TMI on Colic
Just a few days ago I remembered a theory I had read about what causes colic in babies (or did I actually see something on youtube--can't remember). The person sharing information believed that babies' unexplained discomfort occurred because of a problem with their spinal alignment. The problem was exacerbated by the diaper changing routine in which a baby's ankles are grasped with one hand, and the baby's body is lifted just enough to swap diapers. This lifting calls for the baby's spine to bend quite a bit at a certain point. The muscles are not yet developed enough along the spine to keep it aligned. As the spine bones shift, nerves are pinched and pain results.
Around the age of three months, strengthening of the muscles means that less shifting of the spine occurs and diaper changing no longer triggers pain. What is needed early on is careful spinal adjustment, repeated as needed (by a chiropractor, of course) and a modified diaper changing routine. Rolling the baby from side to side--off the wet diaper and back onto a dry one, is one example of how this can be done.
I thought it made some sense, although I wasn't ready to become a big promoter of curing colic by chiropractic adjustments and a new diapering technique.
On the matter of chiropractic adjustments for babies I remembered what happened when our first grandchild was born. Those first days he cried as if in great pain at every feeding. Because of all that had occurred during a difficult delivery, I suggested that maybe seeing a chiropractor could set something right that had gone wrong during delivery. The baby's parents took him to the person who has treated members of our family periodically over many years of time. He treated the baby very gently, applying minimal pressure with one finger in the area where he discerned a problem with the alignment of his bones. He explained that the bones of babies move very easily, and it really doesn't take much to set things right.
The crying at feeding time stopped immediately--a night and day difference.
In a very different vein, yesterday a Facebook friend linked to an article detailing the horrors of chiropractic adjustments for babies. While being filmed during a manipulation, the infant being treated gave a loud cry just as an audible cracking sound was heard on the recording. Accounts followed telling of permanent damage resulting from chiropractic adjustments for infants. Medical doctors were calling for a ban on the practice.
This happened in Australia, but the article concluded by saying that things are just as bad in the US.
OOOOOOKAAAAAAY. So what's going on here? Is a chiropractic adjustment for a baby a good or a bad thing?
In the Family Life magazine that came today a self-educated Central American woman wrote that she discovered after a lot of reading and time spent caring for colicky babies, that a thumb pressed firmly but gently on a baby's navel can stop the crying, often almost instantly. Taping a wadded-up cotton ball tightly over the navel serves the same purpose.
OOOKAAAAY again.
In case your own experience does not include caring for colicky babies, you should know that dealing with it can be ever-so-trying. In general, medical practitioners don't seem to have a clue about how to address the problem.
In case anyone asks me for advice, I'll be happy to refer the parent of any infant in pain to a trusted chiropractor who treats as gently as ours does. I think it would be a disservice to steer desperate parents and crying babies away from any possibility of finding help. Remember? Traditional practitioners often can't offer help for colic. I am assuming, however, that a medical professional has been involved enough in the baby's care to have identified abnormalities or other obvious causes of discomfort.
If I were asked I think I might recommend trying the side-roll diapering technique. If that didn't help, there's always the tape and cotton ball thing to try. Surely none of these are any more ridiculous and dangerous than alternatives that might present themselves to the sleep-deprived mind of a caregiver who has listened for hours to incessant crying. I'm familiar with these: incessant jiggling, floor pacing, tummy rubbing, back patting, draping the baby lengthwise over your forearm, rocking, or, when you can't stand it any more, putting the baby in the crib and walking away for a minute or two.
Compiling that list in the last sentence clearly amounts to Too Much Ineffectiveness (TMI) in colic-relieving efforts. I have no doubt that others could add to the list--things I didn't try or have forgotten.
Comments?
Around the age of three months, strengthening of the muscles means that less shifting of the spine occurs and diaper changing no longer triggers pain. What is needed early on is careful spinal adjustment, repeated as needed (by a chiropractor, of course) and a modified diaper changing routine. Rolling the baby from side to side--off the wet diaper and back onto a dry one, is one example of how this can be done.
I thought it made some sense, although I wasn't ready to become a big promoter of curing colic by chiropractic adjustments and a new diapering technique.
On the matter of chiropractic adjustments for babies I remembered what happened when our first grandchild was born. Those first days he cried as if in great pain at every feeding. Because of all that had occurred during a difficult delivery, I suggested that maybe seeing a chiropractor could set something right that had gone wrong during delivery. The baby's parents took him to the person who has treated members of our family periodically over many years of time. He treated the baby very gently, applying minimal pressure with one finger in the area where he discerned a problem with the alignment of his bones. He explained that the bones of babies move very easily, and it really doesn't take much to set things right.
The crying at feeding time stopped immediately--a night and day difference.
In a very different vein, yesterday a Facebook friend linked to an article detailing the horrors of chiropractic adjustments for babies. While being filmed during a manipulation, the infant being treated gave a loud cry just as an audible cracking sound was heard on the recording. Accounts followed telling of permanent damage resulting from chiropractic adjustments for infants. Medical doctors were calling for a ban on the practice.
This happened in Australia, but the article concluded by saying that things are just as bad in the US.
OOOOOOKAAAAAAY. So what's going on here? Is a chiropractic adjustment for a baby a good or a bad thing?
In the Family Life magazine that came today a self-educated Central American woman wrote that she discovered after a lot of reading and time spent caring for colicky babies, that a thumb pressed firmly but gently on a baby's navel can stop the crying, often almost instantly. Taping a wadded-up cotton ball tightly over the navel serves the same purpose.
OOOKAAAAY again.
In case your own experience does not include caring for colicky babies, you should know that dealing with it can be ever-so-trying. In general, medical practitioners don't seem to have a clue about how to address the problem.
In case anyone asks me for advice, I'll be happy to refer the parent of any infant in pain to a trusted chiropractor who treats as gently as ours does. I think it would be a disservice to steer desperate parents and crying babies away from any possibility of finding help. Remember? Traditional practitioners often can't offer help for colic. I am assuming, however, that a medical professional has been involved enough in the baby's care to have identified abnormalities or other obvious causes of discomfort.
If I were asked I think I might recommend trying the side-roll diapering technique. If that didn't help, there's always the tape and cotton ball thing to try. Surely none of these are any more ridiculous and dangerous than alternatives that might present themselves to the sleep-deprived mind of a caregiver who has listened for hours to incessant crying. I'm familiar with these: incessant jiggling, floor pacing, tummy rubbing, back patting, draping the baby lengthwise over your forearm, rocking, or, when you can't stand it any more, putting the baby in the crib and walking away for a minute or two.
Compiling that list in the last sentence clearly amounts to Too Much Ineffectiveness (TMI) in colic-relieving efforts. I have no doubt that others could add to the list--things I didn't try or have forgotten.
Comments?
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
4:50 PM
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