COVER STORY COLLABORATION Oh, baby T Chiropractic during pregnancy: the basics of interprofessional collaboration by dr . erik klein , dr . sarah mickeler he beauty of being a chiropractor that works with pregnant patients is that your patient likely has more medical support for this nine months of her life than they’ve had on any other occasion. Treating a pregnant patient is an incredible opportunity to not only give the patient top-notch care via interprofessional collaboration with their primary care and allied health team, but it’s also an opportunity to establish alliances. Who are the key players during pregnancy? • Obstetricians • Midwives • Family Physicians (many of them still have delivery rights at hospitals) • Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists • Massage Therapists • Acupuncturists • Chiropractors • Naturopaths • Lactation Consultants (in the immediate postpartum) In Canada in 2017, 10.8% of all births were midwife-led births, according to CanadianMidwives.org. Primary care relationships In most provinces in Canada, your patient has a choice of primary care provider (PCP): they may choose a midwife for an uncomplicated pregnancy, or they may opt for an DR. ERIK KLEIN is the CEO of Town Health Solutions, an Atlantic Canadian Network of corporate owned and franchised clinics, establishing a new model to rapidly scale chiropractic practice and businesses for new grads and established docs alike. Visit townhealthsolutions.com/franchising or email [email protected]. DR. SARAH MICKELER is a chiropractor, former musician, and the Founder and CEO of West End Mamas, Canada’s premiere clinics for perinatal health and wellness. She is passionate about the well-being of pregnant and postpartum people. You can read more about Sarah and her clinics at westendmamas.ca 22 Canadian Chiropractor April 2020 obstetrician, or, less commonly, their family doctor may care for them and deliver their baby. All three routes are covered by our tax dollars. Midwifery services sit outside the usual provincial healthcare coffers, and for this reason, newcomers to Canada, including undocumented immi-grants, qualify for midwifery care for free. According to CanadianMidwives.org, in Canada in 2017, 10.8% of all births were midwife-led births. Your patient will see their PCP, on average, once a month during their first and second trimester (up until week 27), on average bi-weekly from weeks 28-36, and usually weekly from weeks 36-40 or 41. That’s roughly 14 visits; more if the patient is a high-risk patient, or if any issues are iden-tified during their pregnancy. Allied care relationships In addition to choosing your exceptional chiropractic care, your patient may want or require the services of other allied health professionals (AHP). Each of these profes-sionals is valuable in the lifecycle of your pregnant patient, and while most patients will not require the services of ALL of these professionals, it’s worth knowing what they do. In addition, it’s important to know who does what so that when you build relationships with allied care www.canadianchiropractor.ca © Prostock-studio / Adobe Stock
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