4 Things To Do Now Before You Have Your Baby

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Dr. Nikki

The big day is coming soon! You’ve finished your delivery classes and read pregnancy books. You’ve been diligent with your doctor appointments and taking your prenatal vitamins. And now that urge within you is starting to stir. You feel the need to get your home and yourself prepared for what’s to come after you give birth.

Most of the focus during pregnancy is on growing a healthy baby and preparing for your delivery day. Much less attention seems to go towards what you do when you bring this new life home. There’s no doubt that the postpartum experience can be quite challenging. You’re tending to a new baby and new routines — all while your body is exhausted and healing.

But a little planning can make a major difference during those first few weeks with your newborn. Here are four ways to help you get ready.

1. PREPARE A BATHROOM CARE KIT

After delivery, you will be sore and wiped-out. If you had a vaginal birth, you might have had a vaginal tear or episiotomy during childbirth. This wound could hurt for a few weeks. Regardless of how you delivered, your body will begin to shed the lining of your uterus. This will result in a bloody discharge, much like having a heavy period.[1,2]

Having a care kit at home will prepare you for the challenges of caring for your body after delivery. Don’t get caught off-guard. Consider keeping a basket of the below items next to the toilet in every bathroom you have.

  • Extra underwear. Save your favorite undies, and go with disposable or throwaway ones while you heal. The hospital will give you mesh underwear — take as many pairs as you can. Then buy a package or two of disposable, dark-colored underwear. “Granny panties”, or high-waisted panties, are great, especially if you had a C-section. Disposable and comfortable are key.

  • Pads. Make sure you stock up on different sizes — from large, overnight maxis to regular-sized pads. Buy a few packages. You’ll be going through quite a few during your early days.

  • Adult wet wipes. You can buy wipes that are flushable and designed to be gentle and soothing.

  • Peri or squirt bottle. Most hospitals will give you one. Consider having an extra for your second bathroom or if you travel. This bottle will seriously become your new best friend in the bathroom. Fill it with warm, soapy water (use a mild soap), and have it on-hand to keep you clean as your perineal area heals.

To make it easier for you, some stores sell postpartum recovery kits already assembled. Click here to check out one on Amazon that even comes with a tote to store on top of your toilet.

2. PLAN TO EASE ACHES AND PAINS

Coming home from the birthing center or hospital can be exciting and overwhelming. Your body has gone through a tremendous ordeal — one that can be painful or uncomfortable. Preparing in advance can help minimize discomfort. You may wish to include some of the noteworthy items below in your pain plan:

  • Padsicles. These are lifesavers that help with pain and reduce swelling. And they’re simple to make.[3] Click here for a DIY guide. Ice packs can also work.

  • Witch hazel. You can buy this in either pad or liquid form. It helps to soothe pain around your genital area.

  • Lidocaine spray. This will help with the discomfort of postpartum hemorrhoids.

  • Sitz bath. Use this to bring comfort to hemorrhoids or perineal tears. A sitz bath will cleanse the perineum and also bring relief to pain or itching in your genital area as you heal.

  • Heating pad. Use this if you feel aches and pains in your breasts.

  • Nipple cream and breast pads. This will help relieve discomfort, regardless of whether or not you breast-feed.

  • Over-the-counter pain relievers. Talk with your health care provider about the best option for you.

  • Stool softeners. Sometimes constipation can occur after delivery. Or there may be a fear hurting the perineum or episiotomy wound.[4] Eating plenty of fiber or taking a stool softener can help. Check with your doctor on what would work best for you.

3. PREPARE YOUR SUPPORT TEAM

In our American culture, it’s difficult sometimes for women to ask for help. Remember to be kind to yourself, especially during these first few weeks. Having a newborn is hard. 

Preparing a support team before delivery can help. Here are a few areas to consider:

  • Meal planning. From meal trains to cooking parties, your friends and family can prepare meals for you. Make sure they’re freezer-friendly, so, on those exhausting days, you can grab one and just reheat it. Aim to have at least one healthy, nutritional meal a day that you can easily pop in the oven or crockpot.

