Prenatal chiropractic in Chesterfield, MO
Gentle, low-force care through every trimester, aimed at pelvic balance and at the low back, hips, and ligaments carrying a body that changes week to week.
Pregnancy rearranges your mechanics faster than any other nine months of your life. Your center of gravity moves forward, the curve in your lower back deepens to compensate, and relaxin loosens the ligaments that normally hold the pelvis and sacroiliac joints steady. The result is predictable: a lower back that aches by evening, a hip that hurts on whichever side you slept on, sharp round ligament pulls when you stand up too fast, and a pelvis that feels like it is doing more work than it used to. None of that means something is wrong with you. It means the load changed and the joints are asking for help keeping up with it.
Prenatal chiropractic care addresses those musculoskeletal and nerve-mechanical problems directly, alongside the obstetric care you are already receiving. It supports the structure that is doing the carrying.
The Webster technique, and what it is actually for
Dr. Hayes is trained in the Webster technique, a specific and gentle analysis and adjustment of the sacrum paired with soft tissue work on the round ligaments and the muscles that attach to the pelvis. Its purpose is pelvic balance: restoring normal motion to the sacroiliac joints and reducing tension in the surrounding ligaments and musculature, so the structure carrying your pregnancy is level and comfortable. Dr. Hayes is glad to coordinate with your OB or midwife throughout.
How we approach it here
Force is the first decision, and during pregnancy it stays low. Depending on what your examination shows, Dr. Hayes may use instrument adjusting with the Activator, Impulse, or PulStar, which delivers a small, precise input with no twisting and no cracking. He may use Thompson drop table work, sacro-occipital blocking, or Logan Basic, a very light sustained contact at the base of the sacrum. Diversified adjusting is used only where it is appropriate and comfortable. What we do not do is rotate the abdomen or the lower back deeply, or ask you to lie flat on your stomach once that stops being comfortable.
Positioning matters as much as technique. Pregnancy pillows, bolsters, side-lying setups, and seated work are all normal here, and you are the one who decides whether a position is working. Visits are long and unhurried by design, so there is time to get you settled properly rather than rushed through a table.
This is not abstract for Dr. Hayes. His own family used chiropractic care through pregnancy, which is a large part of why prenatal work is handled here with the patience it needs rather than squeezed into a ten minute slot.
What it helps with
- Low back pain that builds as the belly grows
- Sacroiliac joint pain and pubic symphysis discomfort
- Hip and buttock pain, including sciatic-type pain down the leg
- Round ligament pulling and groin discomfort
- Mid-back and rib pain as the ribcage expands
- Neck, shoulder, and upper back tension from changing posture
- Postpartum recovery as ligaments retighten and carrying positions change
Your obstetric care stays where it belongs. We handle musculoskeletal and nerve-mechanical problems. Bleeding, severe or sudden headache, unusual swelling, fluid loss, contractions, or a change in your baby's movement are questions for your OB or midwife, immediately, not for a chiropractor. If something you bring in is outside our scope, we will tell you plainly and point you to the right provider.
What a visit looks like
Your first visit is a sixty minute examination. Dr. Hayes takes a full history, including how far along you are, how prior pregnancies went, and what your obstetric provider has told you. From there the exam covers neurological, physical, and orthopedic testing, an assessment of how your pelvis and sacroiliac joints are moving, and your first adjustment if you are a candidate for one that day. Follow-up adjustment visits run thirty minutes. Several of the electrical and thermal modalities we use with other patients are set aside entirely during pregnancy, and anything that is used is priced per treatment so you always see what you are paying for.
Many patients continue after delivery, and many bring the baby in too. Care for your baby after birth is done with the same low-force, comfort-first approach, and is offered at the pediatric rate for children under fourteen when a parent or guardian is treated the same day.
Questions, answered
Is chiropractic care appropriate during pregnancy?
For most healthy pregnancies it is well tolerated, and we work alongside your OB or midwife rather than around them. Care is delivered with low force, supported positioning, and no deep twisting through the abdomen or lower back. Your sixty minute examination screens your history first. If anything about your pregnancy makes chiropractic care inappropriate, or if a symptom belongs to your OB or midwife rather than to us, Dr. Hayes will say so directly.
What does the Webster technique involve?
A specific, gentle analysis and adjustment of the sacrum, paired with soft tissue work on the round ligaments and the muscles that attach to the pelvis. The goal is pelvic balance: normal motion through the sacroiliac joints and less tension in the surrounding soft tissue, which is usually what makes sitting, walking, and sleeping easier as the belly grows.
Will I have to lie face down on my stomach?
No. Once lying face down stops being comfortable, we move to side-lying with pregnancy pillows and bolsters, seated positions, or drop table work that requires no rotation at all. Comfort is the constraint we design the visit around, and you tell us when a position is not working.
When can I start, and how often should I come in?
Patients start in every trimester, and some begin before conceiving. Frequency depends on your symptoms, how your pelvis is moving, and how far along you are. Many patients come in more often in the third trimester as the load increases. Dr. Hayes gives you a specific plan and its cost after the examination.
What about after the baby arrives?
Postpartum is its own mechanical event. Ligaments retighten, the pelvis reorganizes, and feeding and carrying positions load the neck, mid-back, and shoulders in new ways. Care after delivery is usually straightforward, and gentle care for the baby is available at the pediatric rate when a parent is treated the same day.
Pregnancy is hard enough without the back pain.
One examination tells you what your pelvis and lower back actually need. Book online or call the office.