Let me start by saying…I am not employed by a chiropractor, married to one, friends with one or have one as a family member, nor am I getting anything out of sharing my story other than the pure satisfaction that I might help another helpless and stressed out Mom and her baby. Now on to my story…
When my fourth baby arrived in July 2008, I knew things weren’t going to be easy nor were they going to be stress-free and a piece of cake. The pregnancy itself wasn’t easy as I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia in my 33rd week and had to go on bed rest for 4 weeks. Being a stay-at-home mom of 3 boys, it’s not easy to be on bed rest nor is it any fun (especially in the middle of summer). Thanks to my wonderful in-laws and hubby who stepped in and helped with the kids, meals, laundry and etc.; we were all able to survive my bed rest and final weeks of pregnancy. Needless to say, the delivery of our lil’ princess wasn’t easy either. It was about a 12 hour process and I went from a 4 to a complete 10 in 30 minutes. That could be pretty rough on a little babe. Don’t you think?
The first few weeks with our little Maddie were hectic…sleepless nights, constant feedings and lots of fussiness. I had started her on soy formula right from day one because all 3 of my boys had milk allergies and I knew the chances of her having it were very likely…as I also had a milk allergy as an infant. I chose not to breastfeed with my fourth because it just wasn’t going to fit into my busy life. I had so many difficulties with all of my boys in regards to feeding and milk allergies and just the usual breastfeeding issues. I thought that since I was bottle feeding my baby soy, feedings would be a breeze and she would be a happy baby. Boy
was I wrong!!
At about a month old, Maddie was showing signs of colic…crying uncontrollably starting at around 4:30 every evening and what seemed to be in pain. She would cry and scream and she was just not a happy baby and she let us know. She didn’t sleep well at night and had to either have her head elevated when lying down or had to sleep in her car seat/carrier. She was spitting up A LOT…projectile at least once a day. I would feed her and then she would spit it
all up and would then be hungry again. So it was a vicious cycle of feeding and cleaning Maddie up.
During this first month and into her second month, we switched Maddie’s formula to Nutramigen and tried gas drops. We were told to try and thicken her formula up with rice cereal so that she may not spit it up so easily but nothing helped. When Maddie was almost 10 weeks old, we took her for an Upper G.I. to check for pyloric stenosis or reflux. Turns out, they diagnosed her with reflux and her pediatrician prescribed Zantac. It helped but she was still miserable and spitting up a lot. We tried to thicken her formula even more by using “Thick It” powder. This made a big difference in her spitting up but she was still miserable,
crying often and still spitting up more than I knew she should be.
By this time, I was frustrated and very stressed out. I didn’t feel that I was being the best mom I could be to my boys and felt like my life was totally out of control. The only thing I had time for was consoling Maddie and tending to her needs. I couldn’t get anything else done. Through all of this, my husband didn’t have much patience for Maddie…none of us did. She was very difficult and “hard to figure out”. I just remember wanting to be able to enjoy my baby and I hating that I couldn’t because she was so unhappy.
When Maddie was 13 weeks old, my husband was out of town on business and a co-worker had mentioned to my husband that they had taken their baby to see a chiropractor. When my husband suggested we take Maddie to a chiropractor, I immediately thought “Ya, like I’m going to take Maddie to a chiropractor”. I had a misguided idea of what chiropractic care was all about, but then, I went home and did some online research about babies with reflux and chiropractic care. I found a lot of information from parents like myself who had babies with reflux and they were helped by a chiropractor.
At this point, we had tried everything and nothing was working. We had an appointment scheduled with a Pediatric Gastroenterologist but they weren’t able to get us in for over a month. We had no other options and we were all miserable. So, I called a chiropractor that was recommended by my best friend and some family members as well and we prayed this doctor would be the answer to our prayers.
At our first appointment with the chiropractor, the doctor examined Maddie and found that she had two vertebrae in her neck that were out of alignment. And these were affecting nerves that were controlling her internal organs. He also noticed that Maddie was reluctant to turn her head to the left which was caused by the vertebrae in her neck not aligning properly. We were told that she would eventually out-grow the reflux which we already knew but he informed us that without treatment, Maddie would probably suffer with chronic ear infections in the future because of the imbalance in her head and neck and in turn this would affect here Eustachian tubes. This got us thinking because our 5 year old has had chronic ear infections for much of his life and just had his 3rd set of ear tubes put in this year. Hmmm? Are his vertebrae out of alignment as well?
The chiropractor assured us that he could help Maddie’s colic issues as well as her reflux issues but we would need to schedule 6 weeks of adjustments for her. He suggested we schedule 3 adjustments three times a week for 3 weeks and then 2 adjustments two times a week for 3 weeks. The “adjustments” involved using a hand-held device that applied pressure to the affected area which would slowly re-align her vertebrae into their correct position. There is a pulsation to it as well and does not hurt Maddie when these treatments are given. During the first week, Maddie was uncomfortable with her adjustments but not in pain.
Stop and think for a minute how traumatic child birth might be on a little baby. All of that pressure and pushing and just having their little bodies in such a confined place for 9 months cannot be good. How could they not have vertebrae that are out of alignment?
After our first week of appointments, we could tell a difference in Maddie. It was amazing!! She was a little happier and more content and with each passing week of adjustments, she became happier and more content. She was still having issues with spitting up and the chiropractor suggested we start her on a probiotic supplement which we add to her formula. He explained to me that everyone has good and bad bacteria in their stomachs and that babies get the “good” bacteria from breast milk. Since I didn’t breast feed Maddie, it was possible that she was lacking in the “good” bacteria. It took a few days to notice a difference, but now she is still spitting up but very little! I am so glad I tried this supplement!
We are now on our 4th week of adjustments and I finally have a happy baby girl! She is like a completely different baby. I only wish I had known about this “miracle worker”, chiropractor a few months ago. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be able to enjoy our little girl now and how much easier she is now. She is no longer on Nutramigen formula, which is quite expensive. I have switched her back to regular soy formula. I am also in the process of weaning Maddie off of her Zantac. I hate the thought of giving an infant medication of any kind…there is no way of knowing what the long-term effects will be at this point since it is not something that doctors have been able to research for years and years. I have not shared any of this with our pediatrician because I was afraid she might think I was crazy or would discourage me from any of this. At Maddie’s 4 month well-baby check her pediatrician will hear this story for the first time and I hope she is amazed.
If you have a baby who is dealing with colic or reflux, I suggest you make an appointment with a trusted chiropractor immediately. Ask around and find a doctor that is recommended by someone you trust. Our chiropractor has made such a difference in our lives. I am so thankful to him and to God for bringing this idea into our lives. Of course there are babies whom I’m sure a chiropractor cannot cure but it’s worth a try. It has worked miracles for my baby girl.
Please share this story with anyone you know who has a baby or is having one soon. I wish I had known what chiropractic care was all about when my 3 year old was a baby as he was a colicky and fussy baby too. He did not sleep through the night until he was 6 months old. Our little Maddie has been sleeping through the night since a week after her first chiropractic adjustments. Don’t be a skeptic like I was in the beginning…this truly does work miracles. We are a happy family now with a happy baby girl to enjoy! Please, please share my story!!!
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