Claire gave birth to Alice Marie on Saturday 3rd October. This is Claire’s view on pregnancy as a first time mother.
Let me confess up front that I’m a real fan of natural therapies and especially chiropractic treatment. I’ve been having regular chiropractic care for several years because it helps me stay much healthier overall. When I found out I was pregnant at the beginning of the year it seemed only natural to keep having chiropractic adjustments through my pregnancy because my body would be going through so much change.
I distinctly remember reaching the 8th week of my pregnancy and thinking “great no morning sickness” when yes, morning, or really “all day” sickness, hit with a vengeance. Over the following four weeks my once varied diet suffered greatly but I learned to eat lightly and often. I made sure I received weekly chiropractic adjustments to ensure I had a well functioning nervous system and I was lucky enough to be in close contact with a wonderful homeopath. I updated her regularly so that she could give me appropriate homeopathic remedies to combat my continuous feelings of nausea. This all helped me feel much more comfortable than I otherwise would have been.
As my pregnancy progressed, I very rarely suffered from the aches and pains and other problems that many pregnant women seem to just accept. That’s thanks to the chiropractic. However, one night around the 7th month, I experienced a most impressive bout of heartburn as I was lying in bed. The very next day I made a chiropractic appointment. The adjustment relieved the problem immediately and Sarah was able to show me what I could do at home if I ever had a repeat of the previous night. It did come back in the last few weeks of my pregnancy but remembering what I’d been taught, I was able to ease my symptoms without having to just “put up with it”.
Having regular chiropractic adjustments throughout my pregnancy ensured that my pelvis was sitting correctly to allow optimum room for my baby to grow and move. I learned various exercises that I could do daily to make sure that my baby would position herself correctly. As a consequence, she adopted that head down position very early on. I also learned a tapping technique that I could utilise during the times when I suffered from low back pain. Having the knowledge to fix a problem as it arose instead of having to wait for it to disappear or worsen, definitely helped me to have what I consider to be a very comfortable pregnancy.
At each chiropractic appointment I would also have my nutrition tested to ensure that my baby and I were receiving all the nutrients that we needed to stay healthy. I really liked the fact that I could increase my food intake for certain vitamins as the need arose instead of just taking a general multivitamin every day to “cover all bases”.
At around six months I booked myself in for a kinesiology session with Nada. I was acutely aware of the importance of a positive attitude and a strong belief in my own ability to have a positive birthing experience. I found it to be one of the gentlest, most effective ways to identify any unconscious feelings I had around my pregnancy and to eliminate any fears I had. It allowed me to deepen my awareness of my baby and to focus on positive thoughts. We also discussed the use of visualisations and affirmations as tools to help improve my confidence and I would repeat the same positive images/thoughts through my mind at the end of every day.
My labour started spontaneously with my waters breaking at 11.30pm. I started to have mild contractions every five minutes and was feeling very calm so hopped into the shower and also had something to eat before making my way to the hospital for a check-up.
When I arrived at the hospital I had a quick examination from the midwife and got in the bath, where I stayed for the next few hours as my contractions got closer and more intense. The affirmations I had repeated every night for the past 3 months came naturally as each contraction came and I found that repeating these helped me stay grounded and positive. I also had a birthing homeopathic kit which I had received from my homeopath and started to use some of the remedies which would help my labour progress smoothly.
As time progressed, I started to experience a very uncomfortable pain in my low back and sacrum. I was able to use the tapping protocol which instantly helped me to feel more comfortable.
My contractions became steadily stronger and closer over the next few hours and my daughter was born at 6.30am the next morning, just seven hours after my waters broke. I attribute my straightforward and short labour to the fact that I received regular chiropractic adjustments both before and during my pregnancy.
My daughter had a chiropractic session when she was 11 days old. Many of my family and friends question why I would take a newborn baby to the chiropractor and here is what I tell them – labour is a traumatic experience both for mother and baby. Having my daughter checked this early allows the removal of any nerve dysfunction and this therefore allows her the very best start to life. Why wouldn’t I have her checked? I’ll continue to have treatments and so will Alice so that we can both be the very best that we can be.