In a world that is full of intimidating diagnoses, politically-driven agendas, judgy mom groups, social media, trigger warnings left and right, and the Target checkout lady saying “sleep while you can,” it’s so hard to know where to turn to for advice when you find out that you’re pregnant. 

With all of this, the transition to motherhood sometimes feels more like a loss than the most joyous and monumental moment of our lives. It’s okay to feel alone and lost. I mean, truthfully, we are saying goodbye to the only versions we’ve known as ourselves: the maiden. We really won’t ever be the same. But what if that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be like? It’s okay to mourn our old selves in this season. To realize that we are closing the door on the life we had before… but what’s next? 

How Can the People Around Us… Affect Our Pregnancy?

What if we started looking at the pregnancy journey and the motherhood transition a little differently than our society does? It starts with who and what we surround ourselves with. Today’s world is muddled with materials, opinions, and options when it comes to pregnancy, so who we choose to be in our circle is most important. Have you ever heard the saying, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with?” Who you choose to be around and listen to are the people who have the most influence in your life. And at a time when you are most vulnerable, keep your birth team and circle tight. Have a circle that supports, empowers, and encourages you in all your choices during your pregnancy. 

I was sitting in an auditorium with thousands of other women when I heard a story that changed my life. Did you know that when an elephant is giving birth, other female elephants will surround her? It’s fascinating. 40 tons of elephants in the wild kicking up dirt, making loud noises, and warning other predators and attackers that they will not get to their sister while she is the most vulnerable. It’s beautiful. What’s even more special is when the baby elephant is born, the sister elephants will cover him with dirt and sound their trumpets obnoxiously loud; encouraging and cheering their sister on as they share with the entire animal kingdom what just occurred. 

This! This is what it should be like when other women are going through their perinatal season of life. Whether it’s a season of fertility, pregnancy, or postpartum, we should never stop encouraging one another.

Trust Your Mighty Inner “Mom Gut” 

And as the elephant in the middle. The pregnant one. Know your power, too, that you are the best mom for your baby and that you have been given a “mom gut” that you should trust over everything else. That you have choices when it comes to anything concerning you and your baby. YOU are the one. And you can do this. It’s okay to log off sometimes and find the resources that fit what you need instead of the ones that please everybody else. It’s okay to be different. It’s important to go with your gut.

Our babies are hitchhikers on our nervous systems, so whatever we are feeling, so are they, which is why it’s important that we are their #1 protector. 

We do this best when our nervous systems are adaptable to the stressors around us that we can’t necessarily control. We should be able to sprint across the street but then sit down and have a relaxing and digestible lunch right after. That’s how adaptable and resilient we are. 

My prayer for you today is that you will step into this motherhood transition feeling empowered and confident, knowing that you are the mom your baby needs. That you step into the role of mom with grace. You will never be perfect, and that’s what is so perfect about it. That you are allowed to change your mind, change your provider, change your course… That your body was made to grow this baby. Your body was chosen to birth this baby. And you were made to nurture and love this baby. 

One of the most talked about topics concerning infants’ and babies’ health is tongue ties. It is becoming increasingly blamed for numerous pediatric health conditions. If you are wondering if your child has a tongue tie and if it is the reason behind their struggles with latching, uncomfortable nursing, weight gain, colic, reflux, and overall comfort, we want to help you sort that out!

We want to delve into the science behind tongue ties in babies with you. Going beyond their potential impact on breastfeeding, speech, and neurodevelopment. We will explore why tongue ties are prevalent today and uncover the true root cause behind these troubles.  By understanding the condition and its implications, you can make informed decisions about what to do next.

Naturally, as a loving parent, any difficulties with breastfeeding, latching, or discomfort can immediately put you on high alert. It’s common to receive suggestions from friends, relatives, or pediatricians, with one of the first mentions being, “Could it be a tongue tie?”. Suddenly, you find yourself thrust into a topic that presents a multitude of opinions and options, and is often overwhelming to navigate.

Tongue Tie: What Is It, and What Are the Symptoms?

Tongue tie is a condition that affects newborns. Where the strip of tissue that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth is too short, restricting movement and function of the tongue. Breastfeeding can become challenging for babies with tongue ties, as they may struggle to latch properly and nurse effectively. Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs) is a term often used to describe this condition. It includes discussion of the frenulum and other connective tissues of the mouth and jaw.

Some common difficulties experienced by babies with tongue ties include:

1. Difficulty attaching to the breast or staying attached for a full feed.
2. Being unsettled and seeming hungry all the time.
3. Slow weight gain compared to expectations.
4. Making a “clicking” sound during feeding.

Many signs and symptoms of tongue ties overlap with general colic and neuro-gastric distress in infants. Which can make it challenging for you to differentiate between the two and determine the root cause of your baby’s nursing and sleep challenges.

Is It a Tongue Tie Causing the Struggles or Another Factor At Play?

To answer this question, we must explore the causes of tongue ties. While traditional medical explanations attribute tongue ties to genetics, we know there is more to the story. Some natural health practitioners connect tongue ties to mutations in MTHFR genes, which affect folate absorption. Studies even