  • A bouncer. Your family and friends are excited about your new baby. But you may be too tired or emotionally drained to entertain. Setting boundaries in advance can help, but what about those spur-of-the-moment requests? Consider asking a special someone to run interference on your behalf until you feel up to hosting.

  • A social media SOS. Maybe you have a last-minute need or just want a friend to sit with you while you cry. Post where you feel comfortable or have some go-to friends in mind for when those moments strike.

  • Postpartum doulas. Postpartum doulas can be true angels! Their main goals are to “mother the mother” and help transition the family during this new time.[5] They provide a wealth of services: breast-feeding support, light housekeeping, running errands, and assisting with your newborn’s care.

4. ATTEND A WORKSHOP

Preparing for life after delivery can feel overwhelming. You know things will be significantly different, but maybe you aren’t sure what all you need to do. Sometimes it helps to have a person to talk to in real life.


SOURCES

1.  (2018, May 11). Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233

2.  (2018, May 11). C-section recovery: What to expect - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/c-section-recovery/art-20047310

3.  (2019, December 18). Padsicles: How to Make Them, How To Use Them ... - Healthline. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/padsicles

4.  (2018, May 11). Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/postpartum-care/art-20047233

5.  (n.d.). Postpartum Doula - American Pregnancy Association. Retrieved February 10, 2020, from https://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/post-partum-doula/

Why Every Expecting Mom Needs to See a Chiropractor

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By Dr. Nikki

Being pregnant is an exciting, wonderful time.  You post weekly shots of your baby bump to Instagram.  You pour over articles and download apps.  You secretly (or not so secretly) start buying all the things for your baby’s nursery.

And while you’re planning for your baby’s grand entry, your body continues to go through a huge amount of change.  Your belly grows.  Maybe you start to feel morning sickness.  Fatigue.  Back pain.  These can become all too familiar experiences as you move throughout your pregnancy.

What can you do to help these symptoms?  How can you get relief in a way that’s healthy for both you and your baby?

HOW DOES CHIROPRACTIC CARE HELP PREGNANCY?

The body goes through countless changes during pregnancy—you’re creating and nurturing new life, after all.  It helps to not go through this journey alone.  “It takes a village to raise a child,” and it takes a village to prepare for the child.  Having a team will help get you ready mentally, emotionally, and physically as you move closer to giving birth.  This team can include:

  • Your family, friends, or partner 

  • OBGYN

  • Nutritionist

  • Massage therapist

  • Acupuncturist

  • Midwife

  • Doula

  • Chiropractor

Yes, you read that last line right.  A chiropractor can help you during (and after) your pregnancy.

At its core, chiropractic care is a “licensed health care profession that emphasizes the body’s ability to heal itself.”

1  It focuses on supporting the health of the spine, discs, related nerves, and skeletal system without the use of drugs or surgery.

2. This means that going to a chiropractor can help bring you relief and prepare you for delivery—without the concerns of taking pills or having a procedure.

Great.  Chiropractors help their patients using natural techniques.  But how can they help you?

RELIEF FOR YOUR BACK PAIN

If you are pregnant and your back hurts, you are not alone.  70 percent of pregnant women report having lower back pain, while 32 percent report hip pain.3  And 85 percent of women who experience back pain during pregnancy will experience it again in a future pregnancy.4

Why is back pain so common while pregnant?

  • As your baby grows and you gain weight, your center of gravity starts to shift forward.  To help keep you balanced, you might overcorrect and lean back a bit too far.5   This curve or sway can cause strain in your lower back and compression in your lumbar spine and pelvis.

  • Pregnancy hormones can also flare up low back pain.6  More on hormones in a moment.

