I love it when I hear parents ask me "what can we do at home to help," and I have been hearing this more and more lately. I believe people are really understanding the importance of care needing to be a daily thing and not just in the office to get the best benefit. It really is up to the patient or parent of the patient to do "homework" to get their desired results with the guidance of the provider. While I am encouraged by the increase in involvement with patient care, I also want to share my top 3 recommendations when parents ask me what they can do at home to help.
My #1 recommendation is Massage. I think massage is the easiest way to help your baby benefit from the chiropractic care we are doing. No matter why your child is coming to get care, they can benefit from a massage. This also works well with pediatric physical therapy. There is inevitably tightness in your baby's body and gently massaging them can have a great added bonus to the treatment we are doing. If baby is having a hard time nursing, massage the cheeks and neck. If baby is dealing with gas or constipation, massage the belly and the low back. If baby is favoring using one arm more or looking one way more than the other, massage around the shoulder and chest of the side they are not using or the side the prefer to look on. Keeping the massage gentle and doing global circles around these areas can free up the tissues and allow them to relax further. You will get better results if you do this once a day, and after bath time is perfect.
My #2 recommendation is for adults, mostly during pregnancy. It is also to stretch. Again, we want to get the muscles to relax and allow your body to be in the best position possible to give your baby the best opportunity for an easier birth. My favorite stretches are the ones you get more bang for your buck, foam rolling! I have an entire blog discussing foam rolling and I give you the how-to for a few of my favorite stretches. Go check it out here!
My #3 recommendation is holding your baby with supportive hands. This may seem obvious, but many new parents want to know how they can hold their new born baby that will not interfere with the care they just received. A very valid question. Because the adjustment for babies is so gentle and doesn't use much pressure, parents are concerned that holding them a certain way will also un-do what we just did. I always reassure new parents they are doing a great job and show them how to make sure they are supporting baby as they pick them up from the carseat or bassinet. You always want to support their entire body, which is the head, neck and back. Two hands are better than one, and make sure their body stays as a unit
Homework is a great way to get your desired results. As with most things in life, you get as much out of something as you put in. Dedicated patients will definitely see the impact homework, or home care, can give them and on the other hand, patients who don't actively do much at home will see results much slower and may get more frustrated. So, if you'd like to see better results faster ask your chiropractor what you can do at home to help the care they are giving you.
If you need help finding a prenatal or pediatric chiropractor in your area, please check out ICPA4kids.com. You can search for local providers in your area with their directory. I am also happy to help, just reach out!
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