Hey friends, I’m Dr. Alicia Mahler.
I am a Doctor of Psychology and the owner of Freedom First Psychological Services, PLLC in Latham, NY. I am currently 39 weeks pregnant with my second son and boy (pun intended) has my second pregnancy been tough! I began experiencing difficulty with SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) when I was only 8 weeks pregnant. I had severe sharp, stabbing pain on both sides of my groin. I was having trouble with many daily movements such as walking, sleeping, getting up and down from the floor, and sitting; and it was only the first trimester! I was worried about how much pain I would be in for the rest of my pregnancy and how this would impact by ability to both work and enjoy my time with my first son before the new baby arrived.
I confided in my midwife, Kelly McDermott, from Sage Femme Midwifery who referred me to a trusted Chiropractic office, Kinkaid Family Chiropractic, whom they work very closely with. I began care at Kinkaid Family Chiropractic when I was 12 weeks pregnant. I was worried that the Chiropractic adjustment would hurt, but I figured that it couldn’t be worse than the amount of pain that I was already in each day. To my surprise, the adjustment actually did not hurt and it gave me tremendous relief instantaneously that I was beyond grateful for.
There are two Chiropractors in the practice,
Dr. Jessica Kinkaid and Dr. Ashley Busse. Both of the Doctors took excellent care of me and made me feel like part of the family. Not only did Chiropractic care keep my pain down to a minimum, it also allowed me to continue working up until the very end of my pregnancy.
Once my pain level was decreased, I thought the rest of my pregnancy would be a smooth ride. However, at 34 weeks my baby was still breech. That was concerning considering I planned to deliver my baby via homebirth. The Doctors at Kinkaid Family Chiropractic made it clear that they cannot claim that Chiropractic can flip a baby, but they taught me about the Webster technique and how it balances the muscles and ligaments surrounding the pelvis, which gives the baby the most room possible to flip on its own. At my next prenatal appointment, shortly after my last Chiropractic adjustment, we found that the baby had turned into the head down position!
Most importantly, Chiropractic care gave me the opportunity to cherish the last few months that I had left with my first born son before baby brother arrived. It could be any day now and with my solid prenatal team, I feel ready.