Prenatal Chiropractic in Mount Pleasant
Pregnancy brings plenty of changes, and your body is adapting right along with your growing baby. At Lighthouse Family Chiropractic, we provide thoughtful, pregnancy-focused chiropractic care that considers those changes, whether you’re six weeks along or getting close to your due date.
Webster-Certified Care During Pregnancy
Dr. Olivia Porpora and Dr. Devin DiCenzo are both Webster certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). The Webster Technique uses a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment with close attention to the sacrum, pelvis and surrounding muscles and ligaments.
That additional training helps our doctors adapt their approach to the changing biomechanics of pregnancy rather than simply providing the same adjustment they would at any other stage of life. We pair Webster care with a nervous system focus, looking beyond where you hurt to consider how your body is adapting throughout pregnancy.
When Pregnancy Starts Asking More of Your Body
As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts, and your hips, pelvis and lower back have to adapt. Pregnant women often visit us with concerns such as:
- Low back and hip discomfort
- Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) and pelvic discomfort
- Headaches
- Difficulty getting comfortable
- General muscle and joint tension
Pregnancy can affect far more than your back and pelvis. Sleep, digestion, energy, and other day-to-day functions may shift as your body adapts. Because our approach includes a nervous system focus, we consider the broader picture of how you’re feeling rather than looking only at the area that hurts.
You don’t have to wait until something hurts or feels noticeably off. Some moms choose to begin care earlier so we can follow how their body is adapting as pregnancy progresses.
Scans First, Then a Plan Built Around You
Your first visit starts with a conversation about how you’re feeling, previous pregnancies and births, and what you hope this pregnancy and birth will look like. We welcome all birth preferences, from hospital to home birth and medicated to unmedicated. We may also ask what your OB, midwife or doula has been noticing so we have a fuller picture of your pregnancy.
We’ll then complete our CLA INSiGHT scans. These scans collect information from the surface of your skin without radiation. They look at heart rate variability, temperature patterns along the spine and muscle activity, giving our doctors additional information to consider when planning your care.
At your second visit, we’ll explain the findings and recommend a care plan tailored to you. If you choose to move forward, you’ll typically receive your first adjustment then. We generally rescan every 12 visits, giving us another way to follow changes alongside what you’re noticing day to day.
Your visit frequency isn’t one-size-fits-all either. It’s based on your individual findings and may change as your pregnancy progresses.
Comfortable Care as Your Belly Grows
What About Baby’s Position?
Questions about fetal positioning often come up later in pregnancy, and we want to be clear: chiropractors don’t turn or “flip” babies. What we can do, however, is address joint and movement restrictions in the hips and pelvis, with the goal of supporting pelvic balance and creating an environment that may be more favorable for optimal fetal positioning.
Webster care focuses on the mother’s sacral and pelvic biomechanics rather than directly changing a baby’s position. If positioning is a concern, Dr. Devin or Dr. Liv can explain what chiropractic care involves and what may be realistic based on where you are in your pregnancy.
It’s Never Too Late to Start
Earlier care gives us more time to get to know you and follow how your body is changing, but being further along doesn’t mean you’ve missed your chance. If you’re late in pregnancy, we’ll talk through your needs and expectations and determine what makes sense for you.
When appropriate, the doctors may also offer an adjustment at your first visit rather than waiting until visit two.
Ready to learn more about prenatal chiropractic? Contact Lighthouse Family Chiropractic to schedule your visit.
