Prenatal Chiropractor Oakland | Webster Certified

Why Expecting Mothers Choose The Shift Chiropractic

Pregnancy is a sacred season of transformation — and your body deserves care that honors every stage. Our holistic approach focuses on easing strain, improving mobility, and helping your body adapt to change with ease.

Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy can:

Relieve back, hip, and pelvic pain caused by shifting posture and weight distribution
Support nervous system balance so your body communicates and functions optimally
Enhance comfort and flexibility throughout all three trimesters
Promote better pelvic alignment for a smoother, more efficient birth
Encourage overall relaxation and stress relief for both mother and baby

Chiropractic care for pregnant patient by Dr. Irina Velichko at The Shift Chiropractic in Oakland

Dr. Irina Velichko performing Webster Technique for pregnant patient at The Shift Chiropractic in Oakland

🎉 Webster Technique Certified

The Webster Technique: Balancing for Birth

Dr. Irina is certified in the Webster Technique — a gentle and specific chiropractic analysis developed to balance the pelvis and release soft tissue tension in pregnant patients. It is not a technique for directly turning a baby. It is about restoring balance to the structures that support the baby, so the baby has the best possible environment to move into optimal position on its own.

Optimizes pelvic symmetry and sacral alignment for birth
Reduces stress on the uterus and surrounding round ligaments
Helps your body prepare naturally for delivery
Gentle enough at any stage of pregnancy, including the third trimester

Gentle Techniques for Every Stage

Your comfort is always our top priority. We use specialized tools and positioning to ensure each adjustment feels supportive and restorative — never forceful, never rushed.

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Pregnancy Pillows

Specialized bolstering that allows you to lie comfortably face-down, fully supported, at every stage of pregnancy — including third trimester.

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Drop-Table Adjustments

Gentle spinal support using drop-table technique requiring minimal force — safe and comfortable throughout pregnancy.

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Instrument-Assisted

Activator and low-force instrument adjusting for precision and ease — particularly suited for sensitive areas during late pregnancy.

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Manual Adjustments

Hands-on adjustments tailored specifically to your changing body — adapted trimester by trimester as your needs evolve.

After Baby Arrives

Care Beyond Birth

Your healing continues after the baby arrives — and so does our care. The postpartum period is physically demanding in ways that rarely get discussed openly. Labor strains the pelvis and sacrum. Nursing demands awkward sustained postures for hours each day. Carrying a newborn loads one side of the body for months.

Our postnatal chiropractic visits help your body realign, recover, and reconnect. Benefits include:

Restoring pelvic and spinal balance after the demands of labor and delivery
Supporting posture and nursing comfort during extended feeding sessions
Reducing tension from labor, delivery, and the physical demands of newborn care
Promoting relaxation and overall well-being in the fourth trimester

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New mother and newborn, warm setting
Or Dr. Irina in a postnatal visit

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In-Home Wellness Visits for New Mothers

Getting out of the house with a newborn is its own challenge. That is why Dr. Irina offers in-home wellness visits — bringing compassionate, restorative chiropractic care directly to new mothers adjusting to life’s next chapter.

Call to Schedule →

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Flexible Scheduling

Visits scheduled around nap times, feeding schedules, and your real day.

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Baby-Friendly

Dr. Irina is comfortable with newborns in the room — she is a mother herself.

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Full Assessment at Home

Same thorough evaluation and care you would receive in clinic, in your own space.

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Oakland and East Bay

Home visits available throughout Oakland and surrounding East Bay areas.

Your Practitioner

Dr. Irina Velichko, D.C.

Dr. Irina came to chiropractic from a social work background, and that whole-person, trauma-informed lens shapes every patient interaction. She is Webster Technique certified and has completed a two-year post-graduate program in prenatal and pediatric chiropractic through the ICPA.

She is also a mother herself — which means she understands from personal experience what the body goes through across pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period. That is not something you can learn from a textbook.

ICPA Two-Year Post-Graduate Pediatric & Prenatal Program
Webster Technique Certified (ICPA)
Doctor of Chiropractic, Life West Chiropractic College 2014
Fluent in Russian, conversational Spanish
Home visits for postpartum mothers available

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest answers about chiropractic care during and after pregnancy.

Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy? +

Yes. Chiropractic care is widely considered safe throughout pregnancy when performed by a practitioner trained in prenatal care. Dr. Irina uses specialized positioning, pregnancy pillows, and gentle low-force techniques appropriate to each trimester. No techniques are used that put pressure on the abdomen. Many obstetric providers actively recommend chiropractic care for pregnant patients dealing with pelvic and back pain.

What is the Webster Technique and will it turn my baby? +

The Webster Technique is not a technique for directly turning a baby. It is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment protocol that addresses sacral subluxation and the associated soft tissue imbalances that can restrict normal uterine function. When the pelvis is balanced and the uterine ligaments are free from tension, babies often have more room to naturally assume an optimal position for birth — but this is an indirect effect of restoring structural balance, not a direct manipulation of the baby's position.

How often should I come in during pregnancy? +

It depends on your trimester and what you are experiencing. Most pregnant patients in their first and second trimester benefit from care every two to four weeks. In the third trimester, particularly in the final six weeks, more frequent visits — weekly in some cases — can help support pelvic balance as the baby descends and the body prepares for labor. We build a plan specific to your timeline, symptoms, and goals at your first visit.

When should I start postpartum chiropractic care? +

For vaginal births, most patients can begin care within the first week or two after delivery, as soon as they feel ready. For cesarean births, we typically wait until the incision site has sufficiently healed — usually around six weeks — before beginning any direct work near that area, though we can often begin cervical and thoracic care earlier. Dr. Irina can assess you at home in those early weeks if getting to the clinic is not feasible.

Do you also see newborns and infants? +

Yes. Dr. Irina provides gentle chiropractic assessment and care for newborns, infants, and children. Birth can be physically demanding for babies as well — particularly in assisted births involving forceps or vacuum. Gentle instrument-based assessment and adjustment for newborns uses no more force than light touch. See our Healthy Baby & Child page for more detail.

Do you offer care in Russian? +

Yes. Dr. Irina Velichko is fluent in Russian and can provide your complete visit — health history, assessment, consultation, and treatment — entirely in Russian. All documentation is available in Russian as well. This is full clinical care in your native language, not translation assistance.

Prenatal & Postnatal Chiropractic Care in Oakland, CA