I need a bit of help. My 2 and a half month old daughter arches her back into a back bend all the time. She seems uncomfortable unless she is in a semi arched position. At first she seemed to just be stretching but she does it all the time now and seems to be uncomfortable. She even sleeps on her side that way. I think she needs to see a chiropractor but I do not know of any in the area that specialize in babies so if anyone knows any, that would be very helpful. I live in SE Portland.
I would recommend Dr. Larry Novick. He is at Downtown Chiropractic ###-###-####. He is great with kids. I took my son there and he assessed his spine while he was standing looking out the window. He is a great diagnostician and has helped my family a lot using both low force and traditional chiropractic. Tell him I sent you and I get a free visit (I am due!).
Thank,
L. Martell
Hi J.,
I have only one bit of advice. A good chiropractor like Dr. Neil Mennell, though he is out in Hillsboro, will be able to identify a musculo-skeletal problem from reflux or something not able to be addressed by chiropractic. A good chiropractor will be a diagnostiscian as well. I say go with your gut instinct, it is usually right. Please let us know how this turns out.
I agree with the other posters about taking your daughter to a regular physician first. The back arching could be indicative of a much more serious issue. If other medical problems are ruled out, I highly recommend Dr. Khalsa at the Khalsa Pain Relief Clinic on 50th & Hawthorne. He is a truly amazing man, and has an uncanny knack for intuitively locating pain and getting rid of it.
I met Dr Clint Demaris at a birhting class and he talked about the stress put on newborns' head and neck during labor and delivery. He also talked about the benefits of chiropractic care for infants.
He was a very nice and informative man.
The Namaste Clinic
1809 NW Davis
Portland
###-###-####
www.namasteclinic.com
Hope this is helpful
Hi J.,
The back arching is a classic sign of reflux, so I'd definitely take her to your regular pediatrician first. If it is reflux, there are a few non-medical things that could help make her more comfortable, though they alone wouldn't get rid of the reflux problem:
1. If you are nursing her and she nurses lying down, try having her always lie on *her* left side. That would mean a cross-hold when she's nursing on your right side and a football hold when she's nursing on your left side--so you just slide her from one side to the other rather than flipping her when you switch sides. When she's lying on her left side, gravity helps the stomach juices head down into the stomach rather than back up the esophagus. If you're bottle-feeding, having her a little more upright while she's drinking could help for the same reason.
2. Keep her upright or semi-upright for a while (20 min or so) after she nurses or has a bottle. Again, this puts gravity to work for you, this time while she's digesting.
These two ideas wouldn't substitute for medical care, but they can help reduce some of the discomfort if reflux is indeed the culprit. BTW, though many babies with reflux spit up, a baby can have reflux even if she isn't spitting up. Your pediatrician can help interpret the signs you've been noticing in your babe.
I hope you find some relief for your little one soon. If it is reflux, don't worry--most babies have some degree of reflux because the sphincter that keeps stuff from coming back up into their esophagus isn't fully developed yet. As they get older, the sphincter strengthens, and they typically outgrow the reflux. Our little guy had it pretty bad, but he outgrew it by 6 months.
Take care! Juliet
I have seen chiropractors for my entire life (so I've seen many!). I go to Dr. Steve Kingston at the Mt Tabor Chiropractic Center off Hawthorne Blvd ###-###-####). He is the best ever and has lots and lots of infant adjustment experience. I acknowledge you for going in that direction rather than the, "please medicate my baby" one.
Good Luck,
B. Bockus
Dr Elise Hewitt is fabulous.
She is located on Burnside and 21st?
Cranio-sacral therapy might be helpful.
Also, have a good look at the symptoms for acid reflux. I like the info at www.infantrefluxdisease.com just to be sure.
Take care,
D.
GAS!!!
Was my first thought when I started reading your post. My son would arch and fus as a baby when he had gas. The suggestion for acid reflux also seems a lot more relavent than joint pain.
Before you rush her to a chiropracter, take her to her regular physician. Her doctor might suggest that it is something completely unrelated to her spine. Our joints were not made for "cracking" and while chiropractor's assistance is beneficial to adults, I do not think it would be helpful for growing children, especially such a young infant.
I wouldn't take my kids unless it was the last option...
