Breastfeeding Difficulties and Chiropractic

Modern birthing procedures, even those with seemingly minimal intervention, are known to cause trauma and stress to the infant’s cranium and spine. In a leading pediatric textbook on manual therapy for children, one author tells us,

“When considering injuries and dysfunctions of the spine and its associated structures, the significance of birth trauma is often underestimated, and the resulting symptoms frequently misinterpreted.”

In the case of breastfeeding difficulty, as with many childhood disorders, the cause of the problem often traces back to undetected biomechanics injuries to the spine and cranium at birth. The failure to recognize these biomechanical injuries and their relationship to difficulty in breastfeeding leads to incorrect conclusions and therefore, inadequate recommendations and treatments. Without real solutions, mothers become discouraged, successful breastfeeding is not achieved, and women stop trying out of frustration.

Breastfeeding to the Rescue

Breastfeeding is by far the best choice for infant feeding for numerous reasons. Significant research shows the, from a nutritional, immunological, digestive, neurological, developmental, mental, psychological, and emotional standpoint, there is no replacement. Today, more and more women are choosing the healthy, natural benefits of breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding is the optimal feeding mode for an infant’s first 6 months of life. Many women initially plan to breastfeed for that length of time, yet fall short because of difficulties that seem to have no solution. Many of the care-providers they consult are unaware of the biomechanical disorders in the infant’s spines and craniums that cause the difficulty in breastfeeding. This lack of knowledge leads to ineffective recommendations with unsatisfactory results. In these instances, it is imperative that parents seek family chiropractors who offer mothers and infants the care appropriate to their needs.

Lifelong Benefits

With any of the indicated difficulties (shown below), once evaluated and adjusted accordingly, they responded favorably with chiropractic care. Normal function in the infant was restored and breastfeeding continued without further complications and hindrances. Among other numerous benefits of chiropractic care for infants, the ability to successfully breastfeed has lifelong consequences for the baby’s future health potential. Including chiropractic care for your newborn may very well be one of the most important choices toy make in support of the family wellness lifestyle.

Some of the most common indicators of difficulty with breastfeeding are:

This article was first published in Pathways Magazine issue 11: Breastfeeding Difficulties and Chiropractic