This is the story of how I went from thinking chiropractors where witch doctors into believing that they are miracle workers. Warning: this blog may include BM…and no, I’m not talking about Balabusta Moms…I’m talking about poop.
From the time my youngest, Corbin, was only a few weeks old it seemed clear that he suffered from some sort of stomach upset. It’s never easy to tell with a baby, but as time went on it became more obvious. Since he was breastfeeding, I eliminated several things from my own diet trying to ease his discomfort. I came to realize that he had an aversion to dairy which was the cause of his eczema and frequent spit-ups, but even after eliminating this from my diet he still only pooped an average of once a week. I repeatedly mentioned this concern to his doctor who assured me that this was normal for breastfed babies. I explained that as the week went on his sleep was disturbed; he became more uncomfortable in the carseat and less tolerant of car rides; and he was altogether less content. The doctor only ever asked about the consistency and, since it was normal, I was told again that everything was fine and that babies get cranky. I decided to see a different doctor when Corbin was about 6 months old in the hopes of being believed when I said that something was wrong.
The appointment with the new doctor was a bad experience, where again I was told it was normal, but I was also made to feel stupid. So, I shamefully returned to the first doctor who at least didn’t think that I was stupid. P.S. If you ever want to feel uncomfortable, return to a doctor you left, and when they ask why you were seeking care elsewhere simply say, “I really wasn’t happy with you until I found out how much worse other doctors were.” AWKWARD!
I had begun to accept this as the norm. It seemed Corbin had digestive issues of some sort, but I figured that his body would become more accustomed to whatever was bothering him as he got older and eventually it would work itself out. Unfortunately, as he began eating more solids the problems only got worse. At this time Corbin’s doctor insisted that if he ate more fruits and vegetables he would begin to be more regular, and we would slide down rainbows and ride unicorns all day long. No such luck! I tried eliminating gluten and nuts, since we had already eliminated dairy, but nothing seemed to help. One night when I wondered how this issue had gone on for almost a year, I began Googling his symptoms in search of an answer. This is where I read, as I had before, that people had positive experiences with chiropractics for this issue. I was concerned at the thought of someone cracking away at my little guy’s spine, and honestly the whole idea of a snap-crackle-pop fixing anything seemed ludicrous, but I was desperate.
The next day I Googled local chiropractors and that’s how I found out about AAC Family Wellness Center. I was told I should come in and meet Dr. D (Defayette) and hear a little bit about what he does. My first thought was “Ain’t nobody got time for that! How about I pull up, you run out to the car, snap my kid, I drive away, and we live happily ever after? ” But having tried everything else, I figured I would follow through, so I took my boys and we met the good doctor. He did a little seminar with a slide show and started telling tales of health and wellness and boosted immune systems. Honestly I felt like a bit of a schmuck because it all kind of made sense, and I really wanted to believe him. Growing up around salesmen, and knowing that anything can sound good when it’s presented properly, I thought “Prove it!”
I know I’m going to sound like a commercial here…but after Corbin’s second adjustment he pooped, and now – a year later – he has almost every day since. There were no other changes in his diet, nothing else to contribute to this miracle. We started bringing him to the chiropractor weekly, and he immediately became more content in the car (and we hadn’t switched him to forward facing yet so that was not a factor), and people began saying things to me like “Corbin’s laughing. I don’t know if I’ve heard him laugh before.” Of course, I had heard him laugh many times in his first year, but it’s true that he was often a grumpy baby and people commented that he seemed like an angry old man. I would regularly say, “He’s not himself today”, and my sisters would sometimes joke, “You say that every day. This is him!” But I knew it wasn’t! I knew my sweet boy just didn’t feel good and thanks to Dr. D now everyone can see that. Don’t get me wrong, Corbin doesn’t walk around whistling and giving high fives – he’s a reserved kind of guy, with a temper like his Momma – but there was a notable difference in his overall attitude and health after we began bringing him to the chiropractor.
My husband and I started going as well, and it has been such a positive experience. I didn’t even realize I was in pain until I stopped having it. I also had always suffered from sinus pressure and tension headaches, but with regular adjustments I don’t get them at all. Since I’ve started going Corbin has slept through the night, and I lost 50 lbs, Haha!! Just kidding! It’s not that much of a miracle, but I give it 5 stars!
Oh, and for the record, I have since found a different pediatrician for my boys who I am VERY happy with, but that’s a blog for another day.
