Pregnancy & Pediatrics

Chiropractic for Pregnancy and Kids

“My body and baby are healthy and strong.”

Family First Health Center specializes in Pediatrics as well as Prenatal care for both mom and baby. Drs. Monique and William McGowan have both received advanced training in Websters Technique through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) for the care of pregnant women, newborns, infants, and children of all ages.

Kids and Chiropractic

A child encounters many physical stresses during their growing years. The resulting problems in children’s spines can occur at almost any point in their development and growth.

The earliest challenge a growing spine faces is the position it is forced to adopt while in utero. Many women will have beard of fetal positions that can cause problems with labour and delivery such as: (brow, breech, transverse, posterior, ascynclitic, etc).

What is less well known is that these fetal positions can also cause problems in the baby’s spine as well.

Spinal segments can be pushed out of place or jammed by the position of the baby in the womb. If this position is less than optimal, it can result in a longer and more difficult trip through the birth canal, which can compound the spinal problems. In this way, even natural birthing methods can stress an infant’s spine and nervous system-not to mention interventions such as induction, forceps, suction, or caesarean sections.

These interventions, while appear to offer a less traumatic birth for the child, can actually create additional traumas and compromises to to the infant’s future health and well-being.

The cause of many newborn health complaints such as colic, reflux, breastfeeding difficulties, sleep disturbances, allergic reactions, and chronic infections can often be traced to nervous system irritation caused by spinal and cranial misalignments.

Since significant spinal trauma can occur at, or prior to birth, many parents elect to have their newborn’s spine checked riht after birth.

Many developmental milestones such as learning to hold up the head, sitting upright, crawling, and walking are all activities that are affected by spinal alignment and are important times to have a child checked by a chiropractor.

Additionally, falls, sports injuries, playground bumps, heavy school bags and sitting all day in the classroom are all physical stresses to the growing child’s spine and nervous system.

Pregnancy and the Webster Technique

Chiropractic care in pregnancy is vital to the normal physiological function of both the mother and baby throughout pregnancy and birth. More women and birth providers are discovering the many benefits associated with chiropractic care in pregnancy and recognize this area of expertise through Webster Certification.

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic sacral analysis and diversified adjustment. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation/SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is facilitated.

Sacral subluxation may contribute to difficult labor for the mother, caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation.

Correction of sacral subluxation can have a positive effect on all causes of difficult birth and attribute to the m other having a much easier and healthier labor and delivery.

Due to its proposed success in balancing the pelvis in pregnancy, the Webster technique should be the logical first choice for mothers and birth practitioners to facilitate normal function throughout pregnancy.

Should a woman not hear of the Webster technique until later in pregnancy, it is still prudent for her to seek out this natural approach to restore pelvic bio-mechanics and potentially optimize natural function.

Without undue tension to her uterus, the baby has more room for movement and proper in-utero development.

Free of pelvic and sacral subluxations, the nerve system function may be significantly enhanced and the birth canal’s diameter may be maximized, thus decreasing your chances for difficult labor and additional complications during delivery.

Due to the gentle nature of the Webster technique, it is a safe adjustment throughout pregnancy.

Is it Safe?

Chiropractic is absolutely safe for babies and children of all ages. Chiropractors have been adjusting children’s spines for more than 100 years and have an excellent safety record.

Infants and children are adjusted much differently than an adult due to their developing spine at their small size and age.

Babies and Children are adjusted using a gentle fingertip contact or by using an instrument (activator) to gently realign the vertebrae back into the correct position.

How Can I Tell if My Child has Spinal Problems?

Unless a child has an obvious problem it can be difficult for a parent to recognize when a child’s spine is not working correctly. There are many signs which can indicate spinal problems.

A few of these include:

• disturbed sleeping patterns
• breastfeeding difficulties in the very young
• restricted head or neck movement to one side
• one shoulder higher than the other

Common childhood disorders can also be linked with spinal dysfunction, these include:

• recurrent ear infections
• persistent sore throats and colds
• colic/reflux
• asthma
• scoliosis
• headaches
• bedwetting and/or constipation
• growing pains
• ADHD

One of the most common reasons for parents to seek chiropractic care for their child is physical trauma from an injury of some sort. The spinal misalignments that may occur at the time of the injury will not necessarily result in immediate pain or symptoms.

In addition to physical stress, parents should be aware that emotional and chemical stress affect the child’s nervous system and may also warrant a spinal check up.

Regular chiropractic checkups can identify potential spinal dysfunction resulting from these stresses, and chiropractic adjustments may help to enhance future function and well-being.

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