Colic + Chiropractic
It is nearly inevitable that at some point in your parenting journey you are going to Google the words “Does my baby have Colic”. The long hours of the night spent trying to soothe your baby with no progress and feeling helpless and hopeless that “it is just a phase” and that “it will get better…right?”.
I have seen hundreds of babies in my practice and have come to the conclusion that colicky babies are not just fussy or going to grow out of the constant crying. They are truly crying for help because something is not right and it is their only way of communicating with us!
There are many studies that show that colicky behaviors are oftentimes linked to digestive concerns…and I have found that this could very well be the missing link! This includes poor digestion, increased gassiness, constipation, reflux, poor feeding habits or sensitivities to certain foods. No amount of gripe water and gas drops are going to fix any of these concerns, but chiropractic care might be a better answer.
How did my baby “develop” Colic?
Some things to consider when a patient presents with colicky-behaviors:
What did conception and pregnancy look like for mom?
What was birth like?
How did the first feed go compared to how it is going now?
Are there any concerns with feeds such as pain with nursing, clicking, leaking, difficulty staying latched?
Is baby spitting up some of all of the milk they are taking in?
Are they having regular bowel movements?
What doe the consistency of their bowel movements like?
Chiropractic care plays a major role in all of the above concerns. Starting with the nervous system's ability to communicate with the digestive system. If the stomach and the intestines are getting mixed signals from the brain on how to perform, digestion gets disrupted leading to constipation, irritability and even absorption problems. This also goes with the oral function muscles. Sometimes we find tension in the tongue, lips, cheeks and neck that are maybe affecting the baby's ability to latch, suck and swallow without bringing in extra air which then leads to extra bubbles in the tummy and irritability.
If you are a patient in our office you will have heard me talk about stress at almost every appointment. It is hard to think that babies can experience stress, but they do! Physical stress from birth, emotional stress from learning who they can trust and chemical stress of all the new exposures they encounter in those first few months. If your baby is struggling to regulate stress, this can put their body into a “fight or flight” state and prevent their digestive system from functioning properly. Gentle chiropractic adjustments help bring their mind to a state of balance and calm so they can focus on the things that help them function best…like a properly working digestive system.
Now this may not be the case for every single baby with colicky behaviors…every child is different. However our goal is to rule out all possible causes until we can help find an answer for families in our office!