OSTEOPATHIC ANTE AND POST-NATAL CARE with Philip Waldman, Registered Osteopath at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham Rd, SW10
Pregnancy is a wonderful and wondrous thing but it can be a very demanding time for the family. Physical and emotional changes are aplenty and it can be a trying time. Osteopathy is well placed to offer assistance during these times. It it’s most “basic form” osteopathy can help prepare the mothers body for the pregnancy and labour. Making sure that the spine and pelvis are working to the best of their ability is of utmost importance because of the demands placed on these structures. Having the spine functioning well is also important because the spine houses the nerves that control everything. If the nerve that runs from the low back to the pelvis is compromised by physical tension, or otherwise, it may well interfere with the contractions of the uterus during labour. If the blood flow to and from the uterus is restricted by physical tension that can have a similar effect. These restrictions are normally quite subtle and won’t necessarily register as symptoms that the mother would be aware of, but they will mean that the contractions won’t be as efficient and effective as they could be.
Through a rounded approach that takes into account the physical factors as well as others such as the emotional, nutritional and postural I aim to help the family, particularly the mother prepare for pregnancy and labour. Osteopathy is safe during any stage of pregnancy and what I like to do is see mothers as soon as possible in the 1st trimester and set a benchmark but dealing with as many issues as possible at that time. Once things are balanced it is much easier to maintain them throughout pregnancy. Normally I like to see mothers about once a month throughout pregnancy. This seems to have brought great benefit to many mothers with a lot of my patients reporting that they seem to have had better pregnancies than others, or compared to their previous pregnancies. This all bodes well for their un-born child because the less traumatic the labour the better it is for the baby. Regardless I always advocate cranial osteopathic check-up for the little ones as they have been through a lot. This is the case even if they have been delivered by c-section.
