You and the twins you will soon give birth to, are doing well, but you’re getting a little concerned about the babies getting into the correct position for delivery. Your last ultrasound showed “Baby A” (the baby closest to the opening of the uterus) in the correct head-down position and “Baby B” sitting on top of “Baby A” in a breech position (feet-down position). You’re about mid-way through your pregnancy and you’re hoping “Baby B” will self-adjust – as you’ve been told can happen naturally – so you can have a normal vaginal delivery with no complications.
Babies constantly move around in the womb, but with twins, there’s less room for turning. Plus, sometimes Baby A gets “squished” by Baby B, causing Baby A to have a misshapen head at birth.
Your OB-GYN or Midwife (Certified Personal Midwife or Certified Nurse Midwife) refers you to a chiropractor that specializes in prenatal care. The chiropractor uses special techniques that are designed to help balance your pelvis and ligaments. Your doctor says chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be successful in giving babies optimal room and can help provide better in utero placement.
During your visit to the prenatal chiropractor, you learn that many OB-GYNs and midwives refer their patients to chiropractors who use these and other balancing techniques for better birth positioning. One of them is the Webster Technique and that’s what your chiropractor says she will use with you and your twins.
The Webster Technique works the sacrum of mom’s body. “There is a ligament that attaches from the sacrum to the uterus,” says Dr. Michelle Parker, a certified pediatric chiropractor in Aledo, TX. “If the sacrum isn’t moving well, if it’s too tight, it can create some imbalances of the uterus of the mother’s pelvis on one side.”
Balancing Techniques for Better Birth Positioning
Once the babies are born, pediatric-specific techniques and adjusting styles are performed by a trained pediatric certified chiropractor. If one of the twins develops the dreaded preemie head, also known as “toaster head”, there are some gentle ways that a Pediatric Certified Chiropractor can address the shaping of the cranium to potentially prevent the need for a helmet. Dr. Parker uses what’s called Craniosacral Therapy. This therapy works the craniosacral system of the infant by gently adjusting the skull and the sacrum, the large triangular bone located at the base of the spine. By doing so, the therapy balances the sacrum, skull, bones, nerves, connective tissue of the spine, and virtually all tissues of the body.
“The cranial zones of an infant are not fully fused,” explains Dr. Parker. “Every baby born – especially if born vaginally – will have a slightly misshapen head. But we can gently work the cranium so that any ridges or overlapping sutures are more even, resulting in less chance of that happening.” We also are so privileged to receive numerous referral from Cranial Technologies which is a helmet company in the Dallas Fort Worth region. Some babies are referred to our clinic after they’ve been fitted for a helmet but are still experiencing tightness in their neck due to torticollis or the infants are looking only in one direction most of the time.
Your Visit to the Chiropractor While Pregnant with Twins
Mom lies on her back while Dr. Parker assesses and evaluates her round ligaments, which is the big ligament attached to the uterus. “Biomechanically, the way our body is designed, the sacrum will not move as well on one side if the mother’s pelvis and hips are not balanced. This will cause the opposite round ligament to become tighter, which has a direct attachment to the uterus,” explains Dr. Parker.
Usually, the effect is immediate after mom gets off the table, says Dr. Parker. “She will feel something different. Her tummy will feel more comfortable. Her tummy can even look different. “There’s that instant gratification,” adds Dr. Parker.
“Every appointment is tailored to what mother and baby need at that time,” says Dr. Parker. “I also spend time educating mothers on how they themselves can help their bodies become more balanced. My overall goal is for more families to become knowledgeable about these options during their pregnancy to feel more comfortable and have a safe and natural delivery. It’s awesome … and doubly awesome with twins.”
If you’re pregnant with twins and want to help your body be as balanced structurally as possible to potentially provide your babies with as much room as possible, schedule an appointment with Dr. Parker. She has special training as a pediatric chiropractor who serves pre- and post-natal moms certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, the only chiropractor with this certification in Parker County. Dr. Parker sees clients in East Parker County, Tarrant, Parker, Erath, Palo Pinto, Hood, Wise, Denton, Dallas and Johnson counties.
