london.co.uk
To book for a session with Emma: https://www.findoc.co.uk/specialist/london/osteopath/emma-nicolau