If your baby has experienced episodes of endless crying and clear discomfort you know the helpless feeling/sleepless nights that accompany a colicky baby. Maybe your pediatrician has told you “they’ll grow out of it.” You, as mom and dad, know better and think there has to be something you can do to help your babe. You’re right. In this blog you’ll learn a bit about colic, common triggers, and chiropractic care as a safe, natural way to soothe your infant’s episodes of unease and distress.
Consistent inconsolable crying, neck craning, back arching, and irritability are all signs and symptoms of colic. Neurological imbalances are at the root of colic. While that may sound wildly scary, there are gentle, natural ways to re-balance the nervous system and offer relief for your baby and you, the parents.
Why Does Colic Occur?
Two prevalent triggers of colic that are often not spoken about or understood are:
- High Stress Pregnancies
- Birth Interventions (such as forceps, vacuum extraction, epidurals, induction, and/or C-sections). These interventions can negatively affect the nerves and muscles of the upper neck.
When these interventions are part of the birth process, an imbalance can occur in the baby’s nervous system, leaving it in a flight/fight/freeze mode. You may notice that the baby also experiences other disruptions with sleeping, latching, swallowing, digestion/bowel movements, or, as they grow older, gross motor development.
Hope For Priscilla
Each night around 7 pm, as early as two weeks old, Priscilla was arching her back, was irritable, noticeably uncomfortable, and often crying. This would last at least an hour and her mom, Bridget, knew something was not right. Nothing was helping to ease Priscilla’s discomfort and the pediatrician said, “Don’t worry about it, she will grow out of it.” Bridget said she felt the episodes were moderate to severe in intensity & that the response from the doctor didn’t sit well with her. Luckily, Bridget had started as a chiropractic patient 3 weeks prior to giving birth, so she knew that chiropractic care was all about restoring balance and health within the nervous system.
Bridget brought Priscilla with her for her first visit following the birth and asked if she could get the baby’s nervous system checked. She wondered if I thought that chiropractic care could help alleviate some of her symptoms of colic. The answer was a resounding “YES!”. Following the evaluation and two neurologically-focused adjustments for Priscilla, Bridget started to notice a decrease in the intensity of the episodes, though subtle at first. As she received more care, it was Priscilla’s father, Matt, who noticed a decrease in the length of time of the episodes. Lastly, certain symptoms started disappearing completely. No more crying; she was turning her head through its full range of motion, and she was comfortable with no back-arching anymore.
Bridget and Matt were most relieved that their baby was now at ease. Within a matter of weeks there were no drugs, only natural interventions, and she was able to go to sleep at night without issues. They, too, got a much-needed reprieve from the intense nights of discomfort and stress.
Sympathetic Dominance
When the body is stuck in fight/flight/freeze mode, it is said to be in a sympathetic-dominant state. Sympathetic dominance means that the nervous system is stuck with the gas pedal on and focused primarily on basic survival functions. The nervous system and body are less focused on things like digesting food, sleeping, coordination and moving. As a result, parents will see the baby struggle with things such as latching, digesting, keeping food down, pooping regularly, & moving their body fully and with ease. Often, the first line of action may be to remove dairy or other common allergens, then add in extra interventions. The thing is, if sympathetic dominance is at the core of what is occurring, these steps won’t be fully effective.
The Root Cause Of It All
Those gnarly episodes of crying, irritability, discomfort, lack of digestion and movement all have a root cause, often sympathetic dominance. One of the most frequent causes is subluxation, which is an interference in the nervous system communication that occurs at the neuro-spinal level.
Neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractors, like Dr. Molly, are specially trained in the assessment and treatment of subluxations and sympathetic dominance in colicky infants. Dr. Molly and her team use advanced technology called INSIGHT scans. These assess/measure the presence/depth of subluxation and nervous system imbalances. This comprehensive approach allows Dr. Molly to create a targeted care plan specific to your baby’s needs.
The Benefits: Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care & Colic
Neurologically-focused Pediatric Chiropractic Care that is specifically targeted to your child’s needs offers benefits that reach far beyond relief from colic symptoms. Common benefits parents report:
- Enhanced Immune Function
- Better Sleep: Quality & Duration
- Improved Digestion
- Overall support of brain