Back school programs. The pregnant patient and her partner.

We believe that couples contemplating pregnancy should consider it to be a 12-month experience, taking 3 months prior to conception to change diets, lifestyles, and exercise routines, so as to maximize overall health. We encourage expectant parents to use the information and approach presented in back school in purchasing car seats and other equipment for child care activities. The Alexander Technique approach to posture and body mechanics can be a powerful adjunct to back school. It is being taught privately, in clinical settings, and in universities throughout the United States. Benefits range from relieving neck and back pain to improving body mechanics in child care activities. This approach to working with the mind and body as a whole enables patients to further help themselves without having to depend on long-term therapy in the reduction of overall musculoskeletal problems. Health care practitioners, working as a team, have an important role to play in the prevention and control of back pain in expectant women and their partners. Patient education, in individual or group form, can help to prepare patients and their partners to handle the stresses and strains of pregnancy, birth, and child care activities.