Healing from cesarean birth and cultivating your best life: An interview with Dr. Maggie Hill of Xseed Chiropractic
Dr. Maggie Hill of Xseed Chiropractic.
There is nothing more fun than for a birth nerd to get to geek out with another birth nerd, and Dr. Maggie Hill is just that! We are so lucky to have her in our community helping people, especially mothers, cultivate their best lives through chiropractic care but also by being an amazing resource for women during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
Maggie with her husband Cody, daughter Halsie and son Hatcher.
KF: Tell me a little bit about yourself and Xseed Chiropractic.
Dr. Maggie Hill: I’m originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and always thought I would move back to Wisconsin after chiropractic school. I met my husband while we were both in chiropractic school outside of Atlanta, Georgia and had a God-moment where I felt called to Montana. He’s 5th generation born and raised in Whitefish, so coming back to practice here was always his dream. We knew practicing together was ideal, so we created Xseed. It is a play on the word exceed. It was important that we create a name that encompassed everyone and growth - expecting moms, babies, families, athletes, laborers, etc. Whether you’re growing a little seedling, striving to exceed in a sport, faith, career, you name it we want you to feel included. Our slogan is Cultivate Your Best Life. Cultivating is an action that takes repetition, effort, and consistency. It’s our goal to help people not only feel and function better through chiropractic care but also help them develop healthy habits that impact all areas of their lives.
Dr. Maggie Hill and Dr. Cody Hill.
What inspired you to specialize in pregnancy, postpartum, and pediatric chiropractic care?
I was under chiropractic care my whole life, it was just part of our normal healthcare routine. When I was in undergrad I worked as a receptionist for a chiropractor who saw a lot of pregnant women and families which really piqued my interest. I loved the community in her office and knew I wanted something similar someday. Then when I was in chiropractic school I saw a massive need for postpartum care. There were plenty of people passionate in school about pregnancy and the Webster technique but postpartum care was lacking. When I started looking around the valley prior to practicing I noticed a similar trend - people saying they see pregnant women but no one really passionate about postpartum chiropractic. I knew I wanted to fill that need and remind women that their postpartum care is more than being told at 6 weeks they’re cleared for activity.
When I first moved here, I noticed that there seemed to be a lot of chiropractors in our area! What sets your practice apart?
We treat others the way we want to be treated from a chiropractic standpoint. When we first started our practice we heard over and over again from people who had seen other chiropractors that they felt like just a number, their visits were rushed, and they didn’t feel listened to. We knew that is not the type of care we would want to receive, so we made a point to practice differently than others. We have longer than average appointments, little to no wait times, and offer more than just adjustments. We offer a variety of chiropractic adjusting techniques because we know one technique may not work for every single person. We incorporate additional techniques like Spinning Babies, Active Release Techniques, fascial work, functional movement screening, and dynamic neurostabilization into visits to help our patients accomplish their goals.
What do you love most about working with pregnant and postpartum women?
I love that no, one pregnancy or postpartum journey is the same. It pushes me to constantly be adapting and learning. It’s truly an honor witnessing women go through the motherhood transition. I love the community it brings to our office. Moms are able to connect with other moms and share resources and experiences which has been really cool to see.
Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy & Postpartum
If someone isn’t already seeing a chiropractor, when do you recommend they start during pregnancy?
Early is ideal! Majority of patients that start early on in pregnancy are often able to avoid the common discomforts of pregnancy.
What are some of the most common pregnancy discomforts that chiropractic care can help with?
Back pain, sciatica, symphysis pubis dysfunction, round ligament pain, headaches, indigestion, irregular sleep.
Can chiropractic care support postpartum healing and recovery?
Absolutely! During pregnancy your body has 9 months to gradually adapt to growing a baby. Then, relatively quickly, you’re no longer pregnant. That is a HUGE shift for the body both neurologically and biomechanically! Plus relaxin, the hormone that relaxes the muscles, joints, and ligaments, is still present postpartum. Add in postural changes from breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, staring down at your cute baby, and sleeping in “wonky” positions - most moms need their spine loved on postpartum! We also love to incorporate functional progressions for movement to help heal diastasis recti abdominis and reestablish the core-pelvic floor connection that is often missing postpartum.
You are trained by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). What are some common concerns that can be addressed in newborns and infants with Chiropractic care?
Some of the most common things we’ll see are torticollis, constipation, reflux, latch difficulties, colic, preferring one side to breastfeed on, irregular sleep, difficulty progressing through milestones/delayed milestones.
Your Birth & Cesarean Recovery Experience
I know you had two cesarean births that were not part of your original birth plan. Can you share a little bit about those experiences?
My first birth, I planned for a homebirth. I started having contractions when I was 41 weeks 5 days in the evening. After about 40 hours of labor with no sleep, little to no progression, hardly able to eat or drink anything, and the baby being asynclitic, I made the difficult decision to transfer to the hospital. My hope was that I would get an epidural and IV, be able to rest, and labor would progress. Unfortunately, after laboring for a while longer, my blood pressure skyrocketed and I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. The hospital midwife had to bring in the on-call OB, who suggested “we take the baby out the sunroof.” After lots of prayer and discussing with my husband, doula, and homebirth midwife, we decided a cesarean was the right decision. My daughter was stuck pretty far in my pelvis, so they struggled to get her out. This required a vertical incision in addition to the standard transverse incision, which left me with an inverted-t incision. After having my arms strapped to the table and unable to hold her when she finally came out, I was told I could never have a vaginal birth and that I should only have 3 kids. Needless to say, it was the exact opposite birth than I had hoped and planned for, and quite traumatic!
