Chiropractic and Infants

This is such a debate and such a topic that comes up often. I wish my phone could be an all encompassing notification center when someone questions/debates chiropractic for infants. Of course this is not technology available so please share this blog everywhere you can to spread the word. 

Why would I need to have my infant adjusted? They spent the last 9 months or so inside all crunched up and resting against your ribs or your hips, then they got squeezed repeatedly for 4-40 hours and then pushed through a tiny hole while some of them got pulled through this tiny hole by their necks. How would you feel?

Why would my toddler need to be adjusted? Have you seen how these kids sleep haha all curled up and head hanging over (especially if they fell asleep in the car!). How does our head and neck feel after we sleep in a less-than-optimal position? How about how often they fall! They are learning to walk and jump and climb and fall OFTEN. They may not cry every time they fall but that doesn't mean they didn't get hurt. I'm not saying they hurt themselves every time but that crying is not always the only indication. 

I could go on and on with questions, but I will have the worlds longest blog post. Stay tuned for more questions answered and ask questions below if you would like more information :) 

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Bringing Blogging Back!

So I decided I'm bringing blogging back (said to the tune of bringing sexy back! heehee). Writing is a way to get your message to reach numerous people, and when you have numerous things to talk about and you don't mind using yourself as a platform then WHY NOT! 

This past weekend I volunteered to plan/work/speak at the International Babywearing Conference 2014 in Tempe, AZ ( #ibc2014az ). Planning was so much work. And as I have helped plan day conferences and speakers and vender fairs, this one took the cake. Many things went wrong, many many things. Somehow all of us mothers were able to pull together and pull off an amazing conference. 

Speaking at the conference was something I was looking forward to. I haven't spoken in front of a crowd for a while, and was so ready to do so again. I had two sessions. One on Biomechanics in Babywearing and one on Chiropractic in Pregnancy and Birth. Both sessions went extremely well and am pleased with the feedback. 

So why start writing again??? Some of the feedback was to have more information on the content of my lectures, some was to explain things more, and some was to just keep talking and tell them more! I had completely forgotten how much useful information i have stored underneath all this brown hair! 

I'm excited and I hope you are too! 

 

International Babywearing Week 2012

This week is International Babywearing Week so I thought I would write a little post on what babywearing has meant to me as a doctor and a mother. Babywearing was not a word I was familiar with until 2008. Before that I knew my mother wore me during walks and when she cleaned the house or when we went to the zoo. It was in a backpack style carrier (which now we know aren't safe for little ones hips).

I didn't know it had a phrase or following until 2008 when I had a patient come into my office named Paige and her daughter Maddi. Paige answered all my questions, and as a doctor who dealt with pediatrics I had plenty of them. Babywearing and all it encompassed passed my doctor approved activities. At the time I was not a mother (despite the on and off battle Brian and I were having with trying to conceive), but I knew that when the day came I would be in the market for a carrier (or twelve) of my own. ;)

Before my daughter Kyla was even born I had 3 different carriers ready to try out and couldn't wait for the opportunity. Kyla was 9 days late (go figure!) and she ended up in the NICU for a couple days pending some tests and observation (she was completely fine). I would have worn her out of the hospital if they let me, but they didn't. She was wrapped within 5 minutes of being home. I wore her tons during those first few months to bring back the bond I lost during those first few days. Here is a picture of Kyla the second day home.

Last year during IBW 2011 Kyla was extra fussy and I wrapping her was the only sure fire way to get a nap out of her. I ended up wearing her while adjusting 12 patients in a row. I considered this a score for multiple reasons ... 1. A NAP!! Yay! 2. Patients being understanding. I couldn't believe the compliance I received from them ALL! Amazing how in my line of work I can make people feel better while comforting my child at the same time. This is a picture of us after that long day about a year ago.

Can't wait for this weeks IBW. With a photo shoot and a flash mob, I'm sure we can spread awareness to even more families and patients ;)

Update :)

