Nurturing Hearts Birth Services

Jenny Dubisar is a licensed chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and babies/children. She is also trained in the Webster's technique - effective for encouraging optimal fetal position and very effective at encouraging a breech baby to turn head down. Jenny provides chiropractic services twice a week in our offices.

The miracle of pregnancy is unlike any other event in a woman's life. The hormones, the excitement, the growth of both mother and baby... and the affect those changes have on the body of the mother can affect your pregnancy and birth story in a multitude of ways. I am passionate about empowering women to have healthier, safer, easier pregnancies and births. It is why I am a part of the Nurturing Hearts Birth Services team ~ as a family chiropractor, trained in the appropriate care for the unique needs of pregnant mothers, I am able provide another aspect of well-woman care. By sharing what I know of pregnancy and birth, I hope others will find answers to help them create better births for themselves too.

Why Chiropractic care for Pregnancy?

Pregnancy - Due to a lifetime of physical, chemical and emotional stresses on our bodies, the spine and pelvic area may become compromised. So, when our bodies begin to relax, expand, and shift to support a growing baby, previous compensations and misalignments may reach a point where they can no longer adapt effectively, and these structures are then less able to effectively adapt to the increasing demands and strains of the pregnancy. Sometimes this leads to pain, sometimes not.

Sometimes this lack of adaptation leads to other issues: a breech baby, non-optimal fetal positioning, premature contractions, etc. Adjusting and realigning the pelvis can changing the dynamics and allow the baby and body to correct itself.

In addition, consider this: your central nervous system, housed within the spine, is the master coordinator of your body. It is the pathway through which every single electrical impulse transports vital information to every cell, every tissue, every organ and every system of your body. Misalignments in the spine and pelvis inhibit these electrical impulses and interfere with the vital flow of information... including the information that is helping your baby develop. During gestation, the fetus is tremendously sensitive to all incoming information. When that information is delayed, re-routed, or bypassed, normal function and normal formation of structures are at a disadvantage. This includes the position of your baby (which may affect your labor), or even the development of your baby (which may affect everyone after birth), such as torticollis.

Labor and Birth - According to Williams Obstetrics, "Any contraction of the pelvic diameters that diminish the capacity of the pelvis can create dystocia (difficulty) in labor." The Webster Technique, by balancing out the pelvic area, facilitates the symmetrical growth of the uterus, supports the increased weight bearing needs of the pelvic area, and reduces constraint of the muscles and ligaments. Therefore, births are more likely to proceed as nature intended them because the body is able to optimally transition through the stages.

Post-Birth - Birth, breastfeeding, and a new routine with baby can all affect the mothers body. Misalignments of the upper back and lower neck from breastfeeding may be common, as well as low-back issues from lugging around those baby carriers! And, of course, realigning the pelvis after that baby has been birthed!

Newborns - A newborn that is having difficulty nursing, sleeping, is colicky, or has wry neck from non-optimal position in the uterus can all benefit from a pediatric adjustment. Infant Adjustments Are Nothing Like An Adult Or Even An Older Child! Because there is a lack of chronic-held muscular tension, adjusting a newborn or infant is a very gentle, light adjustment, usually done with my pinky finger.

Chiropractic Technique

Not all chiropractic care is the same. For example, I do not use "traditional" chiropractic maneuvers that make a snap/crackle/pop. My training is in low-force techniques that are highly specific, yet gentle and appropriate for many types of people and needs.

Webster Technique: I am trained and certified through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in the Webster Technique. This technique is a traditional pregnancy protocol and adjustment developed to address the pelvis and uterine ligaments as they respond to the changing needs of the mother and baby during the pregnancy. For more information, scroll down to the end of this page for a detailed example of the Webster Technique protocol.
Activator: I am trained and advance-rated through Activator Methods to provide care utilizing a hand-held adjusting tool that "clicks" a misalignment back into place.
Bio-Geometric Integration(BGI): I believe strongly that a body under stress and tension (physical or emotional) will not hold adjustments easily or well. BGI is an understanding of the relationship of the body, soft tissues, and the spine, and addresses that stress using gentle contacts to release torsion and tension that hold the body in a fight or flight response pattern, rather than one of rest and relaxation. I incorporate this understanding of the body in all of my care.

Would you like more research and information?

http://www.icpa4kids.org is the link to the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. Research, links to other pregnancy-trained chiropractors, and articles are available at this site.

http://www.activator.com is the link to Activator Methods for more information on the Activator Protocol, or to find other Activator chiropractors.

http://www.azbirthnetwork.com is the link to the Arizona Birth Network. This is a wonderful community of birth professionals and moms. Join the discussion group, learn about special events taking place in Arizona, and join us during our monthly Birth Circles to discuss various topics relating to birth.

About Dr. Jenny:

Graduated in June 2005 from Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Received certification through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) in September 2005 for the first-year pregnancy and pediatric program. I attend continuing education programs through the ICPA, and will pursue a diplomate status with this organization within the next couple of years.
Advance-rated Activator means that I attend the Activator continuing education program once a year to stay updated on the newest research, protocols, and professional issues. I have been advanced-rated since 2006.
I have been the Secretary of the Arizona Birth Network since 2006, and as such look forward to providing Arizona families with the educational tools to help them make truly informed decisions for their births.
Is engaged to be married and will be starting her own family soon! Homebirths, each and every one of them!

The Webster Technique: How it works

The Webster Technique is a specific, gentle chiropractic analysis and adjustment for pregnant mothers.

"The Webster Technique reduces the interference to the nervous system, balances out pelvic muscles and ligaments which in turn remove torsion to the uterus. (It) allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth," says Jeanne Ohm, executive coordinator of the Philadelphia-based International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, which certifies chiropractors on the technique.

A gentle adjustment or two is made to the pelvic area called the sacrum. Then gentle pressure is applied to loosen the round ligaments on either side of the mother's lower abdomen. These ligaments suspend the uterus within the pelvis. Misalignments may put enough tension on these ligaments to cause torsion or twisting of the uterus, a condition called intrauterine constraint.

Intrauterine constraint may not only prevent a baby from achieving the best possible birth position, but may contribute to longer and/or more painful labors, and increasing the use of medical interventions in birth. Each chiropractic session lasts about ten to 15 minutes, with moms noticing the changes in 30 minutes to one hour after the adjustment. In my experience, babies get very active during or soon after an adjustment. They simply have more room to move!