**Osteopathy is covered by all major Ontario extended health benefit plans.**
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Osteopathic Treatment has much to offer an expecting mother and her family.  Whether the mother desires to have a home birth, hospital birth, cesarean or natural delivery, osteopathic treatment during your pregnancy can make the process easier and ease, or even remove, your discomfort.

From the moment of conception until the delivery, the mother’s (and baby’s) body undergoes many changes.  Hormones shift and change, the pelvis, rib cage, and internal organs all shift their positions to accommodate the developing child, and the breasts enlarge and adapt as well.  Any or all of these natural changes to a woman’s body can cause pain, discomfort or mood swings.  Gentle osteopathic treatment during the pregnancy can help make these changes smoother and reduce or relieve the discomfort.

No matter what type of delivery you have, getting osteopathic treatment during treatment during the pregnancy, and especially as the delivery date draws near, can help the baby take the correct position in relation to the birth canal.  This means that your delivery is more likely to go to full term (which is better for the baby). Getting treatment can help the bones of the pelvis (which are more loose than normal to help deliver the baby) stay in their correct anatomical relationship. This helps the mother have less pain and can aid in a natural delivery.  This can mean shortened delivery times, fewer complications, healthier mothers and infants, a greater likelihood of a low-risk pregnancy and less necessity of medical intervention during your delivery. 

Getting osteopathic treatment during pregnancy can help to limit or alleviate stretch marks (we can help the mothers body and skin adapt to the rapid changes in the baby’s growth).  It can also help with back aches, headaches, shortness of breath, poor sleep, mood swings, breast tenderness and many other pregnancy induced ailments.  

After your delivery osteopathic treatment can help to alleviate and prevent post-partum depression and it can shorten your recovery time as well.  

​​My goal is for you to feel comfortable and relaxed when you arrive for your treatment. Here is what you can expect for your first visit:

The initial appointment is approx. 50 minutes. It includes a thorough, confidential health history, an assessment, and treatment. Please bring or wear comfortable non-restrictive clothing to allow free range of motion.

Palpation, observation, and motion testing will be used in order to find asymmetries, restrictions in motion, tissue tension, and/or sensorial changes within the body. ​The assessment and treatment incorporate the whole-body head to toe, as all parts function together in an integrated system.

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The treatment is gentle and should feel relaxing. The body is gently manipulated to free up the restricted areas impeding the vital forces of the body (nerves, arteries, veins, lymphatics) providing overall balance to the structure.

Osteopathic manual therapists use levers and fulcrums to softly free up tight tissues and restricted joints. As structure and function are inter-related, the mechanical treatment has a neurophysiological effect, allowing the body to function more efficiently.

Follow up treatments are 40 minutes in length:

Treatment plans are based on individual health needs and on the body’s ability to heal, with improvement typically after 3-5 treatments. In more serious or chronic cases, a longer treatment plan may be necessary.

The end goal for each patient varies depending on the individual. An Osteopathic treatment aims to fix the root of the problem, opposed to temporary relief and frequent visits. We are working with natural law, and with the body, rather than against it to facilitate the healing process. This could mean more energy, better sleep, less pain, improved digestion, and a higher quality of life among many other potential positive effects. As Osteopathy treats the individual, each case is unique and may be preventative, curative, or palliative depending on the nature of the condition.

​Ultimately, Osteopathy aims to optimize the self-healing mechanisms of the body, helping you be your best!