Successful Vaginal Birth After Cesarean - A Chiropractic Case Study

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study on June 3, 2022, documenting the successful vaginal delivery of a baby from a woman who had previously delivered her two children via cesarean, after receiving chiropractic care,

According to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, "A Cesarean section (C-section) is surgery to deliver a baby. The baby is taken out through the mother's abdomen. In the United States, almost one in three women has their babies this way. Some C-sections are planned, but many are done when unexpected problems happen during delivery."

Years ago, it was believed that once a cesarean was performed, the mother would no longer be able to deliver a baby vaginally. However, with the higher rates of morbidity (serious health consequences) associated cesarean, it is now considered desirable to return to vaginal births when possible, even after a cesarean birth.

In this case, a 40-year-old woman who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy, went to the chiropractor because of the severe hip pain she was experiencing. The woman rated the pain as 7/10 with 10 being the worst. She stated that she had never had this pain before, and that any movement aggravated her pain. This was the woman’s 4th pregnancy, with the two previous children having been delivered via cesarean.

After a chiropractic examination, determination was made that subluxations were present and specific chiropractic care was initiated. The care included the "Webster Technique" a specific chiropractic procedure developed to assist pregnant women.

Within several visits of starting chiropractic care, the woman reported that her pain had reduced from 7/10 to 4/10. Shortly thereafter, in her 40th week or pregnancy, the woman went into labor and delivered a healthy, 10 pound, 6 ounce baby girl.

In their discussion the authors summed up the benefit of chiropractic for pregnant women by stating, "Giving women the power and ability to give birth in a way that foregoes an unnecessary cesarean section may allow for a safer and more satisfying birth experience for both the woman and infant. Educating women on chiropractic care and especially the Webster Technique to address the biomechanical issues that may inhibit a woman from having a natural birth may give the power back to women and decrease the likelihood of an unnecessary cesarean section."