Guardians of the Birth Experience: Honoring the Webster Legacy
Provided by the ICPA
Larry Webster founded the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) with a vision of a better future, one where chiropractic care plays a vital role in advancing family well-being from the very start, beginning with pregnancy and birth. His hope and dream helped form an approach to birth where families actively engage with the birth process, not as passive observers but as conscious, informed participants. My parents, Tom and Jeanne Ohm, helped carry his vision forward, advancing the ICPA to where it stands today, at the forefront of perinatal, infant, and family chiropractic care.
My mom’s stories of birth are legendary in our community— fun tales of siblings present at home, bewildered relatives, loving midwives, and self-directed or “unassisted free births,” all at a time when such birth stories were rarely heard of. In each of her retellings, a constant thread was always woven: the unwavering support of my father, Tom. He wasn’t just a husband by her side; he was her chiropractor, her partner, and her rock. Today, it’s clear to me why Jeanne held such deep appreciation for Tom’s presence during birth. He was a companion that too few women have—a guardian of the birth experience.
Tom Ohm’s role was more than a chiropractor, acting as a loving husband who understands the sacred dance of birth. His presence at Jeanne’s side was a form of mental, emotional, and physical protection, a safeguarding of her experience, helping her to navigate the birth process with confidence and grace. His conscious support, so valuable in Jeanne’s life, mirrors the major contribution of Larry Webster, who, through the creation of the Webster Technique, elevated so many fathers and partners to the role of guardians of the birth experience, supporting the beginning stages of countless families. Webster didn’t just design a chiropractic technique; he founded a movement that would forever change the landscape of pregnancy and childbirth care.