I want you to visualize your body fully rolled up in a small, warm, dark space for 42 weeks. Then, imagine the most intense forces that you have ever felt pushing your body to exit through a hole. Imagine your whole spine compressed and twisted. Feel your skull stuck and then squeezed through this hole. Your neck is stretched, compressed and twisted for hours and hours and then you come through and experience light and sounds of magnitudes you have never experienced before. 

The real question is, how could you not receive a Chiropractic adjustment immediately after this event?

The miracle of childbirth is the first physical trauma each of us go through. Whether it’s a cesarean section, an induced labor, or a completely natural delivery, we all go through a similar process when we arrive into this world. As a Doctor of Chiropractic, mothers fathers and grandparents always ask me this question: “How early should a baby receive Chiropractic care?” My answer has always been: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

I’ve had the privilege of providing Chiropractic adjustments to babies less than two weeks old. Since I was a student, I’ve heard stories about babies that were adjusted as soon as they were born by a Chiropractic family member. Someday, when I give birth, I can imagine my child in my hands, looking into his eyes. I can see myself checking that all the vertebrae of his tiny body are aligned in order to provide a nervous system free of interference. From his first breath of life to his last, he will be checked. Every human being has the right to have a healthy nervous system, from their first breath of life, to their last.

As a woman and a doctor, I understand that there are many physical limitations after giving birth. I understand that every mother deserves to rest and a lot of support to be able to start a new phase of life. I always recommend that you give your Chiropractor access to do a hospital visit or a home visit. If this is not possible I recommend that as soon as you have the energy to leave your home, it should be for this first Chiropractic visit with your baby. I also recommend that you receive a Chiropractic adjustment as soon as you go through this incredible miracle in order to start a new stage as a mother. You deserve to fast-track your healing and set yourself up for success.

What does that first Chiropractic adjustment in an infant look like?

Have you ever checked if an avocado is ripe enough? When we check an infant’s spine, we use our little finger to apply pressure where the vertebral subluxation is located. The pressure used lasts a few seconds or until the doctor feels the specific vertebra is in the correct position. The nervous system reorients and adapts in response to this input, especially in newborn babies. The same technique can be used for the cranial bones as well, anything necessary to reduce pressure and interference to the nervous system.  I always recommend that every newborn has access to a Chiropractor who has the knowledge and skillset to verify that the entire skull is aligned in order to keep the cerebrospinal fluid flowing (flushing toxins from the brain) and to prevent the cranial bones from continuing to grow incorrectly.

The blessing of being a Chiropractor and being trusted by parents to care for their newborns is the biggest reward I have received in my life. I wish you a healthy journey with your newborn!

Natalia Canchaney, DC