Osteopathy after your pregnancy
We overlook the fact that labour is a miracle in itself. Mothers are usually more concerned with their babies and tend to not put as much attention on themselves. Mums forget that their babies are, at least for the first years (if not much more than that) a part of themselves. If part of you is not functioning at your best, the other (the baby) will not either.
In that respect, it is very important for new mums to have a check up and make sure you are in perfect health. Please do visit your GP or practice nurse and have your hormones checked and that there’s no anaemia, etc. The tiredness of feeding and waking up regularly can mask an underlying problem. Even if labour was easy and quick or you had a caesarian, your body has changed in a dramatic way to accommodate the growth of the baby during the last 9 months.
Sometimes intervention is required, in the form of a ventouse suction or forceps. These are life-saving procedures that are necessary at the time. Occasionally, because of the forces involved, they can leave a lasting effect on the body of the mother and baby. An experienced osteopath that has trained in paediatrics can deal with these forces and neutralise them so there’s no long lasting effects on your body and that of your baby.
The following is a case report of someone I have seen recently that is very typical:
Christie is a young mother of 2. She had given birth 8 months ago and presented to my clinic complaining of a leaking bladder since last labour. She had to stop exercising and running because of it and was concerned for her future. She does pilates and yoga and has seen no improvement. The consultant obstetrician could not see why, after all the second labour was quick and easy.
As an osteopath I was interested in ALL the events that lead her to her symptoms, including general health and diet, previous accidents and operations, as well as a detailed history of the first labour. It turned out that the first labour was difficult and long with a ventouse delivery. Sam also had a heavy fall on her buttocks 9 years ago while skiing with pain in the coccyx for a few months.
After examination I explained to Sam that her body was confused with different forces pulling in different directions. The fall on her buttocks functionally shunted her sacrum upwards and the first labour together with the ventouse pulled the whole pelvis downwards (again, not literally but functionally). The result is like a tug-of-war where the body does not know what to do but was coping until the second baby came along and then it could not cope any longer. The forces of the 2nd labour disrupted the compensatory pattern. It would be just a matter of time before a more serious complication came about. Sam reported a 60% improvement after 3 sessions and an 80% improvement after 4 sessions and is happily exercising again. Now pilates and yoga actually helps because they are not exacerbating an existing strain.