A baby's laugh is a sound that can bring joy to many. But whether in a committed relationship or as an unwed teen, actually having a baby can be intimidating for anyone.
The CDC reports that Texoma has some of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. Out of all the Texas and Oklahoma births in 2010, over half were from teen moms.
Regardless of age, Dr. Robert Bergeron of Denison Chiropractic Clinic says expectant mothers who want to avoid prescription drugs can benefit from prenatal chiropractic care before, during and after delivery. This is especially crucial for teens who have higher risk of complications.
"It's important for women to get checked when they're pregnant because as their baby grows, their spinal posture changes and they put a lot of pressure on their lower back," he said.
The extreme curve of the spine from the pull of the baby can be even more dramatic for teens whose bones are still growing. So Dr. Dustin Bergeron says start care well before delivery.
"We go through the chiropractic adjustment to make sure everything is held together, certain stretches to make sure the right muscles are not held too tight and then also specific exercises to hold the muscles that are supposed to be tighter in place."
Chiropractic manipulation can also helps reduce nausea, headaches and, with the proper diet and nutritional counseling, gestational diabetes. Dr. Robert Bergeron says it's vital not to avoid healthy fats during pregnancy and nursing, "It's important to have a comprehensive program so that we talk about exercise, diet, proper rest, proper spinal alignment.”
And Dustin added, "We address it more from a nutritional aspect. We've had patients that come in and after they've been pregnant they're nursing and they have tried a low-fat diet so they're not getting everything that they need while the baby's taking extra nutrients. We throw them on some fish oil and make sure that they're getting everything that they need for brain function and we've pulled them right out of it."
And it’s been reported that chiropractic care can reduce labor time by 5 to 9 hours. "You don't want to take medication while you're pregnant obviously," said Robert. "So we treat a lot of women for problems with their lower back all the way up to term. It's very, very safe and it actually helps reduce problems with labor and delivery because the pelvic is kept mobile so that it can expand for the birth of the baby."
Finally, after delivery, chiropractic care can help alleviate possible symptoms of another disorder common to teen moms: post-partum depression.
“It’s just a natural way to address what’s going on and help them go through less pain,” said Dustin.
Robert added, "You have to take everything into consideration and you have to have patient that's willing to do something to make some changes and if you do that then you can really live a much longer life, without drugs, insulin injections, a much, much happier life."
The father son team of Denison Chiropractic say the benefits of chiropractic manipulation can be had by anyone. Join them September 29th for their 30th anniversary celebration. They'll be raffling off a 30 visit treatment plan and new patients can schedule appointments that day for 30 dollars. The fun from 11a-m to 2p-m also includes free food and live music. Call 903-463-5151 for more information or visit their website below.
CHIROPRATIC AND PREGNANCY
Denison Chiropractic Clinic
1721 S. Austin Ave.
Denison, TX 75020
(903) 463-5151
http://www.denisonchiro.com