Chiro before pregnancy or during?

[pinkmoonlight]

Hello again! I am in the very beginning of preparing to TTC again and as well as preparing to attempt a VBAC delivery (see post Honestly What Would You Do?) In any case since I have met with my new OB who WILL allow me to VBAC, ( I realize he may not be 110% supportive but I am willing to fight it to the ten) I have done some reading around. From what the new OB told me "big baby" and looking at my OR reports, I feel that the reason for my c/s failure to descend at station 0 to +1 with fetal distress is also translating into CPD and Big Baby syndrome.

When I got pregnant with DD I was 202 prepregnancy and delivered at 219. I ate healthier then what I was used to but it still was not totally perfect. I have over the last 2-3 months have been working on my weight as well as my eating through the weight watchers program. I am hoping to lose an additional 50-60 pounds before September. Bringing me from my current 177-176 to 136-130.

Once I get pregnant I am planning on eating a much more healthy diet then even with my daughter. I have done some reading that said while I tested negative for GD it still does not mean that I did not have some blood sugar problems and it might be beneficial to follow a whole grain, sugar free, no soft fruit, GD type of diet. I have not found much more then 2-3 articles regarding this so if anyone knows of a place or has any words of wisdom regarding this PLEASE let me know.

I am also planning on preparing myself for a natural un-medicated delivery. While right now the though of it totally scares me to death, as I have self proclaimed myself and a wimp and with low pain tolerance, I am planning on doing the hypnobabies home study course and hiring a doula. I am hoping to prepare myself early and work on my fears of not only the pain but also my fears associated with labor specifically ending like it did with my daughter. *Suggestions on anything that would help with this?*

One of the other things I also plan on doing is seeing a Chiropractor who specializes in pregnant woman to see if there is any miss alignments with my hips and pelvis. My question is should I see a Chiro before I start TTC and during my pregnancy? Or just during pregnancy? What would be most beneficial in helping to see if I really have a miss alignment?

[konayossie]

I am also trying for a VBAC and was advised by a CNM to see a chiro BEFORE pregnancy to work on getting a known issue fixed in order to have a shot at a VBAC. I ended up getting pregnant right about my first appt, so I've been going regularly since then.

[akind1]

I say both -  pre pregnancy to try to diagnose and treat a known issue, and during because pregnancy in and of itself can throw things out of alignment. I am also going to start seeing my Chiro's massage therapist, already I have been having a lot of sacral and hip pain.  FWIW  my c-section I think was partly due to failed induction, and also baby was stuck in my right pelvic bone and wouldn't get out. the Chiro said my pelvis is off a bit which may be why he got there and just couldn't get out. I have a little bit of scoliosis in my lower back that might have contributed to the mis-alignment.

I say start now, and keep going!

[Ms. B. Sprout]

Hi pinkmoonlight! I think it's great that you are preparing for the next go-round! You asked for advice, so here's my two cents.

It sounds like you had a malpositioned baby, not CPD. I have also had a c/s for malpositioning. I was misdiagnosed with CPD. It happens all the time. CPD is extremely rare -- true CPD happens in cases where the mother has had rickets, childhood malnutrition, her pelvis has been crushed in a car accident, etc. You almost certainly do not have CPD unless you have some concrete reason to think that your pelvis is physically abnormal. In other words, you can birth vaginally.

Have you been to spinningbabies.com to learn about optimal fetal positioning? I would suggest that for sure.

I am also always borderline GD with my pgs, and I suggest not only being mindful about your diet but actually tracking your food intake with a tracker like FitDay or TheDailyPlate. There are also tracking apps for smartphones. Also, walking and other physical activity increases your insulin sensitivity a lot, so be very active. Do very little sitting! :-) I try to keep my carbs between 100 and 150 grams a day. Cottage cheese is a great way to up your protein. Meat/poutry/fish and veg is the best diet for us folks who don't handle carbs well. You might want to check out some of the paleo/primal threads on MDC (in the traditional foods forum), and also websites like Mark's Daily Apple.

I wish I had gone to my chiro before getting pg so he could have done an X-ray. As much chiro as you can swing is the right thing to do.

