Your Baby’s First Adjustment

Childrens Health Issues

Maybe you’ve been a chiropractic believer for years. Maybe you’re new to the chiropractic wellness scene. Either way, you know the overall health benefits of regular chiropractic adjustments and you’re thrilled with the way you feel.

Now, you’re pregnant and we’re asking you to consider chiropractic care for your newborn, and for some reason, that isn’t sitting too well with you. You’re afraid that the same beneficial chiropractic care that you receive might actually harm your infant. How could that possibly be?

Let’s give you an idea of what your baby’s first adjustment looks like. Keep in mind that many parents opt to have their babies adjusted right after delivery, due to the trauma of childbirth, when a great deal of pressure can be placed on a baby’s delicate neck and spine. The earlier that you address spinal misalignments in your baby the better – because your baby has a better chance of developing and maintaining an optimally functioning nervous system with regular chiropractic care right from birth!

And, as a chiropractor, there is simply no better feeling than knowing that you are an instrument to help the smallest of humans discover health in the first minutes or days of life. It doesn’t get any more rewarding than that!

So, what is a typical first adjustment like for your infant?

Well, first we jot down a health history – including notations about the pregnancy and birth (ex., any abnormalities, medications used, assisted birth, such as forceps, C-section, length of labor, severity of contractions, etc.).

Then we lay the baby face down to check for spinal misalignments that are usually present in the upper cervical spine or mid-spine (thoracic spine). We adjust your baby using the lightest possible pressure because that is all that is needed to correct a misalignment or a structural defect in such a tiny person.

Often, you will see your baby relax a leg that has been in the fetal position for months. Sometimes you can see a change in your baby’s face and body that you can’t even describe – so peaceful. Many infants fall fast asleep after their first adjustment.

It is our belief and our experience that babies who are adjusted from birth are healthier during their first year of life, avoiding the colds, ear infections, colic, allergies and asthma that many babies who aren’t under chiropractic care experience.

As a parent, isn’t that what you want for your newborn – a healthy, well-adjusted body that is ready to do battle with the world outside the womb? Sure beats antibiotics, runny noses and sleepless nights!

Dr. Brad Asks some important questions of interest to Auburn residents - Chiropractor Auburn Dr. Brad Asks...

Where do most Auburn residents get their first subluxation?
Being born in a hospital is a common source of subluxation. Trauma from forceps delivery has been replaced with drugs, vacuum extraction, Cesarean section and births that are "scheduled" to fit the workweek routines of Ob-Gyns. That's why we recommend a chiropractic checkup for every Auburn newborn.
What's your plan to deal with drug-resistant 'super germs'?
Chiropractors have always been concerned with the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, accelerating the mutation of microbes that make "wonder" drugs increasingly ineffective. My strategy? Do everything possible to bolster my immune system through proper diet, rest, exercise, clean air, pure water and an optimally functioning nervous system with regular chiropractic care.