"Long and Painful vs. Short and Less painful” These are the words that my patient Sarah uses to explain the difference between her pregnancy, labor and delivery between her first child Jaden, and her second child, Ava.
I distinctly remember the day that Sarah first came into my practice, even though it was about 14 years ago, it’s as clear to me as if it was today. It is that distinct memory that drives me to help more women like her. With tears in her eyes, she recounted what a difficult and painful pregnancy and delivery she had with Jaden.
Sarah had awful Sciatica and felt that the baby and her were always ‘fighting for space’, she felt like he was always jammed up onto her pelvis and hip which caused her excruciating pain. Jaden ended up dropping early and she had not been able to partake in any physical exercise or activity through most of her pregnancy. She became sick with a cold and when she gave birth, had a fever and chills. The entire experience was in her words “a nightmare” and now that she was pregnant a second time, she was terrified of a repeat experience. She had found me through an OB GYN that I had a great relationship with who referred her to my practice as many OB/ GYN’s have over the years. Sarah stated emphatically that she wanted something completely different for this pregnancy and was willing to do whatever it took.
In clinical practice, we know as doctors that we can never guarantee results. We have a confidence and belief in the outcome of patient care, and a strong likelihood of what we expect to see in results, however nothing is ever guaranteed. I told Sarah we would do our best because she would be under Chiropractic care for this pregnancy and our expectation would be an easier pregnancy, labor and delivery, such as many other women who have undergone Chiropractic care. Although her second child Ava was born at exactly the same birth weight and height as her brother Jaden, Sarah’s experience was completely different. Sarah did not have any pain during the pregnancy with Ava, Sciatica was not even a thought in her mind. She mentally and emotionally felt at ease and felt she was ‘in-sync’ with the baby instead of fighting her. She noticed her hips were more open and loose; her labor was described as slow and easy. The only difference between both her pregnancies with Jaden and Ava was the addition of Prenatal Chiropractic Care.
For the last 15 years, I have had a special focus in my practice on Prenatal Chiropractic Care and our practice has become the #1 Pregnancy Chiropractic Center in Upstate NY and I now teach Chiropractors to do the same.
Why is it so important to incorporate prenatal chiropractic care in your practice?
Thousands of pregnant women are searching for help and answers for their complaints; they are more open than ever to following a plan for relief and recommendations for staying healthy through the pregnancy and beyond. The Prenatal population is also often very grateful for the care they receive. They have often been told by both other providers and members of society there is not much that can be done to help them with their pain; “it’s part of being pregnant” is a common phrase that they have heard many times. From a billing and collections perspective, pregnancy may often be covered by insurance as a ‘condition’ throughout the entire pregnancy and there may be a possibility of care post-partum in recovery that may also be covered by various insurance companies. The Prenatal population is also more willing to spend the money necessary for the health and wellbeing of themselves and their baby. Often when the child is born, if you have focused on educating the pregnant patient during their care, you will get lots of babies who need care!
Working with Prenatal patients can grow your practice in many different ways and is mutually beneficial, for the patient, practice and Doctor. The practice can often benefit from excellent outcomes for patient care and better pregnancies overall which means happier, more satisfied patients. Additionally, working hand in hand with OB/GYN’s and MD’s is a great way to grow or scale your practice if its done in the appropriate way. As a Chiropractor, you can help facilitate communication surrounding Prenatal Chiropractic care and the benefits of care with an OB/GYN or MD.
Women under Chiropractic care can benefit from easier labor and deliveries with less instances of back labor. The practice can greatly benefit with streams of new patients, increased revenue and better collaboration, communication and partnerships with OBs, Mid wives and birth providers for comprehensive and improved outcomes for the patient.
Pregnant women may have a variety of complaints due to the added stress and biomechanical changes to the body during pregnancy. Common complaints you may encounter in your practice with pregnant patients are:
• Headaches
• Neck pain
• Sciatica
• Low back pain
• Piriformis Syndrome
• Sacroiliac Joint dysfunction
• Mid back and Rib pain
• Hip, Knee and Ankle pain
• Postural Distortions
• Pubic symphysis dysfunction
Working with pregnant women does require some intentional attention and effort on the part of both the Doctor and the entire team, however, the rewards of working with this special population is worth it! As with anything, preparation is key! If any of the answers to these questions is no, you must find ways to correct the issues in order to work with more pregnant women in practice. You may also find benefit in asking a current Prenatal patient if the practice environment can be more conducive for pregnant women.
Understanding the clear direction that these questions will give you and your team will help to find clarity in working with the Prenatal population. There are so many benefits to caring for pregnant women, whether you are just starting to bring this special population into your practice or you have a practice full of pregnant women like we do in my practice, you are sure to benefit from making a more concerted effort to attract this special patient base into your practice. Pregnancy is an exciting time in a family’s life, and we as providers can share in that excitement and joy with the incredible care that we give to our patients. The joy of being a part of something bigger than ourselves and impacting the next generation in a positive way with better birth outcomes alone is worth every moment caring for pregnant women, and is a true labor of love!
Here are some questions to ask yourself in growing your pregnancy practice:
• Do I have tables that breakaway for the pregnant belly or pillows to accommodate the pregnant belly during all phases of pregnancy?
• Do I have special new intake forms or a section of my intake that a pregnant woman may be able to communicate her challenges and needs?
• Have I made room in my schedule for at least one pregnant patient a week to be scheduled?
• Is my front desk trained on howto handle discussing care with pregnant patients?
• Do I have an excellent report of findings to discuss care with pregnant patients?
• Do I have any knowledge of nutritional supplementation or exercises that can add to the care of a pregnant woman or are there other providers I can refer out to for these needs?
• Am I Webster certified or have a plan to become certified? This is an excellent training to further be able to support and care for pregnant women.
• Is my office welcoming and comfortable for pregnant women?
• Do I have a system of bringing in and retaining the pregnant patient?
• Do I have a clear and effective system of working with OB/GYN's & Midwives to introduce more pregnant patients into the practice?
• Do I have a system of communication with referral providers?
The second segment of this article will focus on working with OB/ GYN’s and midwives to grow your pregnancy practice as well as an introduction to the care and special needs of pregnant women in practice.
Dr. Irum Tahir is the owner and lead doctor of High Point Chiropractic Wellness and owner and CEO of High Point Consulting, a global healthcare consulting firm that teaches courses on leadership, OB/ MD referrals, business development, and sales in health care. A frequent speaker in the chiropractic and healthcare space, Dr. Tahir was named "Top 40 under 40 Entrepreneurs" and has been invited to speak at the White House and the United Nations. Her TED Talk has reached more than half a million views. Follow her on Instagram as @drirumtahir and on Facebook as Dr. Irum Tahir.
Learn the exact systems to grow your Pregnancy Practice by working with OB/ GYNs in our 8 week course.Text 619-3426224 or www.ignite-spark.com for more information.
