With being a doula now for a few years, many of our early clients are coming back because they are pregnant with their second babies. And those clients hold a very special place in my heart for sure! And I hope we do for them as well. Sometimes, those extra special clients, will even connect us to providers that that love, and well that is just great!

One such provider: Dr. Ashley McGuire of Abundant Life Chiropractic in Apex!

We actually first talked a few months ago, but all this virtual networking has our waitlist for provider spotlights pretty full! When I first talked to Ashley, I really admired her passion for the work. I know we all love our work, but she had a spark that made it very apparent this was her passion as well as her career. And well, that is the kind of doctor I want working on my body!

She was at a well established practice, but recently opened her own office space and is just loving making her practice truly her practice, something I think we all can can take note of how: how do we make our experience/job/home/etc truly ours.

And now, the fun part! Getting to know Dr. Ashley McGuire:

How did you first become interested in working as a women's health chiropractor?

I decided to become a chiropractor after a tumultuous pregnancy and birth experience with my daughter. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor so I could help people. I wanted to be a heart surgeon so I went to undergrad on a pre-med track double majoring in biology and chemistry on the hunt to achieve that dream. I was told most of my life that I wouldn’t be able to have children, so imagine my surprise when at 20, as a junior in college, I ended up pregnant. My now husband (then boyfriend) is a person of color, so I didn’t have the support of my family. Being the studious, research minded individual that I am, I wanted to be prepared so I dove into reading “what to expect when you’re expecting” and any other birth/pregnancy related books I could get my hands on. I read every book in three county libraries and they all gave me the same story of this is how pregnancy & birth goes. Spoiler alert, pregnancy & birth doesn’t fit into a one-sized fits all box and things got wild! Long story short, my daughter was hospitalized for over two weeks for nursing related issues. My sweet, one week old babe had 5 spinal taps and was strapped to a bed where I was discouraged from holding or nursing her. It didn’t sit right with my intuition, but against my best judgement, I silenced my inner voice and trusted the medical team. When we finally got discharged and sent home with a diagnosis of undiagnosed, I went on the search for knowledge and how I could help other families avoid the pain and emotional toll that we went through. Through my search, chiropractic kept coming up, but I had had a bad experience with chiropractic, so it wasn’t really on my radar. Eventually, I stopped being so stubborn and checked out a prenatal and pediatric chiropractic office and the rest is history. I literally went to chiropractic school with the purpose and drive to empower other women and families to listen to their inner voice and know that our bodies are capable of incredible things. As doctors, we know a lot about science and the body, etc., but you know your body and your baby best.

What can someone expect when they come see you at your office?

At Abundant Life Chiropractic, our mission is to serve and empower families! We take great pride in being a welcoming practice, so each person feels comfortable and receives the care that they need. When you walk into the office, you can expect to be greeted by name and treated like family. I believe that healing happens best when you’re in a safe, welcome environment where you’re free to thrive and know you’re loved. Regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, religious beliefs, or anything else, you’re welcome and loved here. I chose the name Abundant Life Chiropractic for my practice because it is my desire for all of my practice members to have abundance in their lives.

In terms of chiropractic care, the care that you receive is really tailored to you and what your body needs to reach your health goals. Every person’s care is unique. On your first visit, you’ll have a consultation with me where we’ll talk about your past health history and what your goals are and then we’ll do an exam to get to the root of your issues. Based on all of those findings, I’ll make care recommendations to help you meet your goals and check in with you at each visit to make sure you’re hitting those goals and answer any questions you have. I am certified in pregnancy, pediatrics, and athletics, as well as a variety of different chiropractic techniques so I can make sure to be able to provide the care you need.

What is one piece of advice that all pregnant people know about their bodies?

If I could only give one piece of advice for pregnancy, it would be that your body is amazing and you are 100% capable of growing a child, bringing it into this world in the way that you desire, and giving it everything that it needs to be a successful human being because you are strong, powerful, and enough.

What can chiropractic work help in the postpartum period?

Much like chiropractic care during pregnancy, the role of postpartum chiropractic care is really one of support and balance.

During pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes over a short period of time. And after baby arrives, the body is expected to transition back to its previous form and adapt to the new physical and emotional challenges of parenting with ease. However, we know that’s not often the case. The postpartum period (or fourth trimester as I like to refer to it) comes with a new set of physical and emotional challenges, such as holding baby often, sleeping less, feeding baby, the emotional stress of keeping a human alive, etc. Not to mention, your body is still dealing with the effects of the relaxin hormone, which may allow your joints to become misaligned easier and often creates aches and pains or areas of tension.

Gentle adjustments from a chiropractor help to realign the spine, taking pressure off the surrounding nerves and musculature to release tension and create ease and balance in your body. Chiropractic is a great tool to help women have an easier, more supported, pain-free transition into their fourth trimester period and beyond. And beyond the adjustments, I love to come alongside my practice members and support them spiritually and emotionally on their journey. It’s a lot easier to focus on being a new parent and get the most out of that experience when you feel good in your body, pain free, and empowered.