You’ve done everything your doctor has told you to do for a healthy pregnancy – you’ve committed to gentle exercise, you are focused on eating a healthy diet, you are taking your prenatal vitamins. But have you thought about what you can be doing right now to help you to have an easier birth? Chiropractic care during pregnancy can help to balance the pelvis and let babies be born with more ease. Studies have found that chiropractic care is safe and effective for pregnant women and leads to many benefits including:
- A balanced pelvis which reduces the amount of restriction around the baby and can prevent breech, posterior or transverse malpositioning.
- Decreased labor time.
- Relief of back, pubic and sciatic pain.
- Prevention of birth trauma.
- Comfort of the mother and ease of labor. Prevention of dystocia or difficult labor that can occur with decreased nerve function, pelvic imbalance, and baby positioning.
Research has shown that:
- Women who receive chiropractic care were able to carry and deliver with more comfort.
- There is a 50% reduction in the need for analgesics (drugs that relieve pain) during delivery for pregnant mothers under chiropractic care.
- 91% of pregnant women reported pain relief while under chiropractic care.
- There is a 24% reduction in the duration of labor in first-time moms.
- There is a 39% shorter delivery time for mothers delivering for the second or more times.
- Postpartum pain was reduced 75% for mothers under chiropractic care.
Dr. Dowling Works With Your Delivery Team
Dr. Meghan Dowling has received extensive education, training and experience in the care for pregnant women and newborns. She is well known in the Bay Area birthing community and co-cares with midwives, obstetricians, doulas and other pregnancy professionals. She is certified in the Webster’s Technique and incorporates that technique as well as other pregnancy techniques such as Spinning Babies body balancing during care. The Webster’s technique is utilized in pregnancy and employs specific chiropractic analysis and adjustments of the pelvis. This technique also relieves tension of the abdominal muscles and ligaments surrounding the uterus allowing the baby to move into the best possible position for birth.
For more information about the Webster’s Technique and wellness for children please visit www.icpa4kids.org.
What Women have to Say:
“I first started seeing Dr. Dowling because my baby had turned breech at 37 weeks. My OB had started talking about having a extraversion or a C section. As this was my third child, I wanted to try all other options before resorting to that. My OB referred me to Austin Family Chiropractic and they were able to get me in the very next day! Dr. Dowling performed the Webster technique, which has a high success rate for turning breech babies, and showed my husband and I Spinning Babies exercises to try. After only three Webster adjustments and 5 days of doing the exercises, my baby had turned head down again by the next OB appointment and I was able to deliver safely, no surgical intervention required! Dr. Dowling is my hero!”
~Emmalyn B.
Hi Dr. Dowling,
I am happy to announce that Baby M was born August 6th! It was a beautiful and very FAST birth. My water broke at 7:10 am and I thought I had tons of time to labor at home but things progressed very quickly. After a brief breakfast and slow walk around the block, contractions were coming very close together but I didn’t really realize how close they were until the doula advised us to go to the hospital and she had to meet us there (she wasn’t anticipating the quick labor either). We arrived at Good Sam at 11:40 am and I was already fully dilated plus one. My OB just happened to be the doctor on call for Sunday so we totally lucked out with having her. Kendrick arrived within ten minutes and scrubbed up immediately. Once I actually got the hang of pushing, Baby M was born at 12:45 so we basically had our daughter in between breakfast and lunch :-). My husband got to catch her when she was born and cut the cord. I’m also happy to report that there were no pain meds and I feel fortunate that I was able to labor at home through the toughest contractions. Thank you again for helping to align my hips and pelvis, I truly feel like it made a huge difference with giving birth.
Proud Momma, Jill
Dr. Dowling is amazing. I went to see her on a recommendation of a friend because I was pregnant and having severe lower back and leg pains. I had tried exercises from my doctor and nothing seemed to help. After visiting Dr. Dowling I walked out of the office pain-free! Also, headaches I had been having that I thought were related to pregnancy were gone too. I only wish I had seen her sooner. She also gave me more effective exercises to do and even helped me with my posture and nutrition. Their waiting area is great as I frequently have to bring my small children, which has never been a problem. Going to see Dr. Dowling is like seeing an old friend because I love our conversations and she is so kind and patient. I always feel so much better after seeing Dr. Dowling.
