I have been a doula for more than twenty years. I have used chiropractic care for myself and my family. I have also referred birth clients to chiropractors to help them with pains, and to prepare for birth. But I had never thought of talking to a Chiropractor about doula work.
Then I started to work for a Chiropractor as an office manager. I was excited to get free chiropractic care.
One day while talking with Dr. Toby (my boss) we started to talk about chiropractic care and pregnancy. He told me about how chiropractors can be helpful to pregnant women.
During your pregnancy your body starts to release a hormone called relaxin. The hormone relaxin works as an anti-inflammatory. It has been shown to work with the endometrial cells, affects the cervix connection tissue, and it can also soften your ligaments so they move easier.
“The pregnancy hormone relaxin is major player in preparing your body for labor;
however, its softening of your ligaments and bones may have an unintentional
side effect: it can make expectant mothers more prone to a herniated disk or
pinched nerve, and medical conditions that can irritate the sciatic nerve.”*
Because the relaxin helps with movement, it does not only affect the ligaments in the hips. All
the ligaments in your body can be affected. This can lead to pain from joints being misaligned. The best way to treat misaligned joints is Chiropractic care.
As a doula we want to help our clients to get the best care possible. This is why we should get to
know the chiropractors in our area. You may want to ask the following questions.
1. What school did you go to?
2. What is your specialty?
3. Do you feel comfortable working with pregnant women, babies, or children?
4. Do you know what a doula is?
5. How do you feel about doulas?
6. Would you be willing to refer me to your expectant patients?
7. How do you handle a patient that calls after house with an emergency?
Lots of doulas refer out to “Webster” only chiropractors. But all chiropractic styles have techniques that work like the webster techniques. Don’t count a chiropractor out just because they do not know that method.
Find a doula that you have a good relationship with, someone that you feel comfortable referring your clients too. Remember this is a two way street for referrals.
*Links below used for references above
1-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856209/
2-http://sciaticapregnancyhelp.com/relaxin-and-sciatica/
By Beverly Young-Reed, CBD (Madriella), CPPD (Madriella),CBE
Bev attended her first Doula birth April 1, 1992. She was certified as a Doula with Healthy
Beginnings in 1999, DONA in 2003 and Madriella in 2013. Bev is a level 2 Reiki Healer, Childbirth
Educator and a Childbirth Educator. She is a member of the Madriella Advisory Board since its inception. Bev is a Authorized Workshop Provider for Madriella Doula workshops. Bev is the Office Manager for two Chiropractic Offices.
Bev has lived in New Mexico, Wisconsin, Germany, California, Kentucky and Washington. She currently lives in Lynnwood, WA. Bev’s Place, her education spaces, are located in Bellevue, and Oak Harbor.