Our Baby Can't Poop!; Chiropractic & Babies, Part I

As a chiropractor who deals extensively with nutrition and lifestyle as well as the physical frame, I hear all types of unusual concerns from patients and family members. However, this was a particularly striking comment from a close friend.

A MORE DETAILED HISTORY


By all accounts, the pregnancy and delivery were textbook. No complications, mother and daughter both did beautifully. However, a few days after bringing her home, the baby was jaundiced and there were wet diapers, but no dirty ones. A quick run to the pediatrician revealed that the baby's bilirubin was indeed higher than expected, and that was why the baby's skin was turning yellow. There was no doubt that the high bilirubin was linked to the lack of a bowel movement in 5 days. Hyperbilirubinemia (too much bilirubin in the blood) is a potentially serious problem, linked to brain and/or peripheral nerve damage, cerebral palsy, and weaknesses in dental enamel. A bili light was sent home with the family, and they were advised to give the baby diluted apple juice to encourage movement of the bowels.


That afternoon, I received a text from the baby's father asking if there was anything else they could do. I visited their home that evening, the baby bathing in the fluorescent glow of the bili light. Her status had not changed, and she still hadn't had a dirty diaper. I examined her skin, eyes, abdomen and spine. She wasn't in any apparent distress, but she certainly squirmed when I examined a suspicious area. I adjusted her spine in the areas that were restricted using a precise, low-force adjusting instrument while she lay comfortably on her mother's belly, then we rolled her onto her back for a light abdominal massage.


TWENTY MINUTES LATER...


I was on my way home when I received another text from the baby's father...

"she pooped...oops! she's not done!!"

EPILOGUE


According to her parents, there was a series of 5 or 6 dirty diapers over the next 10-12 hours. Shortly thereafter, the baby's color turned from a sickly yellow to a healthy pink, and the blood tests for bilirubin slowly returned to accepted levels.


I saw the baby again six or seven months later. She had not had a dirty diaper for about one week, but she wasn't complaining about it. We followed roughly the same protocol as before and got a similar result.


COINCIDENCE?


I cannot say for certain if the above account demonstrates a cause-and-effect relationship, nor can I assert

"If your baby can't poop, she needs to be adjusted."

but the events of this timeline cannot and should not be ignored. What I can say is that when it comes to the health and well-being of our infants, we owe it to them and ourselves to look at every conceivable option. I have never treated an infant for back pain or headaches, but I have had cases similar to this one where, despite my own doubts, the outcomes were quite extraordinary.


These techniques, when used judiciously by a properly-trained practitioner, are safe and non-invasive. In fact, the baby usually doesn't notice anything at all. I absolutely love working with infants and kids...they respond quickly to care, and the parents are extremely grateful for the help.


In Chiropractic & Babies, Part II, I will share another story of a far more personal nature.