PREGGIE PALS
CHIROPRACTIC CARE DURING PREGNANCY
[00.00.00]
[Theme Music]
DR. STACEY MERLO: What is chiropractic care? Is it safe to receive such care during
pregnancy? What conditions within pregnancy can chiropractic care benefit? Are there risks? I am Dr.
Stacey Merlo, Doctor of Chiropractic, and today we are discussing chiropractic care in pregnancy. This is
Preggie Pals.
[THEME MUSIC]
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Welcome to Preggie Pals, broadcasting from the Birth Education Center
in San Diego. Preggie Pals is your online on the go support group for expecting parents and those hoping
to become pregnant. I’m your host, Stephanie Glover. Thanks to all of our loyal listeners who have joined
the Preggie Pals Club. Our members get special episodes, bonus content after each new show, plus special
giveaways and discounts. See our website for more information. Another way for you to stay connected is
by downloading our free Preggie Pals app available in Android, iTunes, and Windows marketplaces. You
can download our new network app so that you can access all of your favorite New Mommy Media shows
on the go. Here’s Sunny with more information about how you can get involved with Preggie Pals.
SUNNY GAULT: Hey, everybody! I’m Sunny and I’m producing today’s show, and we love to
hear from the people that are listening to our shows. We love hearing from our listeners and there are a
couple of great ways you guys can get involved. We have various segments and you can go to our website
to learn more, but there’s a couple that I wanted to point out too you. One is our Ask the Experts segment
and it’s a great way if you guys are pregnant and you have pregnancy-related questions for you to go
ahead and email your questions in because odds are, if you have that question, then somebody else out
there asked that question too and needs to hear the answer as well. So you can either email us or you can
call our voice mail which is 6198664775 and give us your question. We’ll have one of our experts answer
that question and we’ll include it in the future episode. We also have another segment that I love, and it’s
called Pregnancy Oops, and it’s where you guys share your funny pregnancy stories and Lord knows we
have so many funny stories that happen to us when we’re pregnant because of that lovely pregnancy
brain, right? And so we want to hear those stories. Same thing you can email us or call our voice mail and
we’ll include it on a future episode.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Awesome! So, let’s take a moment to introduce our panelist. I’ll start
first. So again I’m Stephanie Glover, I am the host of Preggie Pals. I’m also a trained childbirth educator
and I do some work with some local pregnancy nonprofits here. I am fortunate to be home with my kids
as I do all these. I’ve got two little girls, ages two and four. Gretchen, the four-year-old was born via C-section
and Lydia, via VBAC. And Stacey, since you’re a mom, I'll have you introduce yourself in this
way as well.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Okay. I’m Stacey Merlo and I have two children as well. I have Kyle,
who is six and Jaden, who is four and they were both born at home.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Awesome.
SUNNY GAULT: I love that. I’m Sunny. I’ve got four little one’s at home. I have a five-year-old
boy, I have a three-year-old boy and then I have identical twin girls who are 22 months as of yesterday.
So, kind of had one of those little fake birthdays where it’s not really a birthday because they’re not two,
right? It’s just 22 months and they’re growing up superfast. So…
STEPHANIE GLOVER: And our phone panelist Nathalie, go ahead and introduce yourself.
NATALIE TAYLOR: Okay, I’m Nathalie Taylor. Unfortunately, I’m at the hospital right now. I have
seven little one’s at home. I have fraternal twin boy-girl who are about to be four. They turn four this
month actually. I have identical twin girls who are about, who just turned two, and I have identical twin
boys who just turned one, and then I have my newest little addition, who won’t be our baby anymore,
who is nine months old, and then I’m currently expecting quads, quadruplets.
SUNNY GAULT: So, is the math—
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Three boys and one girl.
SUNNY GAULT: Natalie is the math the 11 children total once your quads is born? Did I do the math
right?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: The math is 11 total, yes.
SUNNY GAULT: Oh my, I see, yeah! It’s hard to count that high.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: It’s early in the morning.
DR. STACEY MERLO: You’re my hero. Wow!
