I have to start by saying this. For all the new mother’s who may be experiencing any type of emotional #distress after the birth of your children, (or any other time) to please take some time out for yourself. The MOST important person to your family right now is YOU. Your new baby, perhaps your first child who may be at toddler age or older, really need their mum strong and happy, as does your husband or partner 🙂
This is something I never really considered after going through #postnataldepression with both of my children. It’s a common problem, affecting more than 1 in every 10 women within a year of giving birth. It can also affect fathers and partners.
It’s so so important to seek help as soon as possible if you think you might be depressed, as your symptoms could last months or get worse and have a significant impact on you, your baby and your family.
With the right support, which can include #selfhelp strategies and therapy, most women make a full recovery as I have. My depression was most definitely bought on because both my babies suffered from #Gastroesophagealreflux Disease (GERD) a form of Silent Acid reflux and would cry for around 8-10 hours a day. GERD occurs when the contents of the stomach come back up into the esophagus, usually occurring in babies less than 2 years old. When this acid touches the esophagus it can cause heartburn or acid indigestion and in an infant, the symptoms of GERD could be displayed as excessive spitting up, vomiting, coughing, or excessive crying and pain in the baby.
My journey to seek help for both myself and my babies began when I talked with my #Chiropractor of a few years, Dr Vanda Corbet about my babies symptoms, and if there was anything she could do to help. She explained that there most certainly was, and how a treatment could help, but I still went online and did my own research before booking an appointment with her.
Here are a few words from Dr Vanda about the treatment she offered my children which may help you decide whether seeing a Chiropractor may be a good option for you…
“I co-managed both Olivier and Amelie when they started to display symptoms of GERD at a very young age.
Both babies of Kerry and Michel suffered from interrupted sleep, excessive crying and discomfort in their abdomen, frequent vomiting and spitting up. Both of them would become full body rigid and go into almost a full body extension to try and relive the discomfort within their tiny bodies.
Both the baby and the parents were fully exhausted and overwhelmed with what was going on. The parents hadn’t slept in weeks and frustration and helplessness was the top emotions.
Oli’s treatment was more focused on his visceral gut area, diaphragm and rib cage. By stimulating the digestive system through specialized massage like movements, the main objective was to stimulate peristaltic movement and help the intestinal tract release tension. Also working on the diaphragm and the lower rib age area, to help re balance the area which sometimes can be distorted through delivery or after spasms occur.
Amelie was a bit more of a challenge. As well as having the visceral and diaphragmatic spasms, she also had slight torticollis of the cervical spine which then limited her with her feeding and ability to turn her head without pain. This links to GERD due to the inability to latch properly, therefore sucking more air into the stomach while feeding. We also focused on the re-balancing cranium through very gentle movements. The vagus nerve (Cranial Nerve X (ten) is part of the parasympathetic control to the diaphragm and gut. By balancing and calming this area, it brings about calm to the whole system.
Chiropractic and babies go hand in hand. The adjustments are non-invasive and very gentle. Helping to release any tension or problems that the infant may be suffering from. Birth is a huge stress on the physical body of the baby and by checking the spine and the nervous system of the baby early in life, it can lead to a much happier and healthier baby.”
Dr Vanda Corbett Bsc, MScpp, DC, ALCP – Kind Care Medical Centre, Jumeirah
I have to admit, I used to look forward to the visits to see Dr Vanda. Not only because I knew that my children would benefit, but also because I found some comfort in leaving the house and talking to someone else about my issues, someone I knew would not judge me if I showed up covered in vomit and with greasy hair!
Unfortunately the visits alone were not enough for my babies as they were both severe cases and had to see Gastro specialists for allergies too. After a few weeks, the crying was just too much for us all and so my husband and decided to give them prescribed medication which was a proton pump inhibitor that decreases the amount of acid produced in the stomach. This along with the Chiropractic treatments helped improve everything, and within a few months we were all in a much happier and healthier place.