Keeping your pelvis aligned will enhance your comfort as your uterus grows larger. When your body is aligned during pregnancy, the baby has more room to get into an optimal position for birth. You can find activities to do on our website, like our recommended Daily Activities. We also support a growing awareness among providers. Professionals trained in prenatal body work can help align the pelvis and relieve discomforts. Plus, body work often feels good!
Here’s a basic look at body work recommended by Spinning Babies®:
Massage
Prenatal massage can be relaxing and beneficial for hormonal function and relief of pregnancy discomforts — and it can also help you get better sleep. However, “prenatal massage” is not designed to improve fetal position. Therapeutic massage techniques can help improve the baby’s position with a bit of know-how.
Chiropractic
Spinal and pelvic adjustments can reduce or resolve pregnancy discomforts such as back pain, hip pain, sciatica, and heartburn. Chiropractic helps with optimal fetal positioning by helping the pelvis to be symmetrical. This, in turn, helps the uterus to be more symmetrical. Bring this list to the chiropractor and ask for adjustments of:
- The sacrum, both vertically (SI joints) and horizontally (for a buckled sacrum).
- The sacrotuberous ligament (Logan Basic).
- The symphysis pubis.
- The neck.
Acupuncture
Acupunture helps set the tone for a healthy labor, birth, and postpartum recovery. It also helps relieve nausea, anxiety, insomnia, and more. For the baby who is breech, acupuncture can be quite effective for helping a breech to turn, compared to waiting to see if a baby will turn head down on its own.
Acupuncture uses extremely thin needles. Sometimes you feel them, and many times you don’t. If the price tag feels limiting to you, search for community acupuncture.
Craniosacral therapy (CST)
CST is deeply relaxing and dramatically effective. It helps both the pregnant person and newborns. This gentle, hands-on technique releases restrictions in the body’s fascia — a thick, connective tissue layer encompassing your organs, bones, and muscles. When those restrictions are released, normal movement is restored to the fascia, which can relieve back pain, nausea, and headaches. During pregnancy, CST is wonderful for balancing the fascia of the uterus and pelvis. The practitioner uses a light touch no heavier than the weight of a nickel.
