when and how to consult an osteopath

The principle of osteopathy is to mobilize and manipulate different parts of the anatomy (in particular the joints, limbs and the spine), in order to re-harmonize the general functioning of the organism, and to restore general well-being.

This complementary medicine is not limited to back problems. It is also particularly useful in preventing or relieving the various disorders encountered by pregnant women, from the first trimester until the day of their delivery.

Seek medical advice before consulting an osteopath during pregnancy

Although medical advice is not required before consulting an osteopath during pregnancy, it is still recommended to seek one. Your general practitioner, your obstetrician, or your midwife will check on the one hand that you have no contraindication to receiving osteopathic care. On the other hand, he / she will make sure that your ailments are not the result of a pathology, and that they could not, therefore, be relieved by an osteopathic doctor.

Contraindications may be the presence of fever, painful contractions, excessive fatigue, unusual discharge or the presence of high blood pressure in pregnancy.
But in general, osteopathy is not recommended for pregnant women. On the contrary, it helps improve the comfort and well-being of the mother-to-be throughout pregnancy, and can help prepare your body for a more peaceful birth.

Which osteopath to choose for care when you are pregnant?

Not all practitioners necessarily agree to work on a pregnant woman. This does not necessarily classify them in the category of “bad osteopaths”. However, practicing osteopathy on a pregnant woman requires dedicated training, and special attention. To date, there are no premature births due to the intervention of an osteopath in France.
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However, certain areas should be avoided at certain stages of pregnancy, so as not to trigger a harmful nervous response for the mother-to-be. This is particularly the case of the lower back which should not be manipulated at the end of pregnancy for example, even in the event of pain. Some osteopathic doctors are specialized in perinatal care, that is to say in the care of pregnant women and infants. They are used to providing relief to women during their pregnancies, and have received training adapted to this type of care.

To choose your osteopath during pregnancy, you can simply start by approaching your usual osteopath. If the latter does not take care of future mothers, he probably has the contact details of a colleague to recommend to you.
If you do not yet have an osteopath, you can ask your general practitioner, your midwife, your gynecologist or your pharmacist for contact details. In your entourage, you may have friends or relatives who are followed by an osteopath, do not hesitate to ask the question around you.

The stages of pregnancy during which an osteopath can be consulted

An osteopathic session can be useful at any stage of pregnancy, from the first trimester. The actions performed will be adapted to the pain, at the end of the pregnancy, and to the health of the mother.
Very often, it is around the fourth month of pregnancy that the pain is felt in the back, and that future mothers have recourse to osteopathy. Indeed, with the increase in the volume of the uterus from the first trimester, the ligaments begin to pull, and generate discomfort, even pain.
Consultations with an osteopath can continue until your delivery, in the absence of contradictory medical advice.

Osteopathy relieves many pregnancy ailments

During pregnancy, the body goes through many changes quite quickly. It constantly adapts to the pregnancy over the weeks, and pain may occur, as well as other inconveniences. Osteopathy is particularly recommended in to relieve the following ailments:

• Ligament pain throughout the body (limbs, back, stomach, pelvis, etc.);
• Low back pain and sciatica;
• Breathing difficulties due to the change in size of the uterus which presses on neighboring organs;
• Neck pain;
• Muscle tensions;
• Insomnia (often due to scattered pain and anxiety);
• Circulatory problems (water retention, slight increase in blood pressure, pain in the legs, etc.);
• Nausea and gastric reflux;
• Constipation and digestive difficulties;
• The discomfort felt on the perineum due to the weight of the baby;
• Headaches…

In short, you will understand, there is almost no pain, and no inconvenience of pregnancy that osteopathy cannot relieve. She sometimes prevents the mother-to-be from taking medication, relieving her with gentle and mechanical gestures that provide a natural solution to her pain.
These mechanical actions make it possible to restore the metabolism of the body of the pregnant woman, and to reduce the tensions related to the anxiety felt by the mothers-to-be. Osteopathic support allows women to continue their daily life in better health conditions.

Osteopathy before and during childbirth

This alternative medicine is particularly recommended during the last trimester of pregnancy to prepare your body before childbirth, and to facilitate labor when you arrive at the maternity hospital. The osteopathic consultation before your childbirth does not replace a childbirth preparation course, but it represents additional help. Osteopathic care makes it possible to support women who reach full term, by maintaining the mobility of the pelvis, which will facilitate the passage of the baby on the D-day. The action on the cervical tension activates the hormonal system in order to increase the response of the baby. body at the imminent arrival of the baby (intensity of contractions, opening of the cervix, resistance to pain, etc.).

Little more for future breastfeeding mothers: hormonal activation increases the production of prolactin, thus promoting the flow of milk. The osteopath can also act on the flexibility of the diaphragm, thus improving your breathing, and the mobility of the baby in your uterus, so that it sits better in your pelvis, and that its head presses effectively on your cervix. Some maternities also have an osteopath ready to intervene in the delivery room in order to support the labor in progress and to accelerate it naturally to ideally avoid a possible cesarean section. Your osteopath can also tell you osteopathic exercises and postures that you can perform in the maternity ward to reduce your muscle tension and promote mobility in your pelvis.

Osteopathy is also useful in postpartum

The role of the osteopath does not end after you give birth. On the contrary, it is in post-partum that it will play a very important role, because the body, which will have taken 9 months to evolve, will have to cope with rapid changes after the birth of your child. New pains can appear.

Osteopathy is also recommended for the health of babies, from their first weeks of life. It can help them regulate their sleep and restlessness, relieve colic, calm unexplained crying, or reduce chronic regurgitation. It is therefore time to return to see your osteopath in order to experience your motherhood even more serenely.

Responsible for parenting for the aufeminin site, Nathalie is at your side to inform you about the essentials of parents’ life but also and above all to advise you, …