Dr. Mom and baby number 3!

I have now been a chiropractor for 3.5 years, and in that time have had 2 beautiful children. My knowledge as a chiropractor and my experience as a mother have inspired me to dedicate my practice to the care of pregnant women and children. In the midst of building this practice, I now find myself pregnant with my third child, and although surprising, it is very exciting to take this journey through pregnancy, labor and delivery once again. In light of this new development, I thought I might share my pregnancy experience, along with some of the things I have learned along the way, through this blog…Dr. Mom and baby number 3. So here goes.

Week 5: Morning Sickness

I think the dread of all women who are pregnant or are thinking about getting pregnant is morning sickness, and with good reason since 75% of pregnant women experience some level of morning sickness. The working theory is that the increase in hormones, namely Human cortico Gonadatrophin (also known as HcG, the hormone that pregnancy tests test for) and estrogen, and the development of the placenta, greatly tax the detoxifying systems of the body, principally the liver. With the liver unable to keep up with the detox demand, the digestive system becomes imbalanced, and presto chango, you have nausea. This seems to hold true based on many of the popular natural remedies associated with combating morning sickness: ginger tea, peppermint aromatherapy, eating small meals, avoiding fatty foods, and staying hydrated, which are meant to take some stress off the liver and digestive system. A well known therapeutic option for morning sickness treatment is acupuncture (love it, think its amazing!), but less well know is chiropractic. By adjusting the spine we can take the irritation off the nervous system and help balance the body systems. There are also several techniques in chiropractic that specifically address organ systems and can help to stimulate those organs to improve their function. So morning sickness, be aware, we will defeat you!!

Reference: Arcadi, Victoria. “How Do You Treat Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Morning Sickness)?” Dynamic Chiropractic. Volume 29, number 1. Online archives.