A good chiropractor will take the time to understand your history and your symptoms.  Part of this includes a physical analysis and a look at your movement.  Chiropractors can then give an adjustment that will help improve your mobility and lessen your discomfort.  And they do this in a way that takes into account your growing belly.

Do your muscles feel tight?  Chiropractors can also stretch and release certain muscles in your lower back area.  This can reduce the stress around your uterus and ligaments.  They can also show you pregnancy-friendly stretches to help between your appointments.

REDUCING MORNING SICKNESS AND SCIATICA

Back pain may not be the only thing bothering you.  Here are a couple of other symptoms that chiropractors can treat:

  • Nausea.  Morning sickness affects many women during pregnancy.  It can certainly make your first trimester feel awful.  Morning sickness is thought to be caused, in part, by the change of hormones in your body.  A chiropractor can help lessen your nausea by realigning your spine. An aligned spine can improve your nervous system function, which allows your hormones to have a healthier balance.

  • Sciatica.  Your belly grows, and your body begins to shift.  Maybe your baby changes position.  These things can place extra pressure on your sciatic nerve, causing shooting pain or numbness and tingling from your hip down to your foot.  This can make even the simplest of activities, like walking, excruciating.  It’s a literal pain in the rear.  Chiropractic adjustments can help reduce the compression of the sciatic nerve and bring you much-needed relief.

REALIGN YOUR PELVIS

Pelvic discomfort can occur as your baby grows and your hormones change.  As your body begins preparing for labor and delivery, it will release a hormone called relaxin.  Relaxin does exactly as its name implies—it relaxes, or loosens, the joints and ligaments around your pelvis.  

Relaxing makes your bones and joints more flexible, which can also mean they can go out of alignment easier.  Being out of alignment can cause you pain with walking or even rolling over in your bed.

Chiropractors can give you exercises and stretches to help with this.  They can also provide an adjustment to help align the spine and stabilize the pelvis.  Keeping your pelvis balanced lessens your discomfort and helps prepare your baby for delivery.

PREPARE FOR DELIVERY

When it comes time to deliver, the best position for your baby is to be head-down.  This position makes it safer and easier for your baby to move through the birth canal.9  But what does this have to do with chiropractors?

Chiropractors who specialize in prenatal chiropractic care may also get certified in the Webster technique.  This technique was developed in the 1980s, specifically “for laboring women to help with the ease of birth.”10  It’s a method that helps to correct sacral subluxation, which when left unchecked can contribute to difficult labor.

The goal of the Webster technique is to restore the balance and function to the pelvis. It optimizes the room in the pelvis so that the baby can move naturally into the head-down position.  A balanced pelvis lowers the chance of your baby going into the breech position.  A breech position happens when a baby is bottom-first (or feet-first).

When your chiropractor is certified in the Webster technique, it signals trust.  It means your chiropractor has been trained by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) to better serve you and your family.

Adjustments can also benefit the actual delivery.  Being in alignment helps to make sure your nerves are working at their best.  Nerves are responsible for controlling contractions.  And having optimal nerve health can help you experience faster labor.  It can also help make your delivery easier and with less pain.

INCLUDE A CHIROPRACTOR ON YOUR PREGNANCY TEAM

Being pregnant is truly an exciting journey. Your body goes through so many changes as you prepare for your baby. Discomfort or pain can also come with creating this new life.  

Talk with your health care provider about including a chiropractor as part of your pregnancy support team.  Doing so can help both you and your baby.  Regular chiropractic adjustments are beneficial in reducing back pain, keeping your pelvis in line, and even helping prepare you for delivery.

Our offices in Southlake and Las Colinas, Texas specialize in prenatal and pediatric chiropractic care.  Dr. Nikki is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, has received certification in the Webster technique, and has additional credentials through the Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics.  She has the training and certifications needed to help you with the aches and pains of pregnancy.

Let us help you find relief. Give our office a call or click “Book an Appointment” at the top of this page to see how we can help you and your growing baby.

SOURCES

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