The benefits of having your infants and small children under chiropractic care.
This morning I am so excited to share with you the benefits of chiropractic care for infants.
When my son, Barrett, was just 4 days old, we took him to see our chiropractor. Let me be perfectly honest with you, my wife was terrified. Terrified for all the reasons.... exposing our brand-new little baby to germs (baby born during flu season), the adjustment - would it hurt him? would he cry? But she was able to put her fears aside and we went on with the adjustment. Boone, my youngest son, went to get his first adjustment at 3 days old, pictured above. Both of my boys have really done well - growing like weeds, minimal runny noses, and to-date no ear infections at the Tolbert house!
If you are planning to take you littles to a chiropractor or didn't even know this was an option, consider this...
Birth is beautiful, but also can be traumatic from a skeletal perspective. During birth, babies are tugged on and this push and pull can hurt the baby’s spine. According to some studies, as much as 70lbs of pressure is being put on the baby’s head and neck during birth. That amount of pressure is bound to injure the nerves and joints of your infant. Chiropractic care can help with healing those nerves and joints, speedy recovery, and support proper growth.
Infant adjustments are not adult adjustments. They are far gentler and use fingertip pressure. Often, the adjustment may only involve a gentle massage that goes unnoticed by the baby. Any pressure that may be applied is done so with a gentle and soft hand, like pressure you would use to test the ripeness of fruit.
When it comes to infant care and treatment, chiropractors have been known to successfully treat issues like trouble with latching or breastfeeding, treating an undeveloped digestive system, acid reflux, ear pain/infection, and sleep issues, just to name a few. How does it work? It’s easiest for me to think about a kinked garden hose. Your bones are your foundation and your nerves run through those bones communicating body functions daily, without you even knowing. If a bone is out of alignment, it is likely putting pressure on a nerve, like a kinked hose. And we all know what happens when we have a kink in the garden hose – no water. Well, within your body that water not coming through the hose is a breakdown in communication between the different systems in your body. Once the pressure is relieved, the nervous system and other systems can perform their functions properly.
Chiropractic care can provide a much-needed boost to your baby’s immune system. The body is like a machine and if one part is malfunctioning, it is bound to cause issues in some other areas. Studies suggest that when the spinal cord and nervous system are working properly, the body can fight off pathogens in a better and efficient manner.
Depending on your baby’s personality, nature of the procedure, and skill/technique of the chiropractor, your baby may cry. Barrett did not cry, Boone absolutely did. It can be scary for them to have a stranger touching them. For some babies, it doesn’t phase them. With that said, the adjustment is not painful, but it can be discomforting for infants to be touched by a stranger.
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