Baby Got Colic?
Have you been told that your baby has colic? Does your new child exhibit the following colicky baby symptoms: constant irritability and/or inconsolable crying for hours? Has it been recommended that you give your child anti-gas drops. Did you have a delivery that was difficult and/or involved forceps, a vacuum, or a C-section? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your child may have an underlying chiropractic problem that is causing colic.
Colic typically occurs during the second week of life and is characterized by extended bouts of inconsolable crying and restlessness in a well-fed child. Most treatments for relieving colic target the digestive tract. They include changing the baby’s formula, avoiding certain foods (if the baby is nursing), giving the baby anti-gas drops, limiting their milk intake, or even placing the baby in a more upright position.
In our office we see a number of colicky babies whose parents implemented the prescribed strategies but didn’t achieve the desired results. After their babies begin chiropractic care, parents are pleased with the favorable results created. What makes chiropractic different? Rather than focusing on the baby’s symptoms of constant crying, we focus on clearing interference in their nervous system. Interference in a newborn’s nervous system disrupts optimal functioning and development, which can lead to symptoms such as decreased rest, poor feeding or digestion, continual irritability and fussiness, and prolonged crying.
The interference to the optimum functioning of a newborn’s nervous system is caused by a misalignment and fixation, also known as a subluxation, of a vertebra in their spine. Often, subluxations are caused during birth. The force exerted on the spine at birth is significant. When labor is difficult, a vacuum or forceps are used, or when a C-section is performed the force on a baby’s spine can exceed 120 lbs, nearly 20 times the newborn’s weight! This is more than enough to subluxate a child’s spine and disrupt proper nervous system functioning.
When a newborn is brought in for a chiropractic evaluation, we use a combination manual palpation and computerized spinal scanning to assess the functioning of the newborn’s nervous system. Our “baby chiropractic exam,” is a complete evaluation and is much more sensitive than the standard pediatric neurologic screening. Then, using a combination of manual adjusting, instrument adjusting, cranial work, and low-force chiropractic techniques, we can deliver a well-rounded, thorough chiropractic adjustment to the newborn. With this approach, we create great results for the babies, but we also enable their parents to experience them in a new way – as a happy, healthy baby. (from an article by Dr. Estepa)