A baby in priciple does three things – eat, sleep, and poop!
Honestly, sticking with the “keep it simple” theme if your baby does those three things effortlessly, or did during their infant stage… they’re on the right path to good healthy life.
What is fascinating is that each of those 3 actions are controlled by the same system in the body. Yep, we’re talking about the Central Nervous System and brain stem area not to forget the important function of the Vagus nerve. That one area and one major nerve are all located in the upper neck area, just below the ears and behind the jaw. The correct movement of two main vertebrae is crucial to these 3 functions, because if they dont move well this will interfere in the job of the Vagus nerve.
The neck’s rotation, moving things side to side and all around is very intimately connected to the swallowing and upper digestive process! Simply put the “mechanics” of this part of the nervous system have a lot to do with the “mechanics” of the EAT portion of life for an infant! If there is a problem in the neck then oftentimes a child struggles to turn their head enough in both directions to latch and breastfeed, and also can struggle with swallowing and the first parts of digesting food. When this doesnt work, it can lead to the famous and feared INFANT COLIC.
This part of the neck also controls sleep. Therefore if C1 and/or C2 are irritated, sleep is really thrown off for that baby because the system just stays in stress mode way too much… and struggles to calm down enough to soothe and sleep. And lastly for this Eat, Sleep, Poop conversation… the Vagus Nerve is a wildly important nerve that branches from the brainstem area, makes its way right past and through the entire neck, and is in charge of initiating the first two thirds of digestion.
What can cause a baby´s neck to be irritated?
So when things like maternal stress, breech or abnormal positioning during pregnancy, a difficult birth or birth intervention (forceps, vacuum, C-section, induction, etc.) mess with the alignment and function of those areas especially… the most common effects are an infant who struggles do one or more of their main “jobs” day after day. In relatively short order that stress starts to stack up, and the child gets stuck in this colic, constipation, and often even chronic congestion pattern. What is more, we now know that for many kiddos this becomes the early stages of “The Perfect Storm ” pathway… leading them down the road of developmental delays, speech challenges, sensory processing issues, behavioral, emotional challenges, and more.
So while it’s super cute to talk about Eat, Sleep, and Poop for babies… it’s also super critical they actually do those three things with ease. They should consistently rock these three moves, and not need medications or even natural supplements (gripe water, prune juice, etc.) to make these things happen. Most often when a little one gets stuck in this stress, tension pattern it’s something as simple as a series of safe, gentle chiropractic adjustments that helps get them “unstuck” and unwound… and back on the road to optimal, rockstar health once again!
How do I know if my baby needs care?
10 Reasons Parents Take Healthy Children to Chiropractors – Ability Chiropractic
Well that´s what we are here for! Our job at CostaSpine is to assess your child through a series of questions and a physical examination to determine how their body is functioning and give you the best advice possible. Why not get in touch through our mail at info@costaspine.com
Yours in healthcare
CostaSpine