A month or two into the second trimester I started to struggle more with back pain and sudden intense pubic bone pain that made it difficult to walk. I’ve been to a chiropractor before and I know how much they can help with back pain and even provide immediate relief. First, I went to a regular chiropractor who assured me he could make adjustments for pregnancy. He was not great. While the adjustments did help with the pain, he gave me the usual “you’ll just have to live with this pain” kind of talk, explaining that my ligaments were loosening and there was just no way to keep my back aligned. I didn’t want to take that as an option, so I decided to pay the out-of-insurance cost of a specialized prenatal chiropractor (Dr. Anne Lundquist) and it was a huge difference! She was much more knowledgeable about my body in pregnancy, adjusting my sleep position and treatments that could continue throughout pregnancy (and postpartum, too)!
I would highly recommend a few visits to a perinatal chiropractor for anyone who is experiencing back or hip pain. Chiropractic can also be beneficial in postpartum and even for babies and children!
Chiropractic Care
- Lundquist & Patterson Chiropractic Center (Orange) chiropracticforpregnancy.com
- Momma’s Chiro (Huntington Beach) mommaschiro.com
- Coastline Chiropractic (Newport Beach) coastlinechiro.com
- Blooming Chiropractic (Costa Mesa) bloomingchiropractic.com
- Freedom Chiropractic (Laguna Niguel) befreechiropractic.com
- Calahan Family Chiropractic (Mission Viejo) calahanchiropractic.com
- Dr Amanda Peterson Chiropractic Care (Corona) dramandadc.com
- Bay Shore Wellness (Long Beach) bayshorewellness.com
- Full Circle Chiropractic (Long Beach) fullcirclechiropractic.com
- SOHMA Integrative Health Center (Long Beach) www.sohma.org
See your local Birth Center or ask your midwife for more recommendations near you.
Another highly recommended treatment for pain and nausea is acupuncture. Acupuncture (or acupressure if you’re not ready for the needles) has been highly recommended to me as a tool to get relief from nausea and vomiting in the first trimester and also as a great natural and gentle induction if necessary later in pregnancy (always consult with your midwife about induction techniques and acupuncture during pregnancy).
@coastal_acu
Acupuncture
- Homa Hamidi at Vitality Health & Wellness (Costa Mesa) 949 955 3100
- Long Beach Community Acupuncture longbeachcommunityacupuncture.com
- SOHMA Integrative Health Center (Long Beach) sohma.org
- Coastal Acupuncture and Natural Health Center ( Irvine) coastalacupuncturectr.com
See your local Birth Center or ask your midwife for more recommendations near you.
The other amazing relief I found was through prenatal massage! COVID and social distancing has made it difficult to find a good prenatal massage therapist, but I did find Sycamore Spa by Hudson in Laguna Beach that is doing outdoor massage (set up in private little tents). There are also some who will come to you, or have other safety measures in place in their office. It was a very luxurious day of self-care and gave some much needed relief to sore, stretched and tight muscles. Again, make sure to find a place that is knowledgeable about prenatal massage, it can be great for relaxation and relieving sore muscles and later in pregnancy can also be used to help induce labor (always consult with your midwife about induction techniques and massage during pregnancy).
Prenatal Massage
- Sycamore Spa by Hudson (Laguna Beach) spabyhudson.com
- Stress Busters Spa stressbustersspa.com
*Always consult with your midwife about which treatments are best for you.