SUNNY GAULT: It’s programming known, Nathalie was actually on Preggie Pal’s sister show,
Twin Talks. We did an episode on mom’s of multiple- multiple’s and not that we have time to go into it
now, but Natalie’s whole family has multiple-multiple’s. It is a crazy situation. But Nathalie we are so
glad that you’re able to join us for today’s show.
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Thank you very much!
SUNNY GAULT: Hey moms it’s Sunny with New Mommy Media. On our podcast, we love giving
you information about different options you have during pregnancy and motherhood. Well, here’s another
secret to helping you on your journey. I just discovered a great way to simplify and improve how you
shop for top healthy and organic products through Thrive Market. They offer the same premium products
my family already gets to our local groceries store, but without all those crazy high prices and it’s
delivered straight to your door. I just ordered their organic snack sampler and saved more than $27 with
our special New Mommy Media discount. Nathalie, one of our listeners, is pregnant with her first child
and she’s also a big fan of Thrive Market.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah! And one of the things that I love so much about the Thrive Market
is that it makes everything really easy and convenient. The entire 45 hundred queue catalog is sortable
with one click. So, if you click that you have a nut allergy, literally the whole catalog will sort that way.
So it makes really, really easy for you. You no longer have to go in, you know be reading tons of labels
and wondering like, is this really BPA free? Like they do all the work for you which are super convenient.
SUNNY GAULT: I know you can save up to 50% on products on their site which is really exciting,
but Thrive Market recently released their own product line as well.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah! It’s out already. It’s really awesome what they’ve done so for
some of the products that are, you know, more popular, they’ll go to the Premium brands and they’ll
actually, you know, white-label these products and put out, you know, the best highest quality premium
product at even lower prices. So, for example, I was on yesterday, and I was looking at my prenatal
vitamin, and the prenatal vitamin I have now I buy on Thrive and it’s $40 per month and I just found that
they have a prenatal vitamin, that’s the Thrive Market brand, and it’s $20 for 3 months.
SUNNY GAULT: WOW!!!
STEPHANIE GLOVER: So, it’s such a better deal so I'm switching right away.
SUNNY GAULT: That’s impressive! Alright, so check our special page at
www.thrivemarket.com/newmommy, and see why parents everywhere are searching the Thrive Market
website for their favorite products. Whether its non-GMO, organic, vegan, gluten-free, Paleo, or
sustainably farmed, Thrive Market has a ton of variety and if they don’t have the exact brand or product
you want, email them and they’ll try to get it for you. Visit www.thrivemarket.com/newmommy and save
25% and free shipping on your order today. That’s www.thrivemarket.com/newmommy.
[THEME MUSIC]
SUNNY GAULT: All right! So, before we kick off today’s show about chiropractic care during
pregnancy, sometimes we like to talk about pregnancy headlines especially when they're kind of crazy, and
it’s you know, it’s interesting to talk about them. And this one, this headline I just looked down and kind
of rolled my eyes, but I thought worth talking about today. The headline is: How pregnancy makes you
sick decades later. And what they are saying is scientists say that cells passed from baby to mother during
pregnancy can linger in the woman’s body for decades. And some of those cells may be good for health,
for her health, but others, depending on where they hide in her body could raise her risk of a host of
illnesses and they include breast cancer, thyroid cancer, arthritis, early menopause, this, all of those can
be triggered or exasperated by these, “alien cells,” And yeah! They also say that these cells may be
effectively trying to sabotage the mother’s chances of having another baby so the fetus will not have to
compete for resources after it’s born.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Black widow soul.
SUNNY GAULT: It is! It is. And I understand like the whole survival of the fittest kind of thing,
but I kind of feel like, this is a little sci-fi, you know?
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah!
SUNNY GAULT: Like, you know, someone was kind of bored one day and tried to you know,
think of ways to scare pregnant moms. I don’t know?
STEPHANIE GLOVER: When I think where you get so many conflicting ideas when it comes to
science and you’ve heard the research that suggest breastfeeding moms are actually at a lower risk for
certain you know, breast cancer.
