As a chiropractor, we see healing miracles daily in practice. But we also care for our own families, just like we take care of you. If someone were to ask me about the best memories I have of utilizing the power of a chiropractic adjustment while raising my own children, more than a few stories would come to mind. One of the them happened 16-plus years ago, as a new mother (the second time around), with a fussy baby at 3am. Emilee was only a few days old and had suddenly stopped nursing from one side. I was tired, just wanted to feed her and get myself back to sleep ASAP, but she wasn’t having it. So, I did what any chiropractor-parent would do, I palpated her neck to check for subluxation. Sure enough, her atlas (C1) was displaced. I gave a gentle thumb pressure to the vertebra on the side of atlas laterality. Her body relaxed and she immediately took to the breast she had been refusing. 3am… happy baby… priceless!!!
I’m not the only mom to experience this. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association is a wealth of knowledge with abundant resources for parents, among them is a listing of chiropractic studies. In one case report a mother had a very similar episode to mine (but she didn’t have the luxury of a middle of the night resolution):
“A twelve-day-old male was presented for chiropractic examination and treatment by his mother. The mother related difficulty in feeding on the right breast. She also stated that he seemed “fussy” and had been producing excess bowel gas. Palpation and motion studies revealed the occiput having a limited range of motion. The atlas was found to be fixed with infant showing visible signs of distress on palpation of the right cervical soft tissue structures. A chiropractic adjustment was performed to the atlas: right atlas transverse using infant toggle-recoil technique. The mother breastfed the infant at the office immediately following the adjustment with no problems nursing on the right breast.”
To read more on this story go to: http://icpa4kids.org/Chiropractic-Research/chiropractic-management-of-an-infant-patient-experiencing-colic-and-difficult-breastfeeding-a-case-report.html
Atlas subluxations can be quite common for infants. In my opinion, every baby should be checked by a qualified chiropractor for a healthy start in life. Subluxations in the spine are detrimental to neurological development, can create immediate or future health issues and simply can be painful. I’ve seen cases of torticollis in infants due to subluxation in the neck, colic, difficulty breastfeeding, constipation and more. Subluxations can result from malpresentation, c-section delivery, forceps/vacuum extraction, an overly quick or long delivery process, and environmental factors like poor support of the newborn’s neck, especially during transport in a car seat.
Our mission is to educate and adjust as many families as possible toward optimal health through natural chiropractic care. Please help us spread the word to new-moms, families and everyone you know that chiropractic can be a winning wellness strategy for all ages!