I suggest also that you rethink and relanguage your relationship with pain. Do things now like long hikes, digging holes, lifting weights, climbing things, etc. that make you feel tough and burly. You can be tough, you just need to reconceive of yourself in this regard. Get some tough physical accomplishments under your belt and you will not feel like a wimp anymore! You're only a wimp if you keep telling yourself you are! Stretch your limits and you will soon leave the wimp label behind you. And that will be a mental accomplishment indeed -- perhaps the biggest birth prep you can do.

Do you have a local ICAN meeting? That's a great place to tell your birth story over and over again every month and process some of your emotions in a supportive space. You will find that many, many VBAC-ers feel the same fear you do of things ending up the same as their first birth(s).

Big hugs to you! I wish you all the best!

[pinkmoonlight]

Ms. B- There is so many things that could have attributed to the problems I had in labor. When I arrived at the hospital I was at a station -2 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced at 4:30pm on a Sunday. The doctor was not going to keep me over night but I was having so pretty bad pain.

The next morning at around 8-9am I was measured to be at 3-4 cm. I do not know what station I was at but since I hardly moved from the bed that night besides a few walks because they HAD to monitor the baby, but I cannot imagine that it changed to much in that time since I only changed in dilation by 1 cm. My water was broken then, which could have caused some malpositioning however my OR states that DD was in an ROA position.Which I know could be entirely wrong.

In any case, I am working on my idea of personal pain. I am also planning on doing Hypnobabies for labor and hiring a doula to help me. I have done a lot of soul searching and journaling and reading up on pain. I am also taking the next few months to really work on my health, exercise more and eat right, lose a little bit of weight.

I have also been working on doing a lot of meditation, and reflecting on how I handle pain through out my daily life. When I have worked out hard and I am sore the next day do I cry and complain about it no, not really unless my husband wants me to do something . I usually do things like take a hot shower, use a heating pad, read, watch tv, work through it anyways. So one thing I do know I plan on doing a lot of is using the shower.

As far as GD, my tests came back negative and I was tested somewhere around 20-22 weeks. Could I have developed it later without knowing maybe? So my approach this time is going to be just to follow a GD type of diet. No sugars, juices, cakes, cookies etc. Limit dairy at the end, I will get my calcium from another source and make sure I am eating whole grains at all times, but in moderation. Basically eat a completely balanced diet, limiting sugars. If it works in helping me not grow a 10 pound baby good, if not it ok. I just know that I am going to concentrate on a lot more healthy eating and exercise this time around.

Thank you again for you advise.

[jr'smom]

You should see a chiro before, during, and after!  While aligning the pelvis is a huge benefit of chiropractic care that should help with your birth, the main thing chiropractic does is help your nervous system.  To make it simple, It makes sure your brain's messages get to your body without interference.  It makes sure that your body is functioning the best it can in all areas. Get yourself in the best shape you can with chiropractic now, then maintain it during and after pregnancy.  Have your baby checked after birth too.  Nerve problems often begin at birth, but the body adapts to them until eventually they show up years later.  Can you tell I am a chiropractor? 

I also have huge babies (9.6, 10.3, 10.6, and expecting another big one soon.)  But my babies are not pudgy.  They're long and always past EDD. Never had any GD issues. Have you looked into Brewer's diet during pregnancy?  Avoiding sugar and unhealthy calories is a good idea, but also really concentrate on getting lots of protein. 

Go ahead and get in shape before your pregnancy, but don't restrict calories (except non-nutricious calories) during pregnancy.  My OB says he encourages VBAC moms to gain 60 pounds during pregnancy--even if they're overweight to begin with.  He thinks a common problem is the body not having the energy to make it through a long labor.  Just a thought.

[cairomama]

GDM diet info:

http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_index.html

http://navelgazingmidwife.squarespace.com/navelgazing-midwife-blog/2010/8/6/barbs-advice-to-quell-gdm-andor-humongous-babies.html

I agree on the chiro issue, start now and continue through the pregnancy.

[~Amy~]

I attribute a lot of the credit for my recent, quick, successful VBAC to the regular chiropractic care I had before & during my pregnancy.  My first was positioned quite poorly, but this one was pretty much perfect and slipped right out.  Another thing I'd suggest you to look into is doing yoga if you aren't already.  It's such gentle, yet effective exercise and is great for learning about breathing, relaxing, and aligning your body, all important things for a successful birth.