SUNNY GAULT: Right, right.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: So, it’s just interesting when we see these types of studies.
SUNNY GAULT: I know.
DR. STACEY MERLO: I think they should study Natalie.
SUNNY GAULT: Natalie, can you we give them your contact information?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.
SUNNY GAULT: Well, this scientist, they actually say that this phenomenon occurs across the,
“animal kingdom.” It’s very Lion King of them and I guess it’s a team from Arizona State University, that
are claiming this, but then you know regarding breast cancer they also say, it’s certain cells, they don’t
really you know, go into detail about that, but they could protect, if they settle in the breast, it could
protect against breast cancer and make it easier for woman to breast feed so...
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Interesting!
SUNNY GAULT: Yeah. Yeah, who knows?
STEPHANIE GLOVER: But I feel like there’s going to need some more information.
SUNNY GAULT: Yes! I think so?
[THEME MUSIC]
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Today we’re learning all about chiropractic care during pregnancy.
Joining us here today in the studio is Dr. Stacey Merlo, Doctor of Chiropractic. Dr. Stacey is co-owner of
Good Vibrations Family Chiropractic here in San Diego with husband and fellow chiropractor, Dr. Joe
Merlo. For the past eleven years she has worked in private practice focusing on adjusting prenatal and
postpartum moms, as well as children. Welcome to Preggie Pals, Dr. Stacey. It’s great having you.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Thanks, Stephanie! Thanks for having me. I’m super happy to be here
on Preggie Pals.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Awesome. So let’s get started by just going over what exactly
chiropractic care is?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah! you know I… so often in my practice I hear people they come in
there like, oh, man, I really wish I would have known this sooner, and it really breaks my heart and so I’m
super happy just to be here and to be able to educate people and get the word out there about what
chiropractic can do and how it can help you really enjoy your pregnancy and get the most out of your
pregnancy and really thrive.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Chiropractors, we’re experts in the nervous system which includes the
brain, the spinal cord, and all the nerves that go to travel to the body. We specialize in detecting any
interference in that nervous system and we remove it using our hands to make gentle and precise
adjustments.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Awesome, and so it’s, yeah, I don’t know that all women even know
that it’s an option for pregnancy care, so.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: That’s great! Is there any special training or certification that a
chiropractor would need to have in order to work on a pregnant woman?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Well Stephanie, all chiropractors are able to adjust—
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Pregnant women, however, there are specialized training programs that
we go like, I took a specialized training program through the International Chiropractic Pediatric
Association and they have various diploma and certification programs including the Webster Technique
Certification, but like any professional you seek, really trust your intuition, find somebody that you
connect with that you feel really good about seeing.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay. Great! And can you elaborate a little bit more on the Webster
Technique? What is that?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Sure, yeah! The Webster technique is a specialized way to analyze a
person’s pelvis and to balance out the joints, the ligaments, and the muscles in the pelvic structure. It
helps to relieve tension in the pelvis, and it creates an optimal alignment for the birth canal, the uterus,
and the baby. And the technique is absolutely amazing and the results that it can get for the pregnant
women that we take care of.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay. Awesome! And now Natalie, you have experience in chiropractic
care during pregnancy, correct?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: I do, I do.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: With how many of your pregnancies were you able to see a
chiropractor?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: I’ve been pregnant about six times and out of these six, I was lucky
enough to experience chiropractic care in three of those six, and in the other three just to keep my
pregnancy status. So like my situation didn’t really allow me to have chiropractic care. But then the three
pregnancies that I was lucky enough to experience, I can’t find the words to say how much it helped me
with the pain that I was suffering from.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: That’s awesome. Were you feeling a lot of pelvic pain or in your back?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Well with the experiencing twins back to back, every time that you find
or discover that it’s a new set of twins you threw your body into shock in the sense of, oh, great! You
know I have to stretch out these months again, or oh, great! I—you know this is the way that I can
experience or that I’m going to experience stuff like that. And so I turned to what I thought was going to
help me was massage like prenatal massage care, and I just found out that was not cutting it.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Well, you make an excellent point because the body does really go
through so many changes I can only imagine what multiples can do but Dr. Stacey, what changes in the
pregnant body affect the spine and nerves?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah, the way distribution changes in the abdomen or the tummy area, it
increases the lumber curve in the low back area and that will also create stress to the pelvic area.
