About Babies

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Your Baby
by Lisa Kreinbrook, CLC, Charis midwifery student

David and Lisa Kreinbrook
David is a doctor of of chiropractic medicine and Lisa's inspiration!

Your baby is born, all 10 fingers and toes, but the journey in utero and through labor could have had an impact on the alignment of his or her spine.  Luckily, this is something that can be fixed by taking a trip to your chiropractor.  You might not think this is too important so early on, but in the first year of your baby’s life 65% of their brain and nervous system develops. [1]  Making sure that things are aligned properly can affect your baby immediately after delivery and in the early weeks earth side, and have lasting effects for the rest of his or her life.

As your baby was developing, any pelvic distortion you had may have restricted your little one’s movement.  This could result in musculoskeletal defects in your newborn, such as difficulty moving the neck to comfortably breastfeed or causing him or her discomfort to the point that crying results. [2]  He or she could also have experienced spinal distress from the journey through the birth canal, itself. [3]  Labor and birth is hard work for you and for your baby, too.  Even a normal, natural birth can be traumatic to the infant’s spine and cranium.  If your baby’s spine is out of line, it can affect the function of his or her nervous system and, ultimately, your little one’s future health potential. [4]

The safety of chiropractic for infants and children is well documented.  When the chiropractor adjusts your newborn, only light fingertip pressure on your baby’s back or neck will be used.  Typically babies are soothed by the adjustment and some even sleep through the process. [5]  In a study involving 5,438 visits, only 3 “adverse events” were reported.  However, these were simply minor discomfort and readily resolved with continued adjustments.  This equals a 0.00055% chance of minor discomfort for your infant. [6]

Why should my baby be adjusted?

At birth, your baby has a natural C-shaped curve to the spine.  This helps him or her curl up snugly in the womb.  The spine’s curve changes gradually as your baby grows and adapts to gravity. [7]  When fully developed, the spine is the shape of an elongated S.  This keeps us flexible and balanced, helping absorb stresses caused by walking, running and jumping.  “At first, a baby does not have the strength to hold his head up, nor the balancing curves in his spine to do so.  But gradually, as the muscles in his neck get stronger, he begins to lift his heavy head against gravity and a curve starts to creep and crawl, and the lower back (lumbar curve) and the muscles that support it develop.  It takes about a full year for your baby to attain these curves in his spine.” [8]

Left uncorrected, the nervous system dysfunction caused by subluxations may develop into health problems for your baby. [9]  These subluxations are common in newborns.  In fact, in a study of more than 1,000 infants, greater than 80% of newborns had some form of nerve dysfunction.  In another study, 1,250 babies were examined 5 days after birth and 95% of them had misaligned spines and cervical strains.  The great news is many infants respond favorably to chiropractic adjustment. The infants were adjusted by a chiropractor and had immediate muscular relaxation.  Another positive response seen in this study was an increased ability to sleep restfully. [10]

One of the leading causes of a misaligned spine after birth is too much time on the back.  Although the “back to sleep” program has been influential in decreasing cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), it has also resulted in babies spending much more time on their backs.  The result is an increase in incidences of plagiocephaly, or flattened portions of the baby’s skull.  A flattened head is more than a cosmetic issue.  This condition adds to cranial distortions and neurological compromise.  It can also hinder an infant’s development and slow the strengthening of the neck muscles. [11] [12]  Additional use of stroller, infant seats, cars seat and other similar reclining carriers has also contributed to spinal distress, especially lumbar imbalances.

Immediately after birth, and in the days and weeks following, if your baby is struggling chiropractic can be beneficial. [13]  Undetected nerve dysfunction associated with birth trauma may result in: [14][15]

• Breathing problems
• Irritability
• Frequent spitting up or vomiting and throat issues
• Irritability of the stomach and colon
• Colic.  Chiropractic has been shown to have a 94% success rate in treating symptoms of colic. [16]
• Difficulty with feeding and attachment, including impaired suckling and swallowing
• Sleeping problems
• Immunity deficits
• Asthma
• Ear infections
• Difficulties with balance
• Learning disabilities
• Headaches
• Hyperactivity
• Behavioral problems
• Mechanical problems, such as scoliosis
• Neurological defects
• Visual disturbances

Breastfeeding issues can often be traced back to undetected biomechanical injuries to the spine and cranium at birth.  Think about it.  If you had a neck ache, it might be difficult for you to move into position to suckle or to stay in that position long, right?  You’ll know if your baby has difficulty breastfeeding if you see any of these common signs: [17]

• Getting a firm latch is difficult
• Latching is okay, but sucking is not able to be sustained
• An inability to smoothly coordinate sucking (such as problems swallowing and breathing)
• It appears that he or she can only feed in only one position and posture
• He or she seems dissatisfied when nursing and remains distressed throughout the day
• Your baby chews or otherwise damages your nipples
• It seems like your baby needs to suck 24/7.  Note that it is normal and very important for babies to nurse frequently early on, and there are several growth spurts which cause baby to nurse very frequently.  However, if you’re not sure you can check with your chiropractor to see about an adjustment.
• Your baby may not feed any better from other devices

Summary

With so many documented benefits of chiropractic in newborns, it’s a wonder that chiropractic evaluation has yet to be included in every newborn’s health evaluation! Chiropractic frees the nervous system from spinal stress.  This allows the body to respond more efficiently when in contact with internal and external environmental stressors like germs, changes in temperature and humidity, toxins and pollen.  The adjustments permit the body’s natural healing potential to function at its best. [18] We hope you and your family are able to have the opportunity to experience these benefits too!