With my second birth, I knew I wanted to have a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC). I had done a lot of research and knew it was a reasonable choice, if I could find a provider that would support me. I consulted with an OB/MFM from Missoula who was willing to let me TOLAC, as long as we were down in Missoula. We were able to park my in-law’s motorhome in the hospital parking lot and waited for labor to begin. My second labor was very similar to my first, with contractions starting before bed and staying consistent throughout the next day. The following evening, things started getting more intense, so we went into the hospital. When they checked me in, I was super discouraged to find out I was only at 1cm because things felt SO intense already. I had an angel of a nurse who knew my desire to labor naturally and was determined to help me do just that. I labored throughout the night, rotating from the tub to sitting backwards on the toilet to doing Spinning Babies maneuvers. At 6 am, I was ready to throw in the towel and asked to be checked. I was told I was at 8cm, which gave me a burst of adrenaline and motivation! My OB came in and asked if I felt pushy at all, which I didn’t. After about an hour of working through more contractions, without feeling the baby really move down, he asked if he could do a cervical exam. All my motivation and optimism came crashing down when he told me I was actually only at 4cm and that the spot the nurse felt was a ring of tissue in front of my cervix, not my actual cervix. I asked for the epidural, barely able to keep my eyes open after another night with no sleep. After I was able to rest for a few hours, my labor completely stalled. We tried position changes, but nothing was getting the contractions to ramp up again, so we were advised that a cesarean was likely the best option. The cesarean was a much better experience than the first. It was less urgent, which made the OR less tense. I was able to do immediate skin-to-skin and hold my son on my chest, and the OB had so much more compassion than my first. Although it was again not the birth I hoped for, it ended up being a very redemptive experience!
Physical & Emotional Healing After Cesarean Birth
I love all the information and guidance you’ve shared on social media about healing from cesarean birth. What physical recovery tips can you share here?
SLOW IS FAST. The more you slow down and prioritize rest, the faster your recovery and healing will be. Breath work should be the foundation for healing and can be started immediately. Placing one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest and just checking in with your breath - are you able to move the hand on your belly? Or is the hand on your chest moving more? Breath is a great way to bring awareness back to an area that has experienced trauma. Gentle massaging on the belly above and below the incision scar early on can help desensitize the area. Silicone scar tape can be placed along the scar once it has healed (3-6 weeks on average, but check with your provider) to help keep it moisturized, reduce inflammation, and help reduce redness. Make a scar desensitization basket with different textured items: i.e., cotton balls, wash cloth, scarf. You can rub these items above, below, and directly along your healed scar to help retrain the nervous system to no longer send pain signals to the brain when the area is touched.
Breath work.
Scar desensitization basket.
Maggie using a cotton ball to gently work on scar desensitization.
Beyond physical healing, what advice do you have for emotional recovery after a cesarean birth—especially for those who had envisioned a different kind of birth?
Write it down and talk it out. Getting your birth story and all the feelings associated with it written out in one place and or talked through with someone you trust can make all the difference. If you’re telling yourself negative things, ask yourself - would I say this to a friend who had a cesarean? Would I say this to my daughter if she had a cesarean? You are worthy of the same compassion you would give to someone who went through the same experience.
Are there any specific resources—books, professionals, or support groups—you recommend for cesarean recovery?
A few accounts on instagram I love are Expecting and Empowered, Mamastefit, and The Vagina Whisperer. They offer a lot of great, digestible cesarean recovery information! There is a group called Special Scars, Special Hope for individuals who had a cesarean and ended up with a non-typical incision (i.e., vertical/classical, T, inverted T, J). It’s a great group where women share their birth, VBAC, and repeat cesarean stories. And of course, locally I recommend attending The Circle gatherings put on by Postpartum Resource Group!
Xseed Chiropractic office is so bright and welcoming even on a rainy spring day!
Motherhood & Your Practice
How has birth and motherhood changed your approach as a chiropractor?
Birth and motherhood unlocked another level of empathy for me. I’ve always been an empath but going through the motherhood transition now myself has allowed me to more fully understand how it really changes a woman. It has reinforced how sacred it is to be a part of someone’s birth team and the importance of individualized, patient-centered care.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by my kids, my husband, and challenges. I am an enneagram two, so I thrive on helping others and filling needs whether that be in my home, office, or community.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with expecting or postpartum moms?
We are all out here together figuring this out. Trust your intuition, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and give yourself grace!
Where can people reach you? And tell me about your packages.
You can reach us at xseedchiro.com. We have discounted prepaid packages (6, 12, and 24 visits), as well as monthly plans to make visits more affordable for the whole family!
Thanks so much to Dr. Maggie Hill and her sweet family! If you’d like to geek out some more, I recommend you follow Maggie on Instagram and hear more about her story and birth stories on the podcasts below.
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