~Tina
Hi Dr. Dowling,
Baby V is here! Born yesterday at 4:41 am. Without your help, vaginal delivery wouldn’t have been possible. He is a healthy baby of 8.5 lbs and ~22 inches.
Thanks, Sumana
Dr. Dowling,
All surprise over, it’s Boy, normal. You do not know how thankful we are for you. Appreciate all your effort, delivery didn’t take much time.
Talk to you soon,
Mahesh
Dr. Dowling is the best chiropractor I have ever been to. She is attentive, kind, professional and very, very good at her job! The office has always been able to get me in, even last minute. I saw Dr. Dowling every other week for the last few months of my pregnancy. She used the Webster method which is gentle and specialized for pregnancy. It always made me feel so much better and I had a healthy delivery and baby. I try to go at least once a month, even when I’m not hurting because I know it helps. I recommend Austin family chiropractic all the time to co-workers and friends. Thank you for the awesome care you provide to me and your patients!
~Michelle
Dr. Dowling is a great prenatal chiropractor! I went to her during the last trimester of my pregnancy to ensure that I had good pelvic alignment for delivery. She was very careful during each session and was also able to help me with back pain. She also introduced me to Spinning Babies exercises which I did at home to assist with good positioning. When I went into labor, the baby was perfectly positioned and I was able to deliver naturally. As a side note, she also gives the best neck adjustments of any chiropractor I’ve been to 🙂
~Rania
Dr. Meghan Dowling is fantastic! I was referred to her by my doula when I was 36 weeks pregnant. My doula referred me to Dr. Dowling because baby was in the Right Occiput Transverse (ROT) position meaning that the baby was facing out of my left thigh and was half way between a posterior and anterior position. This potentially could have caused issues during labor so I went to Dr. Dowling to have her work on my hip and pelvis alignment to try to get the baby into the Left Occiput Anterior (LOA) position which is the preferred position during labor/deliver to minimize problems and pain. I saw Dr. Dowling 5 times before delivering my baby and each session, Dr. Dowling was able to realign my hips for optimal baby position. In addition to the chiropractic work, I also did Spinning Baby exercises on my own at home. My goal for labor and delivery was also to have a natural birth with no interventions so it was critical to try to achieve optimal baby position in advance. My daughter was born one day before her due date and was in the perfect position by the time of delivery. I’m happy to report that the birth was also entirely natural with no interventions. I truly believe that the chiropractic sessions with Dr. Dowling contributed to such a positive birth experience. I’m so glad that I was able to see Dr. Dowling at the end of my pregnancy and would highly recommend her to other women who are expecting. It’s amazing how connected the body is and when one part is off, it affects so many other areas of the body including birth positioning and baby alignment. I will definitely be incorporating chiropractic sessions earlier on in my pregnancy for baby number two in the future.
~Jill A.
Dr. Dowling,
Just letting you know that Baby A finally decided to make her debut on Monday the 11th! Showed up at the hospital at 8:20am already 8 cm dilated and out she came at 10:40am. No epidural or induction needed. Thank you for all your hard work on getting me in the right place to have the ideal labor and delivery I wanted, you have truly been amazing!!!!
Best, Jessica and AJ
Hello Dr. Dowling,
Thank you so much for all the help preparing for the birth of my son. I had an induction on Monday at 7am in the morning and delivered Tuesday at 11:20am. It was a natural birth without Pitocin and without any pain medication. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you, Amanda R.
Hi Dr. Dowling!
Labor went really well…no torso spasms like last time, very short labor (early labor started 2pmish yesterday and baby was born in the birthing center tub at 8:12pm yesterday). It was definitely tough, but I felt really supported and as prepared as I could be!
Thank you so much for everything!
Cindy M.
