Prenatal Chiropractor Ottawa

Personalized Care for An Easier Pregnancy and Delivery

Pregnancy brings joy, but it can also bring discomfort as your body adapts to support your growing baby through hormonal and physical changes.

At Oaktree, our certified prenatal chiropractors at each of our Ottawa locations use techniques that are safe and gentle to support you and your baby.

A woman laying down receives an adjustment from a chiropractor during pregnancy

Is It Safe To Go To A Chiropractor During Pregnancy?

Many women wonder if they can even see a chiropractor when pregnant and, if so, whether it’s safe for the baby — well the answer to both is yes!

Chiropractic care during pregnancy may provide significant relief of the unique pain and discomfort moms-to-be experience. We’ve seen this firsthand in our practice, at all three of our locations.

In a prenatal chiropractic adjustment, everything is tailored around your unique needs while pregnant. This includes using a pregnancy pillow, special table, and specific chiropractic techniques that are gentle and safe. The techniques we use help establish a balance in the pelvis while reducing stress to the uterus and supporting ligaments.

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“Always a very pleasant experience”

In beginning of my last trimester for chiropractic care, they helped me tremendously with all the pains and aches that come with pregnancy and more.

google review of Oaktree ChiropracticIsha Sahi, 5-Star Google Review

Benefits of Seeing A Chiropractor While Pregnant

Research shows that chiropractic care helps pregnant women address common concerns and often leads to easier, shorter deliveries with fewer medical interventions.

There are several benefits of prenatal chiropractic care for moms-to-be:

  • Reduced pain in your lower back, hips and pelvis
  • Improved alignment of your pelvis and spine
  • Enhanced nervous system function
  • Reduced pressure from Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction (SPD)
  • Better mobility and balance as your pregnancy progresses

Proper pelvic alignment will do wonders in avoiding unnecessary pain and intervention during pregnancy. When your pelvis is properly aligned, there’s adequate room for your baby to grow and move into the ideal position for birth, leading to a more comfortable pregnancy.

Dr. Emilie Perras adjusting pregnant woman laying on treatment table

What to Expect From Your First Visit

We’ve designed our pregnancy chiropractic adjustment with your comfort and safety in mind. Here’s what you can expect:

Female chiropractor taking initial assessment of patient at Oaktree Chiropractic Downtown Ottawa

1. Initial Assessment

Your first visit includes a thorough evaluation of your spine and pelvis, discussion of your pregnancy symptoms, and development of a personalized care plan tailored to your specific needs.

Dr. Emilie Perras chiropractic adjustment on female patient laying on treatment table

2. Gentle Adjustments

Using specialized pregnancy pillows and tables, we perform gentle adjustments in positions comfortable for you and safe for your baby. Our techniques are modified specifically for pregnancy to ensure your comfort.

Dr. Emilie Perras with pregnant female patient in clinic

3. Continual Support

We’ll recommend a care schedule based on your trimester and symptoms, providing adjustments and guidance as your body changes throughout pregnancy, right up until delivery.

Why Choose Oaktree for Perinatal Care?

Many chiropractors may offer pregnancy care, but at Oaktree Health, we have special training in it and love it!

Webster Technique Certification

Oaktree has chiropractors who are specifically trained in prenatal care and we are some of only a handful of doctors in our area certified in the Webster Technique.

It’s a specific chiropractic technique used during pregnancy to help decrease in-utero constraint (a condition leading to dystocia which is difficult labor for the mother).

ICPA Perinatal Certification

Our team includes chiropractors certified by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), who have completed training in perinatal care to safely and effectively address the unique needs of pregnant women.

Three Convenient Ottawa Locations

With offices in Downtown Ottawa, Orleans, and Stittsville, you can access our prenatal care no matter where you live in the Ottawa area, making it easier to maintain consistent care throughout your pregnancy.

Continuous Care for You and Your Baby

Our prenatal chiropractors are also trained in pediatric care, allowing us to support both you and your baby’s health needs before, during, and after delivery—providing a seamless transition of care for your growing family.

Take a Step Towards Pregnancy Pain Relief Today

Don’t let pain and discomfort prevent you from enjoying this special time. Come visit one of our Ottawa-area locations today.

Available at our Downtown Ottawa, Orleans, and Stittsville locations with flexible scheduling options.

Common Questions About Prenatal Chiropractic

Not at all. Chiropractic can be used as a preventative measure. The ideal scenario is for someone to get checked before they actually feel a problem so we can prevent those issues from occurring. Every pregnant woman (and really, every person) should be checked for spinal misalignments (vertebral subluxation) regardless of symptoms.

If subluxations are present, they damage the connection from the brain to specific body parts and decrease their function. This is something everyone should have checked, especially if there is a developing baby needing all the connections possible!

Our state-of-the-art techniques and instrumentation are gentle, safe and effective throughout the entire pregnancy. We have special tables and pillows that adjust for a pregnant woman’s body, and use techniques that avoid unneeded pressure on the abdomen. We also provide you with exercises and stretches that are safe to use during pregnancy.

You can get adjusted up to the birth, even in early labour. Depending on the mom, we may recommend an increased frequency of adjustments in the last month of pregnancy to ensure an easier opening of the pelvic bones and less chance for intervention in preparation for birth. We also tell our pregnant patients that if they are able to make it in at the first signs of labour, it is best!

Dr. Emilie herself has been adjusted through her previous labours to help ensure easier, faster births with less chance of intervention. If you’re unable to come here, we will often come to you if possible during your labour for any check-ups and adjustments, especially if labour seems to be stalling. Our goal is for you to have the best birth possible!

We tell our moms to come as soon as they can after birth to have the baby checked for subluxations (misalignments) that could have occurred right at birth. If an adjustment is needed, this will help ensure better function overall and can help with easier sleep, breastfeeding and digestion. Dr. Emilie’s babies each got checked within hours of birth (it helps of course that she can check them herself!).

For more information on pregnancy during chiropractic care, please see the ICPA’s chiropractic research page. To learn more about how chiropractic can help your infant or child, please visit our chiropractic for children page.

The pelvis and sacrum are interconnected and often move as one. When one ilium has rocked back into a posterior misalignment, the opposite side is, by default, rocked forward.

This can cause the sacrum to tilt posterior one way or the other, often causing pain and/or tightness in the opposite bum or leg. It can also often cause pain in the pubic symphysis area (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction).

Because of all this tilting and torqueing of the pelvic bones, the birth canal will narrow, possibly complicating the baby’s ability to birth naturally. We want to avoid this possibility. Any combination of misalignments of these bones can set the stage for a longer, more painful birth and increase the chance of intervention (drugs, induction, C-section).

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which establish balance in the pregnant woman’s pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis leads to optimal fetal position. About 4% of pregnancies result in a breech position, which uncorrected, usually lead to a C-section. Studies have reported 82% success rate of babies turning vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique.

Currently, the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) recommends that women receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to establish pelvic balance and optimize the room a baby has for development throughout pregnancy. With a balanced pelvis, babies have a greater chance of moving into the correct position for birth, and the crisis and worry associated with breech and posterior presentations may be avoided altogether. Optimal baby positioning at the time of birth also eliminates the potential for dystocia (difficult labor) and therefore results in easier and safer deliveries for both the mother and baby.

For more information on the Webster Technique, please visit the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association website. You can also check out our blog about the webster technique here.