Increased breast size and density can weigh the shoulders down and pull it forward and that can create a
lot of tension in the upper back and the neck area. And then all the organs that use to sit down tightly
packed into your abdomen, now that baby is occupying that space especially in the case of multiples. All
those organs will get shoved up way up into the rib cage and so the rib cage has to open up and expand in
order to accommodate that, so we get shortness breath, and tightness in the rib area, and then into the
shoulder area because of that.
I tell my pregnant moms that when I was pregnant I never sent my husband out for that like pickles and
ice cream run, but there were a couple times where I had to wake him up in the middle of the night to
adjust me because I know I wouldn’t have slept the rest of the night because a rib will go out or my hip
would be sore because you have to lay on your side all the time. So all of those aches and pains, you
know, and he was my savior in those times and you know I tell my pregnant moms in my practice all the
time, that you know, as soon as you can get in here to help get alleviation from these symptoms, the more
comfortable and more enjoyable your pregnancy can be. There’s no need to suffer as much as a lot of
women do through their pregnancies.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right. And also another tip would be to marry a chiropractor. This is a
good thing.
DR. STACEY MERLO: I was extremely grateful for my husband on those times for sure.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah. I actually did receive some chiropractic care at the end of my
second pregnancy because I was hoping for a VBAC and I was going to try anything and everything. My
daughters both kind of fall on to the OP position, which we can talk about in a little bit, but one challenge
for me was just making it to my appointments because I already had a toddler who’s a handful. But now I
remember when I was getting adjusted there was a little device and I never remember the name of it. It
almost had like a vibration or reminding me of like a hole punchers, something.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. Yeah.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: What is that called? How is that used?
DR. STACEY MERLO: There are two different devices that some chiropractors will use.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay.
DR. STACEY MERLO: One is called an Activator—
STEPHANIE GLOVER: It’s called that.
DR. STACEY MERLO: And the other one’s called an Integrator. So they’re very similar.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: I think it’s the Activator, if I recall.
DR. STACEY MERLO: People will say, oh, stapler—
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right!
DR. STACEY MERLO: Or something like that you know. They get that kind of clicky sensation.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah.
DR. STACEY MERLO: And that’s just a super gentle way because pregnant women, they get
that secretion of relaxing into their body so that helps with the elasticity of their ligaments and helps
stretch and open things up so the pelvic girdle can open up for baby to pass through.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right.
DR. STACEY MERLO: So what pregnant women need really gentle adjustments and low force
adjustments often because they already have really loose ligaments? It just takes a little bit of input to get
it to balance out. And so sometimes chiropractor uses their hands but a lot of times they’ll use those
instruments. And some people feel more comfortable with one or the other, some people feel one
[00:16:34] works better than them and so in our office we have what we call whole tool a bag of tools and
techniques that we can use, and we talk to the pregnant moms and work through with them. Did this
work? What did you like? We talk about their past experience so if they’ve been to a chiropractor before,
what did they like? What didn’t work? What worked great? And we tailor towards them.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay. And I do have to say it was your husband that I saw when I was
pregnant.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Awesome.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yes. Now Nathalie, did you have any experience with an Activator or an
Integrator?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: I didn’t. Like you just said more people preferred the hands on
experience and I had gone to a person locally here in Texas, that was very, “good with her hands,” and
she knew all the pressure points and trigger points and… that my body needed at that instant. It was really
nice to feel one on one pressure instead of going to an Activator.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: I think there is a lot to be said too about the human touch especially
when you are pregnant, making that connection, so that’s great. Thank you for sharing that experience.
