nurses said he did not really suffered any birth trauma because he was born via caesarean section.”
“I’m happy to check him out.” Inviting her to bring him to the office.
She asked, “Would a movie of his birth help you at all?”
I was excited she asked, as I had recently attended the International Pediatric Conference in Boston. At the conference, we watched several films and viewed many pictures of the birthing process, though none of anyone I knew personally.
The next day, the grandmother came in with a copy of the video, and booked an appointment for her grandchild the following day. Upon reviewing the video, I was shocked to see the child was handled like a wheel barrel whose wheel (head) was stuck in the mud. The delivery team held firmly on the handles (legs), trying to free the wheel. In order to bring this child out of the womb, they were twisting and turning the legs back and forth. Even though at seminars and through my studies I have seen videos and pictures, when I watched this particular one I just about threw-up. The baby was truly stuck, and this was their only solution for saving his life.
I thought, “What kind of damage could this cause? Could this have caused an intracranial bleed?”
The little six-week old child came into the office in the afternoon. There was a large hematoma (multi-colored, purple, blue and reddish) about the size of the babies fist. It protruded from the back of the head over to the left side just above the occiput. As the baby grew it wasn’t getting any smaller. In fact, the mother thought it may be even a little larger, but confirmed it had not decreased in size since it developed shortly after birth.
The mother looked at me and asked, “Do you think you can help?”
Well, I wasn’t really sure and I told her so, and also said, “I will examine him for nervous system interference in his body and let you know of my findings.”
Sure enough, on the left side of his six-week young little neck he had two areas of segmental dysfunction, a posterior-superior axis, and a lateral atlas subluxation.
I told the Mom, “I’m not sure this is the cause of the hematoma, but truly it is never a good idea to leave this kind of stress in the spine – especially while his body is trying to heal and grow. From the looks of the video, there is a very high probability that the mal-positioning of the top two vertebrae were caused by the wrenching of the neck during the birthing process. It also appeared as if there were not really any other options at the time.”
Within two weeks of checking and adjusting this child – axis first, as I was taught – the hematoma was completely gone. Once again, I was amazed by the healing ability of the body – how wonderful! I hope I am here to see the day parking lots are filled with mothers waiting in line to have their babies checked by Chiropractors as they are released from the hospital. In the mean time, I will continue wishing and trying to make this happen.
A very special note to the author of Well Adjusted Babies, by Dr. Jennifer Barham–Floreani; thanks to her, Chiropractors have an abundance of research and studies to read and gain confidence from, to teach and share with their patients and the parents of today’s children.
Imagine having had the following information at your fingertips – what this will do for your confidence as a practitioner, as well as for the future of children?
Gastaldo found, “Even after vaginal births, 4.6 percent of term babies suffer unexplained brain bleeds and up to 10 percent suffer brain inflammation. The pathologies may possibly be avoided by decreasing distortion of foetal skulls from (a mother’s) pelvic misalignments at delivery.”
Gutmann explains, “The trauma from the birth process remains an under-publicized, and therefore significantly under-treated problem.”
Abraham Towbin, A Harvard University pathologist, found evidence of common spinal injury as a result of the birthing process, including: intracranial hemorrhage, brain contusion, damage to the nerves that govern respiration and vertebral subluxation.
Twin thirteen-year-old pre-pubescent boys, both in remedial classes at school were brought to me by their mother. She had been treated in our office after suffering for many years from low back pain. The boys were suffering from delayed developmental social and intellectual growth. Thank God they had each other! The mother relayed to me there was trauma during their birth – both born with high forceps, a technique used during vaginal delivery when a baby’s head is not yet engaged. Their overall development had been delayed from the beginning: late to hold up their heads, slow to begin crawling, difficulty learning to walk and talk.
They were wonderful boys and they made me laugh. I loved their spirit and knew in my heart they were both very intelligent. I took x-rays of their necks that revealed a cervical kyphosis, a complete reversal of the normal lordotic curvature in both of the boy’s cervical spines. In addition, both had definite subluxation at the atlas-axis junction.
Within six months of adjusting them, they were integrated into the normal academic curriculum and graduated on to high school. No doubt they still had challenges with feeling as if they were different, however, their lives are changed forever from being adjusted. What if the mother had not asked me to take a look – would I have had the courage to tell her about Chiropractic and the ramifications of the damage caused during the birth?
The most recent blessing to appear in my office, a little eight-year-old boy who just did not know how to focus or behave. Full of frustration and anger, he simply could not control himself. A day didn’t go by that he wasn’t in trouble at school. The mother spent every single day of this child’s life trying to reason with him, console him, and teach him how to behave. Many people suggested for him to take medication, yet Mom knew in her heart medications were not the answer. Masking a problem was not within her system of beliefs. She thought their suggestion for the use of medication was merely their attempt to make dealing with him easier for themselves, rather than to truly help him.
As a relief, the boy’s teacher suggested to try a Chiropractor, and specifically recommended me. The mother was afraid, for many reasons. She heard ‘horror’ stories about Chiropractic, and truly did not know what to expect. She emailed our clinic and then came to talk with me in a consultation before feeling comfortable enough to bring him in for an examination. To both of our delight, we made a great connection and trust began to develop.
Upon his first visit, I couldn’t believe what I felt when I put my hands on his neck: tension at the top, stiffness throughout, and asymmetry with the occiput – as if it had been pushed inward. It took quite an effort for this little boy to even allow me touch him. I asked the mother about his birth.
She explained, “His birthing process was long. I was induced, and after twenty-four hours at an eight centimeter dilation, they decided to perform an emergency c-section. When he was born, the right side of his head was caved-in, and remained that way for the past eight years.” She paused, and then added, “He complains of having stomach aches almost every day; it’s been several years now. ”
We performed an sEMG and thermography, revealing significant lesions in the upper cervical and thoracic spine. The severity of his condition displayed in the imaging helped to communicate the significance of its affects on the child’s life. When I told the family of his prognosis and the recommended approach to his care, the boy listened and a glow of hope illuminated in his eyes with the realization that his life was about to improve.
A week and a half into the treatment he showed-up at my office with a Christmas stocking he made for me. He smiled and handed it to me, and it hung on my door for the three weeks leading up to Christmas.