Testimonials from Families Who Have Used Chiropractic

Baby Jack was born after a very fast labor and had a slow start.  His breathing continued to be fast and labored a couple hours after delivery, so we called the chiropractor.  With a gentle adjustment, Jack’s breathing immediately slowed to a normal pace and was no longer labored, saving him a trip to NICU and a battery of unnecessary, invasive, painful tests.

Baby Mary was born after her mother pushed for a long time.  It took longer than usual because Mary was asynclitic, her head was tilted toward her shoulder so that she was not centered well in her mom’s pelvis as she descended.  Because I was concerned about how that position may have affected her neck, I recommended to her parents that they take her to see the chiropractor as soon as they felt up to the outing.  Mary was rarely content and fussed a lot during the first few days after she was born.  Once her mom felt up to it, they took her to the chiropractor and had her adjusted.  Wow!  What a difference it made!  They said they felt like they were meeting the “real Mary” for the very first time.  She was happy, nursed well, slept well, and only cried during diaper changes.  When she was a couple months old, Mary went a week between bowel movements, so they had her adjusted and she pooped immediately afterwards right in the chiropractor’s office.  They have had her adjusted regularly ever since.

Baby Caleb, a roly-poly ten pound baby boy, was water-born after a fast labor.  During the newborn exam, I noticed that his face was not as symmetrical as I would have expected.  His lower jaw was a bit crooked.  I recommended that his parents have him adjusted.  With a house full of children, an outing wasn’t high on the list of priorities for this mom and she didn’t take him in.  Caleb was not her greatest nurser.  He snapped and clicked and popped at the breast, took in a lot of air, spit up a lot, and always seemed hungry.  Since she had an overactive letdown, she took appropriate measures to keep that from causing him a problem.  But the problems persisted. Weeks passed and Caleb kept losing weight.  He eventually plateaued, but did not regain his birth weight.  At his 6 week pediatrician visit, the doctor said they would have to put him on formula and send him for gastric evaluation and testing if he did not gain weight within the next week.  The mom didn’t want her baby to be fed formula or go through testing if it was unnecessary, so she asked if I thought chiropractic might help.  I, of course, recommended seeing the chiropractor immediately. She found a chiropractor who could see her the next day and took him in.  Every few days, the chiropractor would adjust his jaw, and Caleb had significant improvement with every adjustment.  Today, he is a growing, chunky, happy baby boy who did not have to be given formula or undergo the testing the pediatrician said he should get.

Baby Jane, a beautiful girl born just moments after I arrived at her home, nursed once while I was there, but after I left, she did not nurse well again.  She cried and cried whenever her mother put her to the breast.  A couple days after she was born, I was at her home checking on her and it was evident that she was hungry, but her discomfort was too great for her to latch and nurse.  I called the chiropractor and arranged for her to be seen that afternoon.  While her mom was in the chiropractor’s office, she tried to nurse, but Jane just cried.  The chiropractor came out to the waiting area and adjusted her right there on the spot, took them back to a private room, and Jane happily nursed for the first time since she was born.  I saw Jane a couple days later and she was nursing so well that she already weighed more than she did at birth!  The chiropractor saw her a few more times and nursing has been going great ever since! [19]

References:

1) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
2) Ohm, Jeanne, D.C. “Perinatal Care” Seminar Notes. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, 2013. 257.
3) Ohm, Jeanne, D.C. “Perinatal Care” Seminar Notes. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, 2013. 256-257
4) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/The-Outer-Womb/adjusting-infants-certainly.html
5) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
6) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
7) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/The-Outer-Womb/the-benefits-of-baby-carrying.html
8) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/The-Outer-Womb/the-benefits-of-baby-carrying.html
9) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
10) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
11) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/The-Outer-Womb/baby-wearing-suggestions-for-carrying-your-baby-a-chiropractic-perspective.html
12) Barham-Floreani, Jennifer. Well Adjusted Babies: A Chiropractic Guide for Wholistic Parenting from Pregnancy through to Early Childhood. Melbourne, Vic.: Vitality Productions, 2009. 57.
13) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/a-touch-to-heal-a-chiropractor-helps-direct-an-at-risk-newborn-toward-wellness.html
14) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/adjusting-to-a-new-life.html
15) Ohm, Jeanne, D.C. “Perinatal Care” Seminar Notes. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, 2013. 257.
16) Ohm, Jeanne, D.C. “Perinatal Care” Seminar Notes. International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, 2013. 443
17) http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Breastfeeding/breastfeeding-difficulties-and-chiropractic.html
18) http://www.makinmiracles.com/articles_children/its_all_about_function.html
19) http://www.charischildbirth.org/newsletter/0913/