Why would we say that Chiropractic care can set a newborn up for health right from birth? Simply, it puts the newborn body into balance, therefore, allowing it to function optimally. We do recommend having your newborn adjusted soon after birth with a trained and experienced chiropractor.

A woman’s birth story is something she’ll always remember. She’ll remember how she overcame the waves of contractions, the urges to push, that first little cry. She’ll always remember how fierce and powerful she felt after bringing her child into the world.

My birth as a mother

I’ll never forget the birth of my child and the moment I held my baby in my arms for the first time. I remember that moment he gazed into my eyes and those glorious first hours cuddling, nursing, and sinking into the waves of oxytocin that bonded us together.

Around two hours after my son was born, our midwife did her newborn exam. She weighed him, measured him and tested his reflexes. He was healthy from the start. Once she was done, she laid him on the bed in front of me and I did my own newborn exam.

 

 

 

As a prenatal and pediatric chiropractor, I have examined and adjusted many, many babies, but the feeling of finally being able to examine my own son was indescribable.

My son melted right into my arms as I removed the pressure on his nervous system and he fell right asleep.

My fingers gently touched his skull, checking his cranial bones. I felt his lower spine and checked the range of motion of his hips. I gently checked up his spinal bones moving up towards the top bone in his neck, his atlas. With the lightest pressure, about as much pressure as you would use to check a tomato for ripeness, I felt his atlas bone, the most important bone in his body. His atlas was just slightly rotated to the right and with the lightest touch, I performed a very specific chiropractic adjustment.

Oliver was born perfectly healthy, as are most of the babies we see in our office. So why would I adjust him if there was nothing wrong?

Why does your newborn need to be adjusted after birth?

During the birthing process, there are an estimated 60-90 pounds of pressure placed on an infant’s neck.

This happens due to contractions and the force of fitting through the birth canal. This pressure may be even more increased if there is pulling on the baby’s neck, forceps, vacuum or other interventions used during the birth.

It’s very common for the top bone in a baby’s neck, atlas, to shift just slightly out of alignment. If left uncorrected, this misalignment can cause colic, reflux, latching difficulties, and digestive issues. If left for a longer period of time, it can result in delayed milestones. As the child gets older, atlas misalignments can lead to headaches, trouble focusing, frequent colds, anxiety and so much more.

Is it Safe to adjust my newborn?

Yes. The pressure placed to adjust a newborn is the same pressure placed to test an avocado for ripeness. We do want to caveat that all newborns are different and each case should be evaluated by an experienced chiropractor.

Why should your baby continue to be adjusted as they grow?

If you’ve ever seen a child fall off the playground or fall off the couch or play outside with their friends, then you can appreciate how regular chiropractic care can help keep their spines healthy and correct the misalignments before symptoms ever come up.

As your baby grows

Perhaps the biggest joy in our office, though, is celebrating the children we see that never had any symptoms at all.

Many of our parents bring their children to our office to keep their kids healthy from the start.  Parents bring their babies within a few days after birth, so that we can have proper spinal health from the very beginning.

This is even more important as our children grow and learn to roll, crawl and walk. Chiropractic can help remove the effects of the bumps and falls along the way.

Common reasons to get your baby adjusted.

Some of the most common reasons why parents bring their children to our office are:

• Colic
• Reflux
• Trouble Latching
• Trouble Sleeping
• Ear Infections
• Digestive Issues
• Chronic Colds

It’s important to note that while we don’t “treat” any of the above conditions. As chiropractors, we simply to check the spine for misalignments, gently correct these misalignments, which then takes the pressure off the nervous system and allows their brains to communicate better with their bodies. When we do this, most of the time, their symptoms go away on their own.

The Revival Difference

Our whole philosophy in our office is to locate and correct these spinal misalignments from the start before they ever become a problem.

Removing the pressure off your child’s nervous system will allow them to express life at their optimal potential.

Let’s work together to keep kids healthy from the start… and not wait until something is going wrong.

Our practice is Revival Chiropractic, located on the corner of 434 and 436 in Altamonte Springs, FL. Simply mention this blog post for 60% off your day one services.

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