My Body Hates Me

My favorite topic in the world is pregnancy/childbirth. I could seriously talk about it all day - my pregnancy, other people's pregnancies, it doesn't matter. I am SO fascinated by what our bodies are able to do and how different an experience it can be for everyone. 

Did you know...

...the uterus will increase by TWENTY times it's original weight and ONE THOUSAND times it's original capacity?

...your blood volume will increase 25-50%?

...your bones soften? 

...your womb can hold 1 liter of water in addition to the full-sized baby in there?

Not to mention about a million other strange things. 

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It's no wonder we experience a little wear and tear throughout and after the whole process of mothering a child. I know I for one have a gripe or two. I've been experiencing neck & back pain since 8th grade. It wasn't the result of an accident or an injury or anything, in fact, my theory is that my big boobs and those massive text books I had to carry around started the problem. The pain was always more of a nuisance until I got pregnant. I had back pain almost immediately and it proceeded to increase as I got bigger and bigger. I also had awful back labor. 

Since having Kenley, I've noticed a few other weird little quirks like restless leg syndrome when I'm in bed, tingling and cramping in my hands AND of course there was my 6 week stint with bells palsy right after Kenley was born. 

It's been over a year since Kenley was born and it feels like my ailments are just getting worse. It was a pretty bad fall on Thanksgiving and a severe pinched nerve in my neck a week later that finally put me over the edge. I knew I needed to do SOMETHING to get some relief. My dad suggested I try a Health & Wellness Chiropractor that him and my aunt visit. And so I did. 

Turns out I have an inverted neck curve. A normal person's neck should look like this:

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see how it kind of makes that reversed "C" shape?

Well here's my neck:

definitely the opposite of what it's supposed to look like. 

While I can't blame the structure of my neck on motherhood, the chiropractor did say that the extra weight, hormones and general wear my body has gone through in the last 20 months most likely have made this problem worse. It's also probable that it's the cause of the bells palsy as well as the hand numbness and restless legs. 

Needless to say I am thrilled that I finally bit the bullet and went in to get some help. I am sick and tired of being in constant pain and am definitely over wincing every time I pick up my daughter. 

With the help of the chiropractor I have come up with a plan to reverse this problem and eliminate this darn pain. With some corrective stretching {ie Yoga}, stabilizing/strengthening exercises and regular chiropractic visits/massages I am hoping to be good as new and strong as can be before I go down that pregnancy road again {if I should be so lucky.}

Do any of you see a chiropractor? I have been so skeptical for so many years and am still not completely sold. If it's going to help, by all means I will go, but I don't want to get suckered in to anything I don't need. What are your thoughts?