If you're an expectant mom, you know all the advice you receive can sometimes feel overwhelming. My suggestion for a healthy pregnancy: keep it as simple as possible. Take it easy on yourself, get plenty of rest, eat healthy (greens, greens, greens) and check in with your obstetrician or midwife.
One more thought: schedule regular appointments with your chiropractor.
Chiropractic is especially useful for pregnant women because it helps support the very parts of the body that are taxed and strained by carrying a pregnancy. As the baby grows, the additional weight concentrated around the mom's belly puts a great deal of strain on the spine and lower back. This is a normal part of pregnancy, but it can be offset with regular chiropractic adjustments.
Regular adjustments can relieve the strain and help get the spine into alignment, making it better able to support itself despite the increased pressure from the baby. As strain on the low back and spine is often painful, getting an adjustment can provide significant pain relief. Chiropractic also has a calming effect on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system — the part of the body that controls your stress level — which can help expectant moms feel a well-earned sense of relaxation.
Indeed, stress relief from chiropractic is one of the most useful benefits of chiropractic during pregnancy because it doesn't just benefit the mom, it helps the baby as well. Both science and intuition tell us that babies do best when they develop in peaceful, supportive environments. The more the mom is able to feel calm and relaxed during pregnancy, the more benefit to the baby.
(Of course, this doesn't mean expectant moms should feel guilty about experiencing stress when it does come up. Everyone feels stressed, everyday. It just means it's a good idea to take advantage of tools like chiropractic, walks, magnesium and breathing to maintain an overall sense of equilibrium and balance. This goes for everyone, really!)
All chiropractors are trained to work with pregnant women. However some chiropractors (myself included) are also specially trained in an approach called the Webster technique. The Webster technique is a specific analysis and gentle adjustment approach that encourages the baby to line up properly in preparation for birth. This can help keep the baby from being a breech birth (coming out feet first), and generally help ensure a smoother birthing process.
In short, chiropractic is a great tool to help both mom and baby have a healthy pregnancy and birth!