Chiropractic care during pregnancy is essential for normal physiological function for both mother and baby throughout pregnancy and childbirth. More women and birth providers are discovering the many benefits associated with chiropractic care in pregnancy and recognize this area of expertise through Webster Certification.
What is the Webster Technique?
The Webster Technique has become a familiar term in the pregnancy and birth conversation. Families are seeking out chiropractors who are proficient in this technique as a way to support a more comfortable, safer, and easier birth.
The Webster technique is a gentle chiropractic adjustment that focuses on the pelvic area. It includes a soft tissue release of associated muscle groups of the pelvic area and it allows the pelvis to function properly during pregnancy. This technique reduces soft tissue tension and allows the pelvis to function properly giving baby an ideal environment for growing and moving.
The Webster technique is helpful in providing relief for common lower back and sciatic pains in everyone, not just pregnant women.
The Webster Technique and Child Birth
Chiropractic adjustments to the mother’s pelvis can affect the position of the baby. When chiropractor’s use the Webster technique, they are improving pelvic balance. When the mother’s pelvis is out of alignment, the ligaments that connect from the pelvis to the uterus increase their tension resulting in a distortion to the pelvic space. Imagine laying in bed under the covers with people sitting right next to you on top of the covers… now try to imagine how hard it might be to turn over… this is what happens to baby when the mother’s pelvic ligaments are tight. The chiropractic adjustment to the pelvis releases tension to the ligaments and uterus allowing the baby to move freely and position itself for child birth. Also, for every stage of pregnancy this adjustment reduces interference to the nervous system which gives important benefits to the physiology of mother and child.
History of the Webster Technique
The following excerpt was taken from The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s website: https://icpa4kids.com/training/webster-certification/webster-technique/
Dr. Larry Webster, founder of ICPA, Logan practitioner and Life College instructor, developed the Webster Technique in response to his daughter, Lucinda’s birth to her daughter, Shannon. Dr. Webster was present at her long and arduous birth and although he adjusted her during the birth, he felt that chiropractic could have a bigger impact in labor with a more specific approach to the pelvis.
After this personal experience with his daughter’s birth, Dr. Webster strove to develop an adjustment “for laboring women to help with the ease of birth.” He felt that there must be a more specific way of addressing subluxations throughout pregnancy that would contribute to safer, easier births for the mother.
Shortly after, Dr. Webster was caring for a family whose mother was pregnant and also presenting breech. He applied his newly discovered approach in hopes of an easier delivery than his daughter had. He saw her once per week for several weeks and they noticed that her baby turned vertex in time for delivery.
Dr. Webster began teaching other chiropractors this adjustment. These doctors reported that when their patient’s babies were not in an optimal position, these babies were turning vertex as well. Thus the title: “Webster Breech Turning Technique” later to be called the “Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique” by Drs. Anrig and Forrester.
When his daughter, Pamela, was pregnant, he insisted that she get regular chiropractic care throughout pregnancy and mailed her a video of his technique to show her chiropractor. She also showed it to her OB, who was quite interested in the pelvic biomechanics and the chiropractic perspective. He too encouraged her to see her chiropractor regularly for this technique knowing this was out of his obstetric scope.
