About Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic and Midwifery
by Lisa Kreinbrook, Charis midwifery student
 

Chiropractic and midwifery, their ideologies are very similar.  Both believe that the majority of time the body knows what to do without the interference of medical interventions. One of the foundational chiropractic idioms is “The power that made the body, heals the body”.  As a part of Charis we know the “Power” they refer to.  Chiropractic care is a recommended tool for healthy pregnancies and births.  I recently had the opportunity to attend a chiropractic "Webster Technique Seminar". 

I originally entered the birth community as a doula in 2006.  I have been a Charis midwifery student since July 2012, but have been involved in chiropractic for over 20 years now, as my husband David (along with his father, 2 uncles and 2 cousins) are chiropractors.  We will have been married for 20 years this March and have 2 sons, Judah, 18 and Seth, 13.

While growing up my family embraced the medical model of care and any alternative medicine was very suspect.  In the eyes of my family, chiropractors were “quacks”.  I was introduced to chiropractic soon after my graduation from college.  However, my true introduction to holistic healthcare was through my husband.  Through my husband’s chiropractic care I was diagnosed with a left hip rotation.  It was severe enough that my left leg did not face forward, but to the left.  Through chiropractic it was returned to its natural place over several months.  I am convinced that this, along with chiropractic care throughout both my pregnancies, enabled my ability to deliver both of our sons vaginally.  Chiropractic has been a very important part of both of my son’s lives since their first breaths when they were born.   It has been imperative to their overall health throughout childhood.  My extended family now all embrace chiropractic as a part of their healthcare package due to our influence!

Since I began my midwifery journey, my husband and I have discussed and dreamed about the possibility of having a midwifery/chiropractic practice.  Only God himself knows if this will happen.  We knew the Webster Technique training would be a beneficial addition to his chiropractic education offering more opportunities to serve pregnant women and become a part of my future midwifery practice.  When he registered for the Webster Technique training I was very excited to find out that I could also attend as his spouse.  I would not be a Webster Certified clinician, but really wanted to understand the Webster Technique better so I could educate my clients.

The seminar was taught by Dr. Jeanne Ohm, the CEO of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA).  I had previously attended a webinar which Dr. Jeanne participated in and was intrigued on her passion regarding natural childbirth. 

The Makin' Miracles webiste states: “Dr. Ohm's professional mission is to provide Doctors of Chiropractic with the skills and motivation to care for more pregnant mothers and children.  She is committed to educating other practitioners with the information to support natural birthing in their practices.  It is her understanding that birth trauma is a current concern, and therefore it has become her goal to eliminate its damaging effects on the newborn.  She intends to accomplish this by:

• adequately training DCs in specific chiropractic techniques and care for pregnancy, birth & infancy for the promotion of natural birthing.

• forming national alliances for chiropractors with like-minded birth practitioners and attendants empowering mothers to make informed choices in pregnancy and birth.

• offering patient educational tools which address this issue”

Dr. Jeanne Ohm

The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association is a non-profit organization of chiropractors dedicated to advancing public awareness and attainment of the chiropractic family wellness lifestyle.  ICPA practitioners provide a holistic approach to your family wellness.  They provide quality chiropractic care which are specific to children (including infants) and pregnant women.  The ICPA empowers parents with practical solutions, extensive resources and specific services for family health and wellness.  Members of the ICPA respect and encourage parents to make informed heath care decisions throughout pregnancy, birth and childhood.

I was not quite sure what to expect from the Webster Technique Seminar.  Dr. Jeanne began with one of the main premises of the ICPA: “Pregnancy and Birth as a Natural Process With Chiropractic Care Supporting this Process”.  Their premise of the Three Primary Causes of dystocia (AKA Failure to Progress during labor) was: (1) Physical/Biomechanical (2) Emotional (3) Medical/Iatrogenic Causes.  Throughout the two days Dr. Jeanne laid the foundation for natural birth and how chiropractic was a part of the “team”.  She spoke regarding the importance of the father to “protect the cave”.  Several times she recommended Gail Tully’s Spinning Babies site which I also highly recommend.  She shared several exercises to teach patients and encouraged the practitioners to have the clients take ownership of their births.  There were also several birth videos shown, both medicalized and natural births.  It was obvious that many of the attendees had never seen a birth before.  I believe this introduction was a great foundation for many of these young chiropractic students to help them understand why natural birth was the ideal and the possible outcomes for experiencing intervention-filled births.  It really felt like a childbirth education class for chiropractors with Webster added.

There were, of course, hands-on sections regarding the Webster Technique.  This technique is actually a combination of three separate chiropractic techniques.  They include the Webster technique itself, a technique to help release the round ligaments which support the uterus, and one for the psoas (a major muscle) which assists the flexion and movement of the pelvis.  I was aware of the round ligaments’ muscle fibers which enable them to become stronger during pregnancy and labor, however I did not realize that they were the only ligaments in the body that had muscle fibers.  We really are fearfully and wonderfully made!  The Webster Technique is believed to help release the round ligaments. When they are tight this can cause the sacrum to pull out of place (called a subluxation).  This may lead to tension in the uterus which may cause a baby to turn breech.  During the seminar the point was strongly made that the Webster Technique is not for the purpose of specifically turning breech babies.  When women receive chiropractic care using this technique, breech babies do often turn, but it is not its primary purpose.  “The Webster technique is used throughout pregnancy as a specific sacral analysis and adjustment to correct the effects of neuro-muscular imbalance in the pelvis.”

One of the most intriguing videos involved showing the intense pressure placed on the baby’s neck and shoulders during birth.  In one of the births the care provider was turning the baby’s head the opposite direction the shoulders were turning causing a brachial plexus injury and a broken collarbone.  Many of the participants were young chiropractic students, many of them female.  As it was very clear most of them had never witnessed a birth, I'm sure it was very eye opening for them!  This laid the foundation for chiropractic care for newborns and babies.

Dr. Jeanne ended the seminar encouraging the attendees to “build a team” for serving pregnant women.  The concentration was on partnering with midwives but also included doulas and other members of the holistic birth community.  Dr. Jeanne approached me at the end of the seminar and asked for my opinion of the seminar from the vantage point of midwifery.  It really encouraged me that she embraced natural childbirth and made it clear to the participants the power and purpose of natural childbirth.  She has a midwife’s heart and is spreading it far and wide.

Chiropractic is beneficial to pregnancy.  Chiropractors and midwives can be an integral part of the birth team and the Webster Technique is a beneficial tool in this partnership. Although a midwife does not need to attend a seminar to educate her fellow clients, I am grateful to have had the opportunity.  And one more thing I must not fail to mention: although my husband has always been supportive of my midwifery studies, he has not always understood it.  Now he’s just as passionate as I am!

To find a doctor who has certified in the Webster Technique visit the ICPA "for kids" website.  There are also links to magazine Pathways to Wellness.  Visit Makin' Miracles for articles regarding chiropractic for infants and children.   The Pathways to Wellness site also has links to finding a Pathways Connect group in your city.