Now there—you know we’re learning here that there are benefits to chiropractic care. Do there—tend to
present any risks for mom or for baby?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care during
pregnancy. Of course, if you’re carrying quads in your own bed rest, that’s a different story.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right.
DR. STACEY MERLO: But when we say pregnant—
NATHALIE TAYLOR: I have a different case.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yes. You are unique. But when we see a pregnant mom for the first time
we do a thorough health history to rule out any more serious issues that may require referral to a
specialist, but it’s rare that we find a pregnant women we can’t help in some way, and for the large
majority of pregnant women chiropractic care is extremely safe for both mom and the baby.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay. Great! And you mentioned you know when your husband would
adjust you in the middle of the night, so comfort and sleep is a benefit obviously like helping those loose
ligaments sort of settle and expand and sort of helping that process along. Are there other health benefits
in general or in pregnancy really to chiropractic care?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah, absolutely! So, like I said, mentioned before, the primary focus of
chiropractic care is to remove stress and interference in the nervous system. To allow the brain and the
body to communicate with each other so it can function optimally, so all areas of your body can function
better when we get that brain and body connected and talking to each other. I say some of the positive
side effects of being adjusted would be pain relief, increased energy, better sleep, mental clarity, hormone
balance, improved immune function, and just general, over all better health.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Well, that seems like it would be great for pregnancy.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Absolutely.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: So when we come back, we will discuss how chiropractic care can affect
baby and a little bit more detail and learn more about that. We will be right back.
[THEME MUSIC]
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Welcome back. Today we are discussing chiropractic care during
pregnancy. We’ve learn about how chiropractic care can help with pregnancy, health, and comfort. Let’s
find out more about how it can affect baby and your labor and delivery. Dr. Stacey Merlo is our expert
today. Okay, so we’ve discussed some risks and benefits to chiropractic care. Now Dr. Stacey, I read
somewhere that receiving chiropractic care while pregnant may reduce labor and delivery time? Is that
true? And how so?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yes, Stephanie. When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount
of room available for the developing baby. Like Nathalie was saying with her multiples, they just don’t
have enough room and sometimes even with single baby’s in there, if there is restriction or in uterine
constraints in the woman uterus, it can decrease the baby’s ability to position. I kind of use the analogy of
like, your uterus is like a hot air balloon and it’s suspended inside your pelvis, and it’s tethered in there
with the ropes are kind of like the ligaments. So if there’s any knots or tension and twisting in those
ligaments, it may twist the uterus or it may tip it one-way or the other. And then baby’s not going to
present straight shot down the birth canal—
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right.
DR. STACEY MERLO: For optimal position. Optimal positioning as you know is so important
for progression of labor, decreasing the pain in labor, and decreasing the need for intervention. So if we
can help the pelvis to open up and make sure that the nerve supply to the pelvis is optimal, balance out
those ligaments so that hot air balloon is puffed out nice and full, then that can really help improve the
baby’s presentation which will increase—decrease labor time and increase just the mom’s comfort during
labor.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay! And so we’re talking about positioning and presentation that could
mean if a baby is breach, correct? Or OP, which is osc…
DR. STACEY MERLO: Occiput.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: I always fumble on that. Posterior or sunny-side-up, as people refer.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yes.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: I also saw something pretty interesting about shoulder dystocia and how
perhaps chiropractic care can help with that. Can you touch on that at all?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. Again, just getting that uterus and getting the pelvis open up,
getting the uterus balanced-out, baby’s going to be, because in chiropractic we talked a lot about innate
intelligence. You’re body has this amazing ability. It made this baby from two cells and it knows when it
is ready, it knows when it needs to come, and it knows what positioning is going to be optimal. So if we
get the body connected, if we get the brain communicating with that baby, we get the environment ideal
for that baby; baby’s going to twist and turn and get its shoulders, get tuck-in that nice tight little ball that
it needs to ready to come through.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Awesome! Nathalie, in your experience with labor, did you go into labor
with any of your kiddos?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: With my first twin, I did. I went into active labor and Sunny knows
my story. I went into labor and I hop, my water broke, and then I hop.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: You are full of great stories, I’ve got to say.
