How important is a Chiropractic adjustment for a newborn?

I was having a conversation with my mother-in-law today regarding parenting styles and techniques and abilities in general and it got me to thinking about Keller and his temperament. For those that haven't met him or heard, people gush about how wonderful and easy he is, how content he is and just such a well-mannered baby. A lot of the time we hear the comment "You're SOO lucky!". And in the moment of the comment I often find myself agreeing. Thinking, well yes, I am! My son smiles and coos and only really fusses or cries when he's REALLY hungry or tired. Which are two situations that are easily fixed, especially since I'm breastfeeding him. (SO convenient!).

But as I take a moment away from those situations to think of everything, I have to say no, we aren't lucky at all. We are responsible for our baby's behaviors. We get to take credit. My son was given a chiropractic adjustment at birth, he has never been given an unnecessary medication or vaccine, he is solely given breast milk, he is nurtured and cared for with patience and a high degree of concern for his physical comfort, he is held and played with and stimulated with positive comments and smiles. Since his arrival, we've told him how much he is loved, how proud of him we are and how happy we are that he is our son. He is allowed to eat when he is hungry, sleep when he is tired, play when he is at attention to do so.

As yes, while I understand that many people out there feel this can only be accomplished by a family with the ability to have a stay-at-home parent, I disagree. It's stressful, even without a 9-5 job. If you'd like the details of how so, leave a comment and I'll be happy to post about it. No one ever said children were easy or that having a baby won't change your life forever. It is going to be hard work and it is going to take A LOT of your energies to grow this little thing you call your child into a well adjusted, healthy, happy, positive adult.

But back to my topic, just think about what that newborn baby has gone through to enter our world. It's not surprise that many newbies can only turn their head one direction, cry relentlessly, or have a hard time nursing right away. If your head had just gone through a tight whole half the circumference of your skull, plus usually pulled on with a weighted force of somewhere between 20 and 40 lbs, you can imagine the "crink" you might be feeling! If it hurts to just turn your head, you probably wouldn't be thinking much of 1) being quiet and sleeping or 2) trying to suck down milk. I'd be crying relentlessly too until someone fixed it! As a new mom and being involved in this new community of new mom's I cannot stress enough the importance of having your new baby, or anyone in your family, checked by a Chiropractor. As advice, make sure to see if the chiropractor you may be looking into has actually adjusted young children before you see them. Some do this and some do not, just as some doctors are pediatricians and some are heart surgeons.

As a little background and hopefully to put some confidence in yourself if you're nervous about seeing a chiropractor, take heart in knowing that both UNICEF and the WHO (World Health Organization for those that somehow don't know) have recently joined forces with the Connecticut Chiropractic Council to do a study on the safety of the chiropractic adjustment and spinal manipulation and they found it both to be a safe AND effective form of health care.