Why should your baby be a patient at AHC?
- Birth Trauma
- Impacts on Growth / Milestones
- Optimizing the Nervous System
SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR IN BABY
due to dysfunction from birth trauma
- Misshaped or flat head
- Reflux / Frequent Spitting Up
- Irritability / Colic
- Difficulty Nursing (impaired sucking / swallowing or head positioning)
- Balance issues
- Sleeping difficulty
- Delayed developmental milestones
- Pulling on ears or ear infections
- Allergies or frequently sick
Birth Trauma:
Being born is tough work. There are a lot of pressures and forces being exerted onto your baby during their journey into the world. A recent study by Viola Frymann demonstrated that 90 percent of newborns suffered the effects of birth trauma: associated strain through the neck and cranial areas following birth. Frymann, an American osteopathic doctor, studied more than 1,500 babies periodically across an eight-year period. She examined all babies within the first five days of birth; in fact, many were checked within the the first 24 hours of birth. This study revealed that approximately:
- 10 percent of the newborn babies had perfect, freely mobile skulls or cranial mechanisms.
- 10 percent had severe trauma to the head, evident even to untrained observers.
- The remaining 80 percent all had some strain patterns in the cranial mechanism.
Left uncorrected, this trauma continues to impact a baby’s spinal growth and development, reducing the healthy function of their nerve system. This can cause many health challenges later in life that could easily have been prevented.
What can cause birth trauma?
- Very short labor
- Very long labor
- Failure of the cervix to dilate
- Use of Pitocin to strengthen/induce uterine contractions
- Use of forceps or vacuum extraction
- Cord around baby’s neck
- Cesarean delivery (due to lack of progress)
- Pulling or twisiting on the head to deliver the infant’s body
Impacts on Growth:
A baby’s spine lengthens by 50 percent in their first year. At no other time does this growth happen so rapidly, so you want to make sure your baby is in proper alignments, ensuring proper symmetrical growth.
The first year of life is also the time of spinal curvature development. There are curves called lordosis present in your neck and lower back, and curves called kyphosis in your mid-back and sacrum. These spinal curves are necessary for movement, balance, upright posture, protection, and shock absorption. Withou being in alignment during this crucial time, a baby’s spinal curves may not develop properly — giving him a poor foundation for later in life.
Optimize the Nerve System:
The central nerve system consists of the brain and spinal cord, and it processes everything that your body does. Movement, a heartbeat, seeing a baby smile, feeling the sun on your skin, laughing, smelling, creativity — all are coordinated by the brain and spinal cord.
In infants, the central nerve system also controls their growth and development. Infancy is the time of greatest brain development and propioceptor (body position sensors) development, so infancy is the time to ensure the health of the nerve system. Chiropractors who take care of babies look for disturbances in their nerve systems that interfere with healthy growth and development.
Remember: If your baby’s spine stays out of balance, it can put tension on the nerve system.
If you have any questions regarding infant care or would like to schedule an appointment, contact us today at (515) 227-7491.
