My allied health practitioners, particularly my chiropractor and naturopath, have been integral in me being able to optimally support the growth of my babes whilst in utero.
If you are anything like me, pregnancy took it out of me. I know some women tout having more energy, glowing skin and barely show their baby bump during pregnancy but for some pregnancy can be an extremely tiring and sometimes painful time.
During my first pregnancy I had (hyperemesis gravidarum) severe morning sickness beyond 20 weeks that made the ‘secret’ impossible to keep which downgraded to ‘normal’ morning sickness for the remainder of the pregnancy, heartburn that began right from the beginning that had me sleeping upright at night, my skin, hair and nails most definitely didn’t glow, extreme tiredness, I had severe back ache coupled with bouts of sciatic pain, my teeth and gums ached, and for the first time in my life I had regular headaches and debilitating carpel tunnel in my hands that painfully woke me in the night too. Truthfully, I had a few more unideal symptoms, but you don’t need to hear all the gory details and it isn’t quite the point of this post, I will share, that my GP doctor’s visits left me with medications that I look back in hindsight and wish I had never taken.
The medical band aides I took didn’t fix the issues I was having and definitely did not help me with the debilitating pain I was constantly in. Yes, they got me to work most days but I struggled. Even though my doctors listened with sympathy, I was reassured that it was just came with being pregnant for a lot of women and the symptoms would eventually ease or go. Unfortunately, I didn’t know any better and I believed the books, mainstream doctors and Dr Google that it just came with the miracle of babies and there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Six weeks into my second pregnancy I serendipitously found myself at a chiropractor for the first time in my life for an issue I was having with my jaw.
I say serendipitously because not only was it a series of luck that I ended up there but it would positively change the course of my health and that of my family’s forever.
Long story short- I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue (years prior) and I just assumed my symptoms post pregnancy were just that, chronic fatigue coupled with being a mum of a bub that didn’t sleep. However after seeing a new dentist for a toothache, they questioned whether my tiredness was something more especially since I reported sleep and breathing issues, and referred me to Dr Nischal Singh (founder of Sydenham Dental Group) a specialist dentist for further investigation. It is beyond the point of this post to go into details but I will say, Dr Nisch was onto it and between his treatment and the complementary adjunct chiropractic therapy I received, my TMJ pain and jaw issues were resolved and the influence it was having on my tiredness was alleviated. My chronic fatigue symptoms really turned a corner.
Getting back to the point, unlike my first pregnancy my second pregnancy was now closely followed by not only my mainstream medical team but now my chiropractor. I had never considered chiropractic care prior, even during my first pregnancy with all the lower back and sciatic pain, I just wore my pregnancy belt and went to the physio a handful of times for a massage. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it didn’t help, it did to some degree, but the relief was temporary. As a result, my other half never got through the day without me asking at least a couple of times to rub my back even though I wore my pregnancy belt religiously for support.
My second pregnancy symptoms were very similar to my first, terrible morning sickness until 16 weeks (but ‘normal’), heartburn that began from the moment of conception, and you know the rest. But this time, I had the care of a chiropractor as well.
Even though my chiro visits started as care to support my jaw, I quickly realised the benefit of chiropractic care to support my body with my pregnancy.
To say I ‘carried’ completely different during my second pregnancy is an understatement. In comparison I sailed through this one compared to my first even though I was looking after a one year old also. Don’t get me wrong I was tired and couldn’t get through a day without a nap but this pregnancy was different.
My third pregnancy confirmed my knowledge that the right allied health professionals are integral in supporting my body with pregnancy.
My third pregnancy symptoms started out much like my first, from the moment of conception I had intense heartburn, extreme morning sickness which was diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum (and didn’t ease until well into my sixth month) and multiple other unpleasant symptoms.
Well into my health journey, this time I was determined to try and maintain as natural pregnancy as possible with as minimal drug interventions as practical. I found many natural forms of support that worked, some that I discovered in my second pregnancy and decided to utilise again and others I discovered for the first time during this pregnancy as I was now under the care of a naturopath also. I will share those another time but today, I really want to highlight the integral role chiropractic care and naturopathy had for me.
The reason I say, my third pregnancy confirmed my belief that allied health professionals such as chiropractic care helped me, is because during my third pregnancy my other half’s work called our family to travel overseas and when my treatment stopped as a result of the travel I noticed! Going overseas meant I had to leave my entire support network behind and it wasn’t long before my body started to struggle under the weight of this pregnancy. This babe was bigger than my last two and my body felt it. Chiropractic care was integral for me and when I initiated care again, I had immediate support.
Another reason why I am convinced that the right allied health professionals maximised my health and that of my growing baby is that even though I moved to a different country that was in the middle of a measles outbreak, still suffering from hyperemesis, extremely tired, chasing after two children under six, during all my routine bloodwork and vital sign checks by the mainstream medical practitioners, my results were exemplary.
I found it interesting that during my first pregnancy with a younger body, less stress of no other littles to run after and utilising the assistance of mainstream medicine on my side, my body didn’t cope as well as it did with my third pregnancy with not quite all of those things in place. I honestly believe the structural and nutritional support I received from my chiropractor and the nutritional advice and support I received from naturopath alongside a new team of mainstream medical practitioners who saw the benefit in the right complementary care was integral in a healthy outcome for my third babe and I.
Want to know some of the healthcare professionals that assist my family and I in staying well, as well as optimising our health, then head over to my Faves Wellness Providers page.
Feel free to email me or comment, I would love to hear what you found helped you during your pregnancy journey.
Xx Tammy
