Collaborating for Better Care of Mother & Baby

By Dr. Kevin Bradshaw of Bradshaw Chiropractic, guest contributor

Dr. Kevin Bradshaw of Bradshaw Chiropractic (Old Hickory/Hermitage, TN), is a bronze sponsor of the 2019 BEAUTIFUL Midwifery Conference and regularly partners with NOVA Birth Services to offer continued education and chiropractic care to families. Dr. Bradshaw has been awarded the top chiropractic offices by Expertise and Nashville Fit Magazine multiple years in a row. He’s an avid hiker, kayaker, and competitive fencer, and enjoys spending time with his amazing wife Haley and dog Maple.

Each piece of a puzzle contributes towards the larger goal of creating a masterpiece. 

In my personal experience as a doctor of chiropractic, collaborating with birth professionals to offer patients the very best care during and after childbirth, has been incredible. In the care of a midwife, the mother is guided and supported to approach the experience of pregnancy and birth as normal, and they focus on the psychological aspects of both pregnancy and the birth experience. They are the essential step to a positive journey and outcome. 

Chiropractic supports such care.

“50% of all pregnant women experience back pain during their pregnancy and 50-75% of women experience back pain during labor.Findings indicate relief from back pain during the pregnancy in 84% of cases of pregnant patients who received chiropractic care.”*

Not only have I been able to provide proper spinal and pelvic biomechanics for helping the labor process and aiding in a quicker recovery, but I have also been able to provide relief from general pains and aches associated with pregnancy (like low back pain, sciatica, pain between the shoulder blades, hip pains that occur when sleeping on the side at night, and round ligament pain). 

Further, “primigravida women (pregnant for the first time) who seek chiropractic care throughout gestation have on average a 25% shorter labor time whereas multiparous women (having borne more than one child) who seek chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy have, on average, 31% shorter labor times.”*

The power of an adjustment is unlike anything else, as it provides nerve stimulation that controls so many functions of our bodies, including the nerves involved in communicating with hormones during pregnancy, labor and postpartum.

After birth, we can help to alleviate issues associated with caring for a newborn, restless night stressors, discomfort that can occur from posture and positioning from breastfeeding, and so much more. 

I thank midwives, doulas, OB/GYNS, lactation consultants, and childbirth educators because they allow us to fill our role in the birthing world. By collaborating, I can educate pregnant mothers, equip their partner to assist them in tasks like stretching throughout the pregnancy, and help them to have an increased awareness of their biomechanical changes throughout the pregnancy. We are another puzzle piece to help, to educate, and to support beautiful mothers and their families, towards a the goal of an easier pregnancy and birth.  

*J Chiropr Med, 2007 Spring; 6(2): 70-74.