By Dr. Stanton Hom
By Dr. Stanton Hom
As Victoria heads into the final stretch of pregnancy, it is apropos that we begin the conversation about the “4th Trimester”. Truthfully, she has been talking about it for weeks…
She is THAT punctual.
Two books she has read (and I am in the process of) are:
The Fourth Trimester by Kimberly Ann Johnson
And
The First 40 Days by Heng Ou
These two books have completely opened my world to what is possible and what is necessary for moms post-partum.
After 9 years of clinical experience in this field of prenatal and pediatric chiropractic care, I don’t get THAT surprised by some of the content I explore, but these two books have made a huge impact on how we will care for our mommas.
They make it very clear.
You cannot un-become a mother and that process– especially in the immediate postpartum phase– must be safeguarded, planned for, and cherished.
Societally, we are beginning to truly take into close account pregnancy and birth. I would even go so far as to say fertility is a field where there is a lot of information available, but caring for women once they make the transition from maiden to momma is a wide open field.
Why is this so important?
As I shared in previous months blogs and videos (here are others in the series: 2, 3, 4, 5), we spend more time planning weddings than we do pregnancies and births. BUT we spend way more time planning pregnancy and birth than we do the postpartum period.
Michel Odent calls the time period from conception to a year postpartum the ‘Primal Period’. And truthfully, this is why I map our care plans for pregnancy out to at least 6 months postpartum.
The function and state of the nervous system must be attended to. There really is no better way of achieving this than through custom-tailored adjustments for each phase of pregnancy AND through the post-partum period.
One of the things I disagree with in The Fourth Trimester is Kimberly Johnson’s perspective on chiropractic care postpartum. She recommends against it, but I don’t think it’s intentional.
There is a perception that chiropractic must be forceful. That it must include harsh adjusting… there are over 300 different chiropractic techniques ranging from the very forceful to the lightest touch, along with breathing techniques.
We listen to a postpartum patient’s body.
We pay attention to all needs, wants and desires.
We optimize and enhance what is right.
And in the end, we could show significant differences in outcomes for mothers who choose to stay under chiropractic care after baby arrives and those who don’t – specifically surrounding postpartum depression, baby blues, breastfeeding (efficiency, comfort and connection), etc– and that’s just considering momma.
We offer all of our pregnant patients a complimentary newborn exam postpartum because we know with 100% certainty all babies are born with some sort of subluxation pattern.
Birth is traumatic – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually…
For Mom AND Baby.
And after almost 10 years of clinical care of moms and babies, I can show on one hand babies who have presented clear of interference in their nervous system.
This study shows exactly what I’ve experienced in practice. Nearly 100% of ‘healthy’ babies are born with subluxation patterns in the cranium, cervical spine, lumbar spine or sacrum.
Subluxation – interference in the brain’s ability to communicate the innate wisdom of the body – is at the root cause of every health challenge found in infanthood.
We have seen all of the following (and more) resolve in our practice:
- Colic
- Digestive Challenges (Reflux, Colitis, Constipation, Food Allergies, etc.)
- Breastfeeding Challenges (Latch issues, Preference to one side, Comfort)
- Neurological Challenges (Absent or Aberrant Primitive Reflex Patterns)
- Torticollis
- Plagiocephaly
- And More…
And all without TREATING the ‘disease’…
When a baby (and mom) are well-adjusted, their nervous systems are best able to adapt to the environment and their bodies heal themselves optimally.
Even to someone without a clinical background, the difference is clear in how moms and babies present when they come TO our practice from an outside referral source versus babies from moms who have been THROUGH our practice with regular care.
Why?
Because a healthy nervous system is ESSENTIAL at all stages of life, especially the fourth trimester. Mommas and babies have been through the most beautifully traumatic transformation and having an office like ours to care for them is an essential step to their optimal healing potential.
Call us today if you are postpartum and would love support and healing.
If you are already in our community, please share this blog with your mommas and babies in need!