Newborns

A newborns spine is delicate, yet more flexible than it will ever be. The bones of the spine have not yet ossified (turned from cartilage into bone). However, there are some important considerations that most will see as common sense.

As the muscles are not fully developed there is no support for the spine. Supporting the head will be very important until the neck muscles are strong enough to hold up the head without any help. When burping your baby it is important to have a straight, upright spine, this is not only important for their developing posture but also for keeping the oesophagus straight which provides the best opportunity for burping to occur.

We encourage parents not to stand their babies in an attempt to have them stand on their own and walk earlier. This can put unnecessary stress on the sacroiliac and hip joints. With this in mind, we are not big fans of the bouncer.

Car seats are made for safety and are obviously the best way for parents to transport babies in a car. Ergonomically they are not ideal for long periods of time. Try to minimise car trips early in the newborns life until their spine is stronger and more stable.

If your baby will only breastfeed from one side or avoids turning his or her head to one side then this is a serious concern and you should book an appointment with a chiropractor as soon as possible. Infantile colic is a condition when an seemingly healthy baby cries excessively without a discernible reason. The cause is usually unknown, but the most common theories say it is most likely to be something to do with their digestion.

A large randomised controlled trial, with 316 babies, in Denmark in 1989 showed chiropractic care was more successful at treating colic than another group that was medically treated with dimethicone.

In 1999, the Danish National Health Service repeated the study with 50 infants meeting the criteria for colic. After they were reviewed and monitored, they were randomly assigned to two groups: chiropractic care and dimethicone. They also found significantly better results for the babies treated with chiropractic care.

Reference

1. Klougart N, Nilsson N, Jacobsen J. Infantile colic treated by chiropractors: a prospective study of 316 cases. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1989;12(4):281-8.
2. Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. The short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: A randomized controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999;22:517-22.