chiropractic care for babies
chiropractic care for babies

Chiro Babies

Being born is tough work – there are a lot of pressures and forces being exerted onto your baby during their journey into the world. Newborns, regardless of whether they experience a vaginal or C-section delivery, may suffer birth trauma and associated strain on their the neck and cranial areas following birth.

If left uncorrected, this trauma may continue to impact your baby’s spinal growth and development, reducing the healthy function of their nervous system. This can cause many health challenges later in life that could easily have been prevented.

Chiropractic care is a safe and effective means to help babies adequately develop as they should. Treatment involves very gentle spinal/manipulative techniques tailored to the age of baby to help relax stiff joints and stimulate the nervous and immune systems. No treatment will be prescribed without evidence of spinal subluxation or lack of mobility at a particular joint of the spine.

Chiropractic also plays a critical role in your baby’s ongoing development. Babies develop from completely dependent beings to walking, talking toddlers in a short space of time. Neural pathways in the brain are built as babies pass through each milestone. It’s important we help them build and develop their brains and their body strength symmetrically.

Our specialised team of doctors are all well equipped to ensure your baby is subtly and adequately supported in their development.

Not sure if your baby needs Chiropractic support in order to thrive? Contact us today and we will see how we can assist.

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Does your baby need help during their development stages?

Book an appointment with us today and we will provide you with the much-needed relief you are looking for.

Chiropractic Care for Premature Babies

Chiropractic was founded on the knowledge that if we make adjustments to the spine and soft tissues, we can improve body functioning at any stage of life.

Because of the gentle approach used in Chiropractic care, it is never too early to support your baby’s transition into the world, leveraging Chiropractic care which could help your premature baby recover from a rough start.

Babies delivered before 37 weeks are considered premature and come with their own set of challenges and related milestones.

A study by Cerritelli et al., BMC Paediatrics 2013, provides evidence for the use of manipulative care that shows early intervention assists by reducing the length of stay in the neonatal ICU and improves general wellbeing and development.

Chiropractic Care & Cranial Deformities

Our team has a special interest in early diagnosis and the management of infant head deformities.

It is estimated one in five children have a degree of head shape asymmetry, Plagiocephaly, Brachycephaly, also known as flat head syndrome. The skull bones in an infant are pliable, which can result in asymmetries brought about by in-utero positioning, birth trauma, prematurity / prolonged NICU stays, tight neck / torticollis or developmental delays (leading to excessive pressure on one side).

Early recognition and diagnosis is key to effective and positive change. If you notice flat areas on your child’s head you can try repositioning and “tummy time”, however anything asymmetrical remaining after 6 weeks of age should be assessed.

Head asymmetry is not just a cosmetic issue. It can cause developmental delays, may lead to facial asymmetry, jaw (TMJ) dysfunction, ear canal problems, headaches and even eyesight or visual issues.

During treatment, Chiropractic looks at any tightness or restriction in the skull and neck which may result in decreased range of motion to one side. Gentle pressure and safe techniques to encourage full neck range of motion, cranial motion and muscle control are applied.

Our interest in this condition has resulted in us forming a multi-disciplinary team to support treatment including Orthotist, Yovanka Torrente, who is certified and accredited to run the world-renowned American FDA approved treatment program. We are also able to assist with referrals to Paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists, depending on your child’s needs.

Contact us today to secure an appointment so we can do an assessment if cranial deformities in your baby are of concern.

Colic and Reflux and Chiropractic Care

Colic and reflux are both overwhelming conditions that could leave you feeling helpless soon after your baby is born.

Colic

Colic, defined as three hours of crying three days a week for three weeks, can often leave parents feeling completely debilitated as a result of baby’s ongoing crying.

There are varying degrees of fussiness that can begin shortly following birth or, more commonly, between three to six weeks of age.

The good news is that the Cochrane Review concluded that babies who received Chiropractic care showed a clinically significant reduction in daily hours of crying and that there was also a significant improvement in sleeping times when babies suffering with Colic were provided with Chiropractic care.

If your baby is showing symptoms of either Colic or Reflux, reach out to us. Our dedicated team of doctors is on hand to guide you and provide related treatment and support.

Tongue Ties

Tongue ties or tethered oral tissue limit tongue movement in babies, which may lead to breastfeeding difficulties.

Symptoms that commonly occur in babies:

  • Difficulty latching
  • Weak suck
  • Uncoordinated
  • Pulling off / Arching
  • Fussy / Chomping / Biting
  • Long feeds or snacks often
  • Leaking or dribbling
  • Cough / Gag / Clicking
  • Poor weight gain
  • Tongue shape

Mother’s symptoms:

  • Pain or cracked nipples
  • Oedema and mastitis
  • Perceived low milk supply

Tongue and swallowing muscles are related to the neck. So tight neck muscles (torticollis) may lead to tight oral tissue and vice versa. Chiropractic can help loosen these muscles to allow your baby to suck and swallow easier, taking in less air as they feed.

Reflux

Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when stomach contents pass into the oesophagus. It is arguable that 100% of young infants have multiple episodes of reflux daily, some are purely clinically silent and some are not.

Young infants consume their entire caloric intake in the form of liquid, often taking in as much as 180 millilitres per kilogram each day. For a 75kg adult that would equal just under 14 litres of fluid. Young infants feed much more frequently than older children and adults and their stomachs remaining full throughout most of the day.

Add to this the fact that infants lie horizontally for the majority of the time for the first few weeks following birth. Gravity no doubt plays a role in causing reflux.

Some parents report that their otherwise “happy spitter” with physiologic reflux is having difficulty sleeping or persistent nasal congestion, with others experiencing extreme irritability in their babies, lack of weight gain or failure to thrive and difficulty bonding and their babies showing little to no response to standard medications.

Chiropractic care can assist parents not only with reassurance and education, correct positioning, feeding advice and early referral to specialists but also with musculoskeletal issues associated with posturing, petulance and sleep patterns.

Frenectomy Preparation & Recovery

Chiropractic can help you prepare your baby both before and after a Frenectomy (the cutting of a tongue tie), by loosening the neck, jaw and surrounding muscles.

This makes it easier for the doctors to work with and ensures an easier recovery for your baby. It involves subtle musculoskeletal manipulation that encourages your baby to begin to use their muscles correctly, loosening and correcting muscle dysfunction in order to make it easier for baby to feed.

Chiropractic care in supporting development milestone achievement

In a matter of months, babies develop from completely dependent beings to walking, talking toddlers. Their first months of development are marked with their first smiles, their fingers wrapping around yours, them learning how to roll, to sit, stand and cruise.

As much as watching them grow is amazing for you, each of their milestones paves a neural pathway for them. It’s important we help them build and develop their brains and their body strength symmetrically. We need to create the highway for nerve pathways, and we don’t want any miscommunication.

While each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace, there are certain loose guidelines of when your child might be expected to reach the fundamental milestones. If they miss a step, it may prevent them from reaching their developmental timeline.

If your child has missed a milestone, or if something about their milestone achievement doesn’t look right, give us a call and we can assist you in ensuring that the building blocks are falling into place as they should. Trust your mommy instincts, if something doesn’t look or feel right, it might be time to seek a second opinion.