The Webster Technique
Dr. Tori Hartline is Webster Certified through the ICPA.
- A specific analysis and adjustment focused on the sacrum, pelvis, and the ligaments and muscles that support them
- Aimed at reducing pelvic imbalance and the stress it places on surrounding structures throughout pregnancy
What Webster Does Not Claim to Do
We want to correct a common misconception directly.
- The Webster Technique does not turn or flip a baby
- Any office that promises it will “flip your breech baby” is overstating what this technique does
- What it addresses is pelvic balance and ligament tension in the mother
- A more balanced pelvis may allow more room and less restriction for a baby to move as pregnancy progresses
- Some parents pursuing breech-related pelvic balance work choose to combine it with other approaches their OB or midwife recommends
- We will never promise a specific fetal position as an outcome
First Trimester: Establishing a Baseline
Early pregnancy is often when nausea, fatigue, and the first wave of hormonal changes make even small physical stress feel bigger. It’s also the easiest time to establish where your body is starting from, before the added weight and shifting center of gravity of later pregnancy change things further.
- A full exam and an INSiGHT nervous-system scan at your first visit
- Checks of pelvic alignment, spinal mechanics, and how much stress your nervous system is carrying
- Gentle adjustments using pregnancy-safe positioning
- Nothing about the technique changes because you’re newly pregnant rather than further along
Second Trimester: A Changing Center of Gravity
Your ligaments loosen under the influence of relaxin, your center of gravity shifts forward, and your lower back and hips compensate in ways they haven’t had to before. This is often when women first notice a specific ache.
- A hip that clicks going up stairs
- A low back that’s fine in the morning and stiff by 4 p.m.
- A shooting pain down one leg that wasn’t there a month ago
- We reassess pelvic and spinal mechanics at regular visits through this window and adjust as needed
- Many women report better sleep and less day-to-day discomfort once pelvic balance and spinal tension are being actively managed rather than left to accumulate
Third Trimester: Preparing for Labor and Delivery
The last several weeks are where pelvic balance gets the most attention, both because discomfort tends to peak and because many women want their body as prepared as possible heading into labor.
- Pelvic symmetry and ligament tension checked at each visit, using the specific Webster analysis and adjustment
- Some women continue weekly visits right up to their due date
- Others taper based on how they’re feeling and what their OB or midwife recommends
- Either way, this is a decision we make together, and it never overrides guidance from the provider managing your actual delivery
Postpartum: The Part That Gets Skipped
Pregnancy chiropractic care often stops at delivery, and we think that’s a mistake. Nine months of a changing center of gravity, plus labor itself, leave a body that needs its own reassessment, not just a return to “normal.”
- We check pelvic alignment and spinal mechanics postpartum the same way we do prenatally
- Many women find this useful whether they delivered vaginally or by cesarean
- After a cesarean — scar tissue, core function, and how the pelvis has shifted during the surgery and healing process all get their own consideration, rather than treating every postpartum body the same
- Carrying and feeding a newborn — one hip cocked out to hold a baby, hours spent hunched over a nursing pillow, and other repetitive postures that create their own tension over weeks and months if nobody is checking in on them
Working With Your Birth Team
We are one part of your care team during pregnancy, not the whole of it. Everything we do sits alongside, not in place of, the medical oversight your OB or midwife provides.
- We don’t manage high-risk pregnancy factors, order prenatal labs, or make any decision about your delivery plan
- If something in an exam looks like it needs their attention first, we tell you plainly and point you there
- Tell us what your OB or midwife has told you, especially around activity restrictions or specific concerns they’ve flagged, so our care fits inside that picture instead of working against it
- Most women find that having both providers in the loop, rather than treating prenatal chiropractic care as a separate, siloed thing, makes the whole pregnancy easier to manage
Common questions
Does the Webster Technique turn a breech baby?
No. This is one of the most common misunderstandings about prenatal chiropractic, and we want to be direct about it: the Webster Technique addresses pelvic balance and ligament tension in the mother, not fetal position directly. We do not claim it turns or flips a baby, and any chiropractor who guarantees that outcome is overstating the technique.
Is it safe to start chiropractic care in the first trimester?
Yes. We adjust the approach and positioning to your stage of pregnancy, but there's no trimester where prenatal chiropractic care is off the table. Many women start as soon as they know they're pregnant, often to get ahead of nausea or early fatigue-related tension.
Will this replace my OB or midwife appointments?
No. Prenatal chiropractic care is a complement to your OB or midwife's care, not a substitute for it. We don't manage your pregnancy medically, order labs, or make delivery decisions — that stays entirely with your maternity care provider.
How often should I come in during pregnancy?
It varies by trimester and how you're feeling. Some women come in monthly early on and weekly as they approach their due date; others need less. We reassess at each visit rather than putting everyone on the same schedule.
Can I keep coming after the baby is born?
We'd encourage it. Postpartum pelvic and spinal reassessment is a normal continuation of prenatal care, not a separate service, and it's often skipped when it shouldn't be.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.