The other day a patient who is in her first trimester of pregnancy was chatting with me about different stuff and asking for some advice with pregnancy. Since I am pretty experienced with pregnancy and birth having had both extremes (a C-section and then a natural home birth), I said she could come to me anytime for questions. She thanked me and said it was so much easier to talk to someone who actually listens and understands! I asked her what she meant and she said that she felt her OB-Gyn didn't seem to care much how she felt and didn't take her concerns and questions seriously. She felt like she was "just another pregnancy". That upset me because pregnancy is supposed to be such an amazing, wonderful time, not some kind of disease! And of course a first-time mother is going to have a lot of questions and is freaking out! I suggested she think about using a midwife for the rest of her pregnancy and delivery. Midwives are trained in birth, while Obstetricians are too, they are better trained for emergency situations that require intervention like a cesarean section. And bottom line, if she is not comfortable with her doctor, she should definitely change!  I also recommended The Birth Book by Dr. Sears for her to read. It really explains well the whole pregnancy and birth process and what's happening in your body from the start of the first contraction right up until the the baby is born. A lot of women have a fear about labor and birth because they have never experienced it before, and let's face it, there will be pain! But if you really understand WHY the pain is there and the incredible things that are happening during labor, it is easier to handle the pain and prepare yourself ahead of time. Trust me, having a natural, drug-free delivery was amazing and definitely worth it! As women, I think we forget that WE are in control of our bodies, not a doctor, midwife or anyone else. YOU are your best doctor, so it's up to us as women to not only take care of our bodies but to understand them and do our own research so we are more empowered in any situation!

Dr. Carla

It's not rocket science....we all know too much sitting is not good for the spine, right? But too much sitting doesn't just cause pain, but lots of other health problems like increased blood pressure and obesity. When we sit or lie down too much, we aren't using stimulation from gravity and we aren't using our core and spinal muscles. What happens when we sit? Our head bends forward, and where our head goes, our shoulders follow, so they round forward. then the rest of our spine rounds forward and our pelvis tucks under, putting a whole lot of pressure on our lower backs. Keep this scary looking posture up for 10 hours a day (yes 10 hours if you commute to and from work, sit at a desk on your computer at work, sit for meals and sit on the couch for the rest of the night), then our spines will literally rot But we think it's ok because we went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes and lifted some weights, right? Wrong! Even if you're an exercise nut, if you spend most of your day sitting, your spine will still take a beating! And what about our kids! They are no better off than we are! Kids, especially school-age are sitting now more than ever!

So the obvious solution would be to sit less and move more right? Yes! But we have to take active steps on a daily basis to improve our posture just like we brush our teeth everyday! So get up from a sitting position as much as you can at work and do the following spinal exercises.

Wall stretch: Find a wall (this should be easy) and stand against it with your heels, calves, butt, upper back and shoulders and head touching. Lift up your arms in a 90 degree position to touch the wall. Engage your core (ie. suck in) and hold for 30 seconds. Don't forget to breathe!

Doorway stretch: Stand in a doorway and bring your arms up to touch the door frame in a 90 degree position. Press chest forward to you feel a stretch in your chest and in your back between your shoulder blades. Hold for 30 seconds

Sounds easy, right? It is! So just do it!

Your spine will thank you

Hello everyone! This is my very first blog post! I can't believe it took me this long to start! I will be postlng great information at least once per week, maybe more. I would like to focus on sharing helpful information to parents about how to raise healthy babies and kids the natural way. I am very passionate about this topic and I always have so much information to share and I figured my own blog would be the perfect place to do that! I will also share stuff about nutrition, exercise, my own words of wisdom and of course chirorpactic care. Stay tuned!