Breastfeeding Challenges: What to expect when you bring your baby to a pediatric chiropractor
You just finished running the marathon of pregnancy, and now you have the incredible blessing of a reward, your new baby! Life is supposed to be easy now, right? Like so many moms and dads, you might be struggling. You thought breastfeeding would come naturally and be easy, but you’re exhausted, stressed, and maybe even depressed. Maybe you’re sleep-deprived and at the end of your rope. Maybe you talked to the lactation consultant in the hospital, and they said, “Everything looks good,” so you don’t understand why it isn’t easier. First, I want to offer you some validation. IT’S OK! It’s ok that you are feeling stressed. It’s ok that this didn’t come naturally and easily, whether it’s your first kid or your fifth.
While breastfeeding is a beautiful and natural thing, it is not easy. We have devoted our lives to helping you through this stage of life. I want to walk you through what you can expect when you bring your baby to a pediatric chiropractor like us.
After you get a private tour of our pediatric chiropractic office, a team member will take you to a private room where we can talk. We will first discuss the history of your pregnancy, delivery, and your baby’s life so far. We will discuss your baby’s latch, what you have done so far that is or isn’t working, and much more. We use this time for you to get everything off your chest. It might be the first time someone has really listened to you. Then we will talk about your baby’s overall state of well-being. Are they fussy, gassy, unsettled, poor sleepers, constipated, sick, or just overall tense? We usually spend 20-40 minutes digging deep into your questions and concerns before doing anything else.
The next step is for one of our doctors to look at your baby. During this part, we hold your baby and ensure they feel comfy and safe. Then we will examine them very thoroughly. Does their entire body curve to the side? Does their head prefer to turn to one side? Is their head and face symmetrical? Are any of the bones in their head not aligned properly? Are their eyes symmetrical and even? Is their lower jaw parallel with their upper jaw? Are the bones in their spine aligned properly? Are they able to touch their toes to their forehead easily? We check all these things and many more. It will help us understand if your baby’s breastfeeding challenges might come from a structural imbalance or neurological stress.
So why do we care about all those things? What do these structural imbalances and neurological stress have to do with breastfeeding?
The answer is everything.
Your baby’s head and neck are very complicated. Many moving parts need to be working in a precise way for breastfeeding to be easy.
Their mouth must open wide enough to take in enough of your breast tissue.
Their head must move freely left and right without restriction to nurse on both sides.
The muscles under their tongue need to be relaxed enough to make a good seal on the breast and swallow effectively.
Their body needs to relax during feeds to use energy efficiently and not fall asleep at the breast.
The nerves that control the entire process must be free from interference for anything to work well!
It’s no wonder why breastfeeding can be such a challenge!
After we examine those physical things with your baby, we will perform a simple nerve scan to show us if, where, and how much irritation your child’s nervous system has. It is as easy as taking their temperature but offers us a lot of helpful information.
All of the tests we check on your baby will show how much stress they have been under during your pregnancy, the delivery, and life so far. Unfortunately, one or more of these things are not working correctly for many babies. That’s where we come in, to help make sure all these things and more are working well.
After the consultation and exam, we will perform an adjustment. Just like during the exam, this part is extremely gentle. There is no twisting, popping, or cracking (It still surprises me that anyone thinks we would ever do that to a baby). Adjusting kids and babies is very different from adjusting adults; just one more reason to take your baby to a pediatric specialist like us. We can usually adjust a sleeping baby without even waking them up; that’s how easy it is. During this adjustment, we will begin addressing any nerve interference found in your child’s exam and scan. We don’t stop there. In the coming days, you will also have a visit with one of our lactation counselors (if necessary). They will assess how well your baby is latching and dig deeper into how well their mechanics of breastfeeding are working. They will be there to answer all your questions and make sure you feel confident and supported. Our CLC can also assign you at-home exercises for your baby if they need them to help with nursing.
Something as simple and gentle as pediatric chiropractic takes time and repetition. Unfortunately, nothing we do creates a magic fix overnight. When did we get so impatient anyway?! Everything good takes time, and this is no different. Over the coming weeks to months, you can watch your baby slowly transform into a happy, healthy, nursing, sleeping, and pooping little machine!
If you are hesitant or wondering whether chiropractic is right for your family, we would love to answer any questions. Feel free to text, call, or email us, and we will help!