SUNNY GAULT: She belongs in a movie. I swear.
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Yeah! That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life
besides the first time that I was pregnant and I sneezed and I peed myself and I was wearing white pants,
so enough said.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Do you feel like the chiropractic care that you received helped you in
that labor experience? How was your baby or how were your babies positioned?
NATHALIE TAYLOR: Each kind of one of my pregnancies where different in the sense of the
positions of my babies. In my first one I did go into active labor by myself, and the second one I did not. I
had to be induced because one of the twins were transverse, and then in my third and fourth pregnancy. In
the third one, the twins were so large that they actually had to give me chiropractic care to go up inside
me and move one of the twins into active labor position. And then in the fourth one, I was a single ten and
she was so large, she was 10 pounds, 9 ounces, and 23 inches long. So she has… she was posterior.
And so they had to adjust her as well, which we all know, if you have ever been pregnant before, being
adjusted in that kind of way is not really that comfortable until after the adjustment is over. And then
you’re like, oh-ho-how! That feels great!
STEPHANIE GLOVER: That’s actually a wonderful point and I didn’t have that on my list of
questions, but Dr. Stacey, what is the comfort level of an actual treatment or adjustment? Do some
women felt pain during an adjustment, or what would you say the sensation is like?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. I would say pain is rare.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay.
DR. STACEY MERLO: It should feel really good. It should feel really comfortable. Sometimes
it’s that sort of yummy kind of pain when like you’re getting a good massage and someone gets into that
not near like, oh, yeah, you know.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: The purposeful pain, sort of yeah.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah! And it’s like, oh, and you can feel that it’s working and that it’s
releasing something because sometimes like this psoas muscle which is right in deep in the pelvis, it gets
really locked up and tight and so sometimes we have to go in and really release and open that up.
Sometimes those joints have been really locked up. The longer it’s been locked up the more inflammation
is in that area so the more tender that area is. Ribs, we move those ribs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and
so to get them back into place, they’re really irritated and tight around there. But what we want to do is to
make sure that we’re as gentle as we absolutely can, and the adjustment should be as comfortable as it
absolutely can.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: And how often do pregnant women, like how often is it recommended to
receive the chiropractic treatment when pregnant?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. Frequency depends on many factors.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Okay.
DR. STACEY MERLO: When you came into our office we would have done a specialized
computer analysis of your nervous system which includes a surface EMG reading and a Thermograph
reading, which is just detecting any interferences and stress in your nervous system. And then we do a
thorough health history and physical examination. And those things will really help us determine how
frequently we would need to see a pregnant momma. Some pregnant mommas who are having really
great healthy uncomplicated pregnancies, we may see them once a month to biweekly, and then someone
who maybe is trying to have the VBAC, who has a posterior baby who may come to us at 37 weeks and
it’s like...
STEPHANIE GLOVER: That was totally me. I feel like.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Then we need a much higher frequency at that time takes because we
don’t have a lot of time. And we really want—
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Right.
DR. STACEY MERLO: To work that baby to change position quickly.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Yeah! I think I saw your husband maybe three or four times and then my
schedule didn’t allow for it. But what I would like to think is that it did have some positive effects
because I had my OP-baby led to a C-Section the first time, but my OP-baby and my VBAC labor turned
during labor. So you know, I would like to think too that I was doing everything I could to really optimize
my pelvis then make room and sort of take the stressors out of my body. It’s a pretty neat experience.
Now we have listeners all around the US, I mean obviously, we have our panelist from Texas, so not
everyone can see you and your husband, but what should our listeners do to find say like a Webster
Certified Chiropractor in their area? What are the best resources for that?
DR. STACEY MERLO: Yeah. If you’re looking for a specific Webster Certified person, you
would want to go to… there’s a website, it’s called www.icpa4kids.org, or no, dot org.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Dot org.
