We have new yoga classes for the spring.

We have further fine-tuned our yoga schedule to better suit the needs of our students. Beginning May 1, 2009 changes include a later time for Prenatal Yoga on Mondays, a brand-new Vinyasa Flow class on Tuesday mornings, and an additional Prenatal Yoga class on Fridays. 

In an effort to make prenatal yoga classes accessible to all, we’ve chosen to make this Friday class available on a sliding fee scale. The suggested donation for one class is $15. Those who can afford less pay what they can for each class. (Please note the sliding scale is available for single classes only and cannot be used to purchase a 6-class package.) 

Healing Hands Chiropractic is proud to welcome our newest yoga instructor, Liz Croteau. Sign up for an upcoming Vinyasa Flow class to experience Liz’s dynamic teaching style for yourself. 

For our complete spring and summer  yoga schedule please visit our website or call (603)434-3456.  For further information on Healing Hands Chiropractic’s prenatal and yoga program please contact assistant director, Jenny Everett King, CYT, CBE at jenny@healinghandsnh.com.

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Shelley’s water broke (also called “ruptured membranes”) a few days after her due date. As instructed during the last weeks of her pregnancy, she called the hospital, and was asked to come in for an evaluation. After a quick test, it was determined that her water had indeed broken, and she was admitted to the labor and delivery floor. Shelley was then asked to get in bed so that staff could check on her baby’s heart rate with an electronic monitor.

She stayed in bed for 13 hours.

Over the course of that long night, not much changed for Shelley or her baby, except that she got pretty darn sick of sitting in bed. When morning came, the birth of her baby did not appear to be any closer than it had been the night before. He doctor decided to administer Pitocin, a synthetic hormone used to cause or strengthen labor contractions. For the next 11 hours, Shelley sat in bed experiencing strong labor contractions with no pain relief. (Because her cervix had not dilated to at least 4 centimeters, she was not eligible for an epidural.)

After a full day of Pitocin-induced contractions, Shelley was exhausted, frustrated, and dilated to only 3 centimeters. By this time her water had been broken for over 24 hours, which many practitioners believe increases the chances of infection. Since Pitocin had not helped her labor to progress, her doctor diagnosed her with labor dystocia (also called “failure to progress”) and recommended a cesarean section. Shelley gave birth to her baby via cesarean a few hours later.

Shelley was left very disappointed with her birth experience. She had wanted a vaginal birth and couldn’t understand why her body had not cooperated. She was left to recover from major abdominal surgery while learning to care for a newborn.

Shelley’s story is a classic example of a concept childbirth educators call the “Domino Theory of Interventions.” Like dominoes falling, one medical intervention leads to another, and that one to another, and so on, often resulting in a disappointing birth experience overall.

Could Shelley’s cesarean birth and subsequent difficult recovery have been prevented? I believe so.

There is a specific reason Shelley’s labor did not progress: Her baby never “dropped,” which means his body never moved down far enough for the top of his head to press on her cervix. Especially in first pregnancies, without pressure from the baby’s head, a mother’s cervix can dilate the first few centimeters, but usually no further.  Mother and baby truly work together to make labor happen.

Why didn’t Shelley’s baby drop? The likely reason is that she was stuck in bed. Her body was not allowed to opportunity to work with gravity and move her baby deeper into her pelvis.  The most frustrating part of this story is that, according to Shelley, there was no medical reason for her to stay in bed for those 13 hours. She simply wasn’t offered other options. Once the Pitocin was administered, staying in bed was necessary, since Pitocin augmentation requires continuous monitoring of fetal heart tones.  (This is because Pitocin contractions can be more stressful on the baby than naturally-occurring contractions are.) As we know already, Shelley’s baby hadn’t had a chance to drop, so the 11 hours of painful and exhausting Pitocin contractions were relatively futile.  For Shelley, confinement to bed interfered with both her own body’s and her baby’s natural impulses, which resulted in Pitocin administration, which necessitated staying in bed and further stole the opportunity for Shelley to work with her contractions. In all likelihood, it was medical intervention that created the need for a cesarean.

So what to do if you find yourself in a situation like Shelley’s? If you give birth in a hospital, starting your labor in bed is highly probable, since most hospitals require 15 minutes of fetal monitoring upon admission. If this is your hospital’s policy, you still have options. You can sit upright in bed for 15 minutes, then get up and move around. Another option – one that works especially well if your situation requires continuous monitoring throughout labor, instead of just 15 minutes – is to labor near the machine but not in bed. You can stand or walk near the machine, or sit in a rocking chair or (my personal favorite) on a birth ball directly next to it. As long as the monitor stays in place on your abdomen, and you don’t move further than the wires can reach, there is no good medical reason for staying in bed.

Our weekly prenatal yoga classes incorporate many poses that can encourage your baby to “drop” and engage in your pelvis at the final weeks of pregnancy. The majority of the poses we practice are equally helpful during labor, and some can even be used for birth.  Any expectant mother who wants to learn more about helping to create the birth she wants for her baby is invited to join an upcoming prenatal yoga class or childbirth class series.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a family wellness center located in Londonderry, NH. Also offered at Healing Hands: Prenatal and Family Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Pregnancy Massage and Reiki Therapy.  

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Therapeutic massage has been used for centuries to improve overall health, reduce stress, and relieve muscle tension. Research has shown that pregnancy massage can be very beneficial in reducing anxiety and depression, relieving muscle and joint aches and possibly even improving labor outcomes.

Swedish massage is the recommended prenatal massage method aimed at relieving the usual discomforts brought on by hormonal and musculoskeletal changes in the body during pregnancy. Pregnancy massage may help relax muscle tension and improve lymphatic and blood circulation.

Studies done in the past 10 years have shown that hormone levels associated with relaxation and stress are significantly altered, leading to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health, when massage therapy was introduced to women’s prenatal care. Hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (“stress hormones”) were reduced and dopamine and serotonin levels (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression) were increased in women who received bi-weekly massages for only five weeks. These changes in hormone levels also led to fewer complications during birth and fewer instances of newborn complications, such as low birth weight. The evidence points strongly to maternal and newborn health benefits when relaxing, therapeutic massage is incorporated into regular prenatal care(www.americanpregnancy.org).

Massage therapy also helps reduce the collection of excess fluid in the joints and soft tissues that leads to edema, or swelling of the joints-like your ankles.

Many women have also experienced a marked reduction in sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy when receiving regular massage therapy.

Other potential benefits of prenatal massage:

• Reduced back pain
• Reduced joint pain
• Improved circulation
• Reduced edema
• Reduced muscle tension and headaches
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles
• Better sleep

Healing Hands Chiropractic in Londonderry, NH offers a full spectrum of prenatal services. These services include: Prenatal Chiropractic Care using the world renowned Webster Technique, Prenatal Yoga, Pregnancy Massage and Reiki, Acupuncture, and Celebrating Your Pregnancy and Honoring Your Birth classes with our childbirth educator, Jenny Everett King.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is located at Landmark Crossing, 25 Nashua Rd., Suite F2, Londonderry, NH 03053. Phone: 603-434-3456 Web: http://www.HealingHandsNH.com

Massage Therapy: http://www.healinghandsnh.com/massage_hours.html

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