These last few months have been crazy in the "Life of a female chiropractor" ... Brian and I have taken the step and officially opened our own practice. This for me is a dream. It's exactly what I wanted when I originally picked my career as a chiropractor but somehow lost vision of throughout life and the dreams and pressures to make as money money as you can. Here is a description of what my new office ... Optimum Wellness Chiropractic ... Has to offer. Office hours based on patient visits, meaning the office is open to visits anytime on MWF, however I will not be there unless there is an actual patient scheduled. In home chiropractic care for patients who are unable to attend an office apt for various reasons. Prenatal and postnatal care, including attending births! Infertility counseling using natural healing supplements and diet changes. Food and household allergy testing through muscle testing using a food allergy panel and household items. I can't believe how real and exciting this part of my journey is. It allows me to spend more time with Kyla (my now 17 month old!), offer more direct and attentive care to patients, offer more variety, and really get to know my patients and hear what they need. The anticipation to be bringing more infertility treatments and prenatal care has overwhelmed me with joy and I can't wait to get rolling. Please share this blog with anyone you know who could benefit from what our new office has to offer. OPTIMUM WELLNESS CHIROPRACTIC 14362 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Suite B109 Scottsdale, AZ 85027 (602)904-5692

New Year!!! Welcome 2012

One of my New Years Resolutions is to get back on track with all my projects. I have been slacking ever since Kyla was born. Now that she is on a schedule and I am situated in the office I am ready to go!

One of the ways to organize was to write down everything I wanted to accomplish this year (wow it was a lot). Then I prioritized the accomplishments. This year I added something new into the mix, something I just was exposed to ... ACTION STEPS!

Action steps are simply "the actions you are going to take to get to the desired goal". Who would have thought these would be important??? However, when you stop and think more about it you realize that it is the most important part of goal setting.

Let's us the most common goal someone has when the new year rolls around ... loosing weight! When you start to think of goals and you think, "I want to loose weight this year. I've done it before and I went to the gym and ate better." And then you write it down on the list. Two months from now, when you go back to read those goals you see "loose weight" on there you then immediately start to evaluate yourself ... "is the weight coming off???"

If you used action steps that process would go more like this ... two months from now you look at your list and see ... "shop healthier with a list, go to the gym to lift weights 3x/wk, go for a 30min walk 3xs/wk, park the car further away, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar". Now you can evaluate yourself on a smaller scale. Such as, "Yes, I shop with a list, I do the exercise I stated, but I have been sneaking sugar and I need to get better at that."

The second route is a more mentally healthy way of living. Mental health and growth is something we ALL can strive for.

So Close

So the days of being pregnant are coming to a close. And while I am fully enjoying my time being pregnant and I am grateful for even being able to get pregnant in the first place, I am so ready to see what our little girl looks like.

So far I am have gained a total of 20lbs! Of course half of that is baby :) I have maintained a high protein diet and of course being allergic to gluten has made this a low carbohydrate pregnancy as well. I have kept a good regimen of vitamins and teas to keep a healthy home for our little one. Now nearing the end I have begun to incorporate homeopathic treatments and herbs as well. It is a way of toning my uterus (baby's home) to support in contractions and a smooth labor. One is Mother's Cordial Elixir and the other is a Homeopathic Kit of 18 Childbirth Remedies which will be used before, during, and after birth. There are numerous combination of homeopathy that will produce different effects from ripening the cervix, turning the baby, pain management, and even postpartum pain. Currently we are in the before labor stages of toning the uterus :)

I am so excited to have been exposed to all this and love passing it on to more moms out there.

We also have been blessed to be able to do some wonderful pregnancy related events. We took maternity photos with Andrea Gallagher Photography and they turned out amazing. Brian and I in our almost 9 years together have never done a "photo shoot" together. It was a great experience to gaze at each other and let our love show on camera. We also did a Belly Cast. It was so cute to actually see what everyone else sees in real life once the cast came off and was dry. I am not sure what we will do with the cast but I'm sure some more creativity will emerge.

As We Get Closer

As the due date gets closer and closer the office grows more excited to meet our little girl. We have started an office pool where everyone can guess on random baby girl facts for a chance to win a gift card. Everyone loves a healthy competition ;) It is so fun to sit down and read what everyone thinks the baby will weight or how long they believe I will be in labor for. I am enjoying every guess.

Also, last night we set up the birth pool to see how long it would take to fill up. It was a good thing we did a test run (Brian's idea) because we noticed the tile floor in the dinning room (where we set up the pool) really cooled the water down quick. Brian also has a bucket heater in a 5 gallon bucket to get water warm quicker than boiling on the stove. However, we noticed that two buckets would be more efficient than the one we had last night. All and all the pool was very relaxing with enough room for Brian and I to both be in there and he still can do therapy on me (very lucky to have a personal massage therapist on call). Now we just have to prep our "unofficial dula" Kami on the process and I believe we are ready for the relaxation of a water birth :)

As far as adjusting goes ... I am doing great. There is no problem working on patients of all sizes (just can't help all of them up form the table when treatment is complete). Paying close attention to my diet and exercise has really paid off in the work environment.