You are assisting at someone else’s birth.
Do good without show or fuss.
Facilitate what is happening rather than
what you think ought to be happening.
If you must take the lead,
Lead so the mother is helped,
yet still free and in charge.
When the baby is born,
The mother will rightly say:
“We did it ourselves!”
- Lao Tzu, from The Tao Te Ching, c. 500 B.C
We use gentle chiropractic techniques including Webster and SOT to assist pregnancy problems including low back pain, carpal tunnel, pubic symphysis dysfunction, foetal malposition (breech) which may cause prolonged labour. We perform spinal checks on babies and specialise in infants suffering from Plagiocephaly (twisted face/skull), colic, torticollis, irritable baby syndrome and birth trauma.
Here at Cottesloe Chiro we believe that by adjusting mothers pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and checking the Baby soon after birth, we can easily and gently prevent some of the problems that can become apparent in growing children, teenagers and adults.
If one is thinking of or trying to get pregnant then having a level pelvic and a flexible and strong spine allows the body’s nervous system to do its’ job in the proper way and at the proper time. If your job is sedentary and stressful you may have pelvic and spinal weakness that may only become painful during your pregnancy and this may make your child’s journey into this world more difficult.
Pelvic rotation i.e. short leg/pelvic twist is common and in most cases easy to stabilize thus allowing the spinal a chance of optimum function. As the pregnancy develops this pelvic twist can allow a uterine constraint to develop, affecting the ongoing development and delivery of the child. SOT is an effective and gentle way to optimize conception, fetal development and birthing. We work with Pilates trainers, midwives, and doulas to work toward a successful outcome. Chiropractic concerns itself with eliminating not only structural fixations but also eliminating interference to the central nervous system so that the body can function optimally. All nerves other than the 12 cranial nerves run through the spinal canal and exist through holes called the intervertebral foramen. They give nerve impulses to the skin, muscles and also organs. The organs that the spinal nerves innervate occur close to the level that the spinal nerve exists the canal, such as the nerves that exist at T3 relates to lung function, or the nerves that exist at L5 relates to sexual organs such as the uterus.  So if a nerve leaving the spinal canal becomes compressed it alters the strength of transmission of the nerve impulse. This can cause local pain at the site of the compression or pain anywhere down the length on the nerve, or it can cause no pain at all but dysfunction of the organ or tissue it controls. So for instance in a pregnant woman misalignment in the sacrum and lumbar vertebrae can put pressure on the nerves innervating the uterus causing reduced nerve transmission.
The three major nerves that innervate the pelvic organs are the hypogastric nerve, the pelvic nerve, and the pudendal nerve. The pudenal nerve and hypogastric plexus function includes contraction and relaxation tone of the uterus, pelvic floor, ovaries and vagina as well as vasoconstriction and dilation of these structures. The pelvic splanchnic nerves, S2-4, work in tandem to give nerve supply to the pelvic viscera (pelvic tissue).
These nerves and plexuses also supply the bladder, bowel and rectum as well as the smooth muscle of the pelvic ligaments. Dysfunction of this area can cause interruption in uterine tone and contraction, bowel dysfunction such as constipation or irritable bowel syndrome or bladder dysfunction such as retained urine. When looking specifically at pelvic ligaments, nerve dysfunction can cause excessive contraction or relaxation of the ligaments leading to the uterus being misshapen due to torsion.
 Chiropractic care of pregnant women include gentle forms of therapy such as SOT (Sacro Occipital Technique) and Webster Technique. SOT employs the use of wedge shaped blocks to allow the body to seek it's correct alignment and balance. There are many combinations of block positions used, and these are determined by tests that precede each adjustment.
SOT recognises the importance of body language in forms of neurological tests, weak muscles, tender areas and other signs and indicators, to determine the type adjustment needed. The wedge shaped blocks are placed in its appropriate position under the pelvis. This procedure is therefore very gentle on pregnant women who’s joints and ligaments are already lax due the relaxin and various other hormones circulating through their body. | 
