Webster Technique and having a Natural Birth in Greenville SC
Webster technique was created by Dr. Webster blending several gentle Chiropractic approaches that existed.
It has become the Gold Standard for helping moms have less pain during pregnancy, and also helping them find physical balance to achieve a natural birth.
The Pelvic Joints are filled with nerve endings that communicate to muscle.As well the muscles of the pelvic floor, hip joint and lumbar spine are heavily innervated and control the overall all “tone” or tightness of the pelvic area.
With hands on treatment the muscles, joints, and ligaments in and around the pelvis get “turned down” or relaxed.The mother notices increased ability to move, enjoy their daily life and often experience much less “tightness” in the area for weeks.
The link to organs.It is even postulated that the muscles and ligaments, when tight can change the pattern of smooth muscle and organ.The research is still developing, but we do know there is a connection of some sort as organs often refer to muscle in medical texts. This is called the “Viscero-somatic” reflex.
Dr. Webster first invented the technique to change the “tone” of the uterus to allow breech babies the opportunity to turn.But because that has not been proven as the true mechanism we can only go on the thousands of testimonials from trained Webster doctors.
I am honestly not sure of the mechansim, but we have recieved countless reports of babies turning after a round of treatment.Usually 5-10 visits. This was often done in conjunction with the Spinnning babies website exercise, and even acupuncture.
Why is Webster Chiropractic Care necessary for the Modern Mom:
Interventions are at an all time high in the Modern pregnancy.Many mothers, because of the power of the internet have become aware of the ability to have a natural birth.They have done their research and realize that their bodies are designed for it!
Modern Physical Imbalance.
Many of us have imbalances in our hips and pelvis and lumbar spine from modern day sitting, injuries and poor posture.
Typically we can “get by” with these imbalances but with pregnancy they can become more a nuisance.As the pelvic ligaments loosen and as the weight of the belly pulls the mother forward they start to deal with daily pain.
This can become an issue in several ways we have seen after caring for pregnant mothers for 8 years in practice:
-Increased confidence to move during pregnancy:Once you are in pain it can prove rather frustrating to try to do even the most simple of movements.
Increased confidence for the big day:The preparation for a natural birth I have seen almost resembles sports psychology.Freedom in the body breeds freedom in the mind, and adjustmens free up the physical limitation allowing the mother to feel confident and hopeful.
-Speed of delivery and less back labor-Many mothers have reported back to us that in their first birth they did not recieve chiropractic care, but in their second after a monthly visit they noticed a faster, less painful birth process and less back labor.Again this is not hard facts but I can count at least 10 times mothers reported this back without any prompting.
Breech Presentation: When you have been given a timeline by your midwife, doula or OB that they will need to manually turn your child in several weeks, that is the time to try Webster.It puts our backs against the wall and changes the probability of success because we are now ‘down to the wire’ but we have had very good success.(approx 80%)
We still do not know the mechansim as I mentioned above, but we almost always see several factors in a breech presentation.
-A very tight hip, sacrum, and sacrotuberous ligament on one side of the pelvis.
-A tight hip flexor on the same side or opposite side or both.
-A history of previous sacral or back trauma or chronic back pain.
-the inability to perform a deep squat.Squatting the butt down to the floor.
-A loss of range of motion of one ilio-femoral or Hip joint.
-Pelvic Torsion or a Twisting of the pelvis, pubic joint, and even the ligaments that attach into the abdomen.
Common Questions:
Will the treatment put any pressure on my belly?
Absolutely not, the method was designed with a special drop out table to allow comfort.The treatments are not like traditional chiropractic.
Will it induce labor?
There has not been a single study to show any link.And the doctor has not seen a case in 8 years of practice.Only certain points in the ankle have been linked in massage and acupuncture, but a trained practitioner will not apply treatment there.
Do I have to come my entire pregnancy?
No.We try to meet your specific needs and finances.Some mothers only come in several visits or once a month.We try to be as efficient as possible for the webster visits.
We have visits as low as $35 for a webster alignment.$55 for a more in depth visitthat includes stretch instruction and muscle therapy.
