The thought of sending your new born baby to a Chiropractor may seem a little drastic, maybe even over indulgent; but have you ever really considered what your baby has just been through and how that may have effected their body?

Think of your baby before it was born. Floating, warm and safe in the womb. Over time, it starts to become a little cramped and before baby knows what’s going on they’re squeezed through a narrow birth canal and out into the big wide world. But that journey from womb to world is a traumatic one; not only on the mother’s body but on baby’s too. The power of the uterus is such that it can crush the baby’s sciatic nerve to the extent that they have no reflex in their knees or ankles for up to seven weeks after birth. It could possibly be the most physical strain that any body will go through in their entire lifetime.

But how does a mother know to take their baby to see a Chiropractor? It’s not as if your baby can tell you that they are in pain. Nick Richmond of The Chiros Clinic in Andover believes that mothers intuition is a magical thing and that even though she may not know exactly what is wrong with her child, she will know all is not right. But Nicks more practical advice is this: As a rule of thumb, if your child sleeps OK; eats OK and fills the nappy OK; then they’re OK. If any of these are difficult or if your child cries continuously, then there is likely to be a problem. But more than that, if you are in doubt, take your baby anyway. A chiropractic check up is a good way to ease any doubt and put mothers mind at rest and since The Chiros Clinic offer free baby assessments to all children up to nursery age, there really is no reason not to go.

Nick is well known amongst the maternity fraternity in Andover. Not only is he in regular contact with all of the midwives but he also treats most of them and their children as well. There is no minimum age to see a chiropractor but Nick advices to wait until you are settled and in a routine with your child, usually at around 4 – 8 weeks old.

Examples of instances where you may feel a visit to the Chiropractor is in order:

• If a baby cries through breast feeding and doesn’t latch on. This could be sign that being in the crook of your arm is painful for their neck or back.
• If a baby has disturbed sleep patterns. We all know that it will take time for a baby to get into the night time routine but if their sleep patterns are more disrupted that the normal waking for feed every few hours then this could be a sign that they are in pain, especially if they curl into a ball.
• If the contents of your baby’s nappy is more pellet like than soft it could be due to a twisted pelvis leading to digestive issues.

The good news is that babies are easy to treat and are usually back in alignment and their happy and gurgly selves after 2-3 sessions.