DR. STACEY MERLO: Sorry. So that will help… they’ll have a whole list of Webster Certified
or icp8 Diplomates or Certification Certified Chiropractors by geographical area. And then it’s great to
get connected to your mommy community because referrals are one of the best ways because there’s lots
of really amazing chiropractors that may not have done that specific certification technique but are really
competent in taking care of pregnant moms so definitely getting connected in your community in word of
mouth and then looking through your moms.
SUNNY GAULT: Also, Preggie Pals actually did a whole episode on the Webster Technique so
you guys, if you go to newmommymedia.com and type in Webster Technique, you can listen to that
episode as well.
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Well, perfect!
SUNNY GAULT: Tada!
STEPHANIE GLOVER: Well, Dr. Stacey, thank you so much for joining us today. For more
information about Dr. Merlo as well as information about any of our panelist, visit the episode page on
our website. This conversation continues for members of our Preggie Pals Club. After the show Dr.
Stacey Merlo is going to be discussing how chiropractic care can benefit infants. To join our club, visit
our website at www.newmommymedia.com.
[THEME MUSIC]
AUTOMATED VOICE: We have a question for one of our experts. Patricia in Tampa, Florida
writes: My childbirth instructor mentions something about the Brouwer diet, but that seems a lot of
protein. Do I really have to eat that much to have a healthy baby?
LINDSEY STENOVEC: Hello! I’m Lindsey Stenovec, Dietician and Nutritionist in
San Diego, California, USA. Patricia, I’m so glad you asked this question. As you know, the Brouwer diet
has many detailed nutritional recommendations including the intake of 80 to 100 grams—120 grams or
more protein per day and at least 2600 calories per day for any woman that’s following the diet.
Personally and professionally, I’m never an advocate of diet. Especially when they suggest that there’s a
one type fits all approach.
I’ve noticed advocates of this diet can sometimes create a sense of fear and urgency around nutrition that
makes the eating experience more complicated for pregnant woman. I’ve also had clients who are
stressing themselves well past their comfortable fullness level due to the urgency they have to meet this
type of recommendation throughout their pregnancies. Well for some woman this type of intake might
feel fine, following this type of diet is not necessary for you to achieve a healthy pregnancy.
In order to ensure you are getting enough protein each day, you can simply calculate this by multiplying
your weight in kilograms by 1.1 and this can be done during your second and third trimester. There’s
really no need to increase protein in particular while in your first trimester. In addition be sure to get a
balance of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meat, and dairy products, also calcium-containing foods.
And don’t be afraid to indulge in craving for foods and don’t try as well to ignore this category like ice
cream or cookies. The more we try to ignore cravings, the more we tend to focus on them. Most
importantly, listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues for guidance on how much you need as it will
change from day to day and from trimester to trimester.
During pregnancy women have to balance things like shift in hunger, heartburn, nausea, and early
fullness; so cookie term increase your recommendation will always fit perfectly into your day-to-day life.
Some days you’ll need more and some days you’ll need less. As long as you’re getting a variety of foods
and listening to your body you’re probably doing just fine. If you’re having a difficult time doing the
correct nutrition during pregnancy, consult with your doctor or midwife, and preferably a registered
dietician who works with pregnant women. Thanks!
STEPHANIE GLOVER: That wraps up our show today. We appreciate you listening to Preggie
Pals. Don’t forget to check out our sister shows Newbies, for postpartum moms during baby’s first year;
Parent Saver, for parents with infants and toddler; Twin Talks for parents of multiples; and The Boob
Group, for moms who breastfeed. This is Preggie Pals. Your pregnancy, your way!
DISCLAIMER:
This has been a New Mommy Media production. The information and material contained in this episode
are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not
necessarily those on New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Will such information and
materials are released to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical
advice or care, and should not be used for diagnosing or treating healthcare problem or disease, or
prescribing any medication. If you have question or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or
the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified healthcare provider.
New Mommy Media is expanding our line-up of shows for new and expecting parents. If you have an
idea for a new series, or if you’re a business or organization interested in joining our network of shows
through a co-branded podcast, visit www.newmommymedia.com.
[00:32:03]
