OPTIMIZING PREGNANCY & the PERINEAL FLOOR ADJUSTMENT
by Dr. Arlo Gordin
Why do you see an excellent qualified Chiropractor when you're pregnant? For starters for the physical pressures of your pregnancy on your spine and back. You carry your baby and a large weight in your tummy. That places unusual weight and pressure supported by and pulling on your spine, especially your mid- and lower-back. Often lower back or pelvic pain, other spinal pain, or pain in front by the groin and legs are the symptoms you may feel. So that's the first need that is served by your Chiropractor during your pregnancy; getting adjusted let's you feel better, sense less pain and restore proper nerve signaling to your body. Since the nerve communication that's being fixed are the nerves to your lower body including to your uterus, ovaries, bladder and intestines also, these adjustments help not only you feel better but helps you build a healthier baby in your more healthy pregnancy. Most pregnant mothers find that Chiropractic help is of great value to them during pregnancy.
What are two more unusual Chiropractic services that I provide to pregnant mothers? First is when I am called and told that the "lie" (position in the uterus) of the baby is not the one that allows for direct and easiest delivery. When I'm called the lie is typically one that will cause a more difficult, complicated or painful labor and delivery. The midwife calls me and says: "Arlo do your magic." We want the baby in the correct lie. Using muscle testing from Advanced Applied Kinesiology, I have found the directions to guide the baby inside the uterus, and soon thereafter the midwife and obstetrician report that the baby is in the correct position. Just this month, my 9 months pregnant wife told me that she was uncomfortable and the baby was too high and putting too much pressure on her diaphragm and breathing. I did this "in utero" adjusting and our baby dropped down immediately, and my wife went to sleep for the night. On arising, contractions started (she was full term and everyone was ready) and she began a very direct and pleasing labor resulting in our son's birth. This same month a midwife asked me to help with a baby who was in a very incorrect lie in the uterus. Interestingly another chiropractor had tried to move the baby a number of times, but not succeeded in moving the baby. Using muscle testing as the guide, I gently encouraged the baby to move into the desirable position. Just hours later the Obstetrician reported to the parents that now the baby was moved and for the first time in the perfect lie. To date I have had a superb track record in this particular need.
Another good technique is the one to help relax the ligaments to aid ease of delivery. When the Chiropractor knows this one, it can also be done to help make delivery easier.
The second is the employment of a specialized and little-learned and little-known method called the Perineal Floor Technique. It was developed by the excellent Chiropractor Dr. Randolph Stone, best known as the sole creator of "Polarity Therapy". This technique is one of the many in "Polarity". Here the pregnant patient lies on her side, and the doctor applies direct and firm headward pressure to the points at the floor of her body, around the area the baby will emerge from. The doctor at the same time applies light touch to points corresponding in the pregnant mommy's neck. Only the points that have pain and hurt are held. They are held until the pain diminishes to near zero. Some points don't hurt, some may hurt like all get out. The pain in the ones that hurt typically disappears in relatively short order. Then the doctor moves to the next point. When all are tested and all painful points are cleared, the technique is completed for that session.
Perineal Floor technique is designed to and regularly will reduce: difficulties in delivery, delay of delivery, premature onset of delivery, pain of delivery, tearing and ripping in delivery. It typically makes your delivery better, faster, more direct, more pain-free, less tearing. It doesn't make you deliver too fast or too slow; it just helps normalize the delivery to take place when it's "just right". I think of it as a kind of baby delivery "snow plow". If you've lived where there is lots of snow, you shovel or plow out your driveway so that you can get your car through it and out. Perineal floor technique plows out the resistance and removes pain in the area that baby will go through and get out! Regularly mothers (including my own wife recently with the quite marvelous delivery of our new son, 9 lbs 4 oz from a mommy who regularly weighs 95 lbs: easy delivery, no tearing) will tell me that they would not choose to deliver a baby without it.
So there you can get a beginning understanding of the role that my Advanced Applied Kinesiology Chiropractic (and part of Polarity Therapy) technique can play in your having a better pregnancy and a better labor and delivery.