Day Seven: The Chiropractor, and Possible Progress

Today was my first visit to the chiropractor.

I didn't know what to expect. I've always been kind of scared of chiropractors, after hearing a couple of horror stories about people having their necks cracked, that sort of thing. I don't even like having my toes pulled or fingers cracked, so neck cracking scares me. Still, I'm willing to try pretty anything at this point, so with my midwife's urging, off I went. Luckily for me, I had mentioned this to the acupuncturist at my last visit and found out there's a chiropractor right in her office. She brought him in to meet me, and he seemed nice, so I was game to give it a try.

The left side of my back's been aching a bit anyway from all the sitting on the ball (to try and get the baby to turn); the same place where I had problems years and years ago, back in San Francisco, where I "put my back out." I learned then, through physical therapy, how to stretch it out, so when the soreness flares up now and then through the years, I know what to do. Still, I was eager to see if he could do anything, as the stretching has only been working partially the last couple of days.

Plus, I was eager to see if he could get the baby to turn anterior (facing my spine instead of my belly button) as well as to see if he could get my pelvis to "open up" so the baby would descend.

The experience was interesting, and pretty pleasant. He told me that pregnant women are usually quite easy to manipulate, because of all that relaxin hormone coursing through us... but I ended up being very tight indeed, and not so easy. First, he pressed on some acupressure points in my lower back, hips, and shoulders. He had told me that it would be unpleasant... so after enjoying the sensation for a while, I asked when it would start being unpleasant. Apparently, the thing I was enjoying is painful for many folks... he told me I have a high pain threshold! Cool. Maybe that will come in handy, say, in the next few days or weeks.

After that, he rolled me into various positions and then sort of squished me down into the table with all his weight. That didn't hurt, but it was sort of uncomfortable, mostly because of having all the air squished out of me. This was the part he calls "being manipulated."

He decided that that didn't open up my pelvis sufficiently, so then he used this sort of gun thing that pushed pressure into my back. That felt sort of nice. After a few more pushes on my lower back, he pronounced me done for the day, and told me to come back in two days.

I had searing pain in my forehead for a couple of minutes after I stood up, but apart from that, I felt great! My back wasn't 100% improved, but it felt like there was somehow a lot more space in there -- like my hip was less jammed up, somehow. And he didn't seem to expect that I would feel different after only one treatment, so I consider myself lucky. A special bonus: I felt more energetic afterwards!

Unfortunately, my back/hip area got tight again later, what with trying to sit correctly in a cafe with my friend, you know, sticking my butt out and accentuating the curve of my back. It's weird that sitting correctly makes my back sore! Finally we came back to her apartment and I could slump -- ahh -- in the armchair and on the floor.

While we were eating dinner, I felt like I really needed to pee, and finally hauled myself off to the loo. Where I discovered that I didn't need to pee in the slightest. This feeling has persisted the last hour or so...  and so I think that maybe, we have experienced some progress in Lentil inching (or "millimetering") her way down into my pelvis! It's not dramatic from the outside, though I think perhaps my bra is not digging into my belly quite as much as usual. So I am interpreting this, in the absence of conflicting evidence, as some small progress towards her someday making her exit!