Pediatric and Chiropractic. Two words you may not realize can and should go together, but they do. Dr. Lauren Baker, owner of New Leaf Chiropractic, considers infants and young children to be ideal candidates to benefit from Chiropractic work. “They (babies) go through so much trauma during the birth process, and Chiropractic helps gently unwind them from the folded position they were in for so long.” It is a different kind of manipulation than what’s used for adults as you do not ‘pop’ a baby, but gently mobilize them, taking special care with their tiny joints. Dr. Baker graduated from the Texas Chiropractic College in May of 2002 with a Doctor of Chiropractic and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She also holds a specialization from the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) specifically to work on the littles, and it’s paid off for so many!
In one memorable case, Dr. Baker helped a 12-month-old baby girl who had already experienced nine rounds of antibiotics for ear infections and was due to have tubes inserted but decided to try chiropractic as a last resort first. She was seen twice a week for six weeks and hasn’t had an ear infection since without needing tubes inserted. She is truly impassioned about helping heal through chiropractic adjustment and body manipulation. It may be physical, emotional, or chemical stress causing the issues, and Dr. Baker is passionate about working with her patients holistically to determine the root cause to prevent it from recurring.
For parents with infants considering pediatric chiropractic care, Dr. Baker highlights key signs to watch for:
1. Baby is not latching/not gaining weight
2. Baby has reflux, colic or is uncomfortable and has to be constantly moved or held to be calm
3. Baby was born via c-section - come in to check for spinal misalignments
4. Toddler with ear infections and medicine doesn’t seem to be helping
It's miraculous to see the results they [babies] can achieve with the right touch...