Jessica Shaw BSc (Hons) Ost Registered Osteopath
Pregnancy is a time of huge physical, emotional and mental change in a woman’s life as she prepares to bring a new life into the world – a change which will turn her world upside down. Structurally, women’s bodies must adapt to the growing foetus which includes an extra 20 lbs on average of water, foetus, placenta and blood. Hormonal changes also soften ligaments in preparation for birth. This means that many women experience aches and pains. Many of us are also choosing to have babies later on in life too, which can mean our bodies don’t recover quite so quickly from the strain of pregnancy and birth, and have a history of back injuries before getting pregnant. Often the birth experience can be quite physically and emotionally traumatic for the mother, yet once the new baby comes along, all attention is on him/her and the mother’s aches and pains from delivery, breastfeeding, lifting and carrying get sidelined.
Osteopathy can really help women adapt to these changes during pregnancy and after delivery in a gentle and effective way. Realigning the pelvis during the pregnancy helps avoid pain as the baby gets bigger and may help prepare the pelvis for a natural uncomplicated delivery. For those already in pain, osteopaths can help with specific issues such as disc problems, symphysis pubis dysfunction, neck and shoulder, rib, hip, low back and sacro-iliac pain. We can even help with heartburn, headaches and aching, swollen legs! After delivery it is a good idea to have an osteopath check your spinal and pelvic alignment so as to avoid problems later on – typically we see women with neck and shoulder pain from breastfeeding, lifting and carrying – add the lack of sleep and stress of a new baby and it’s a recipe for tension. Being out of pain helps you cope better with all these new demands and contrary to popular belief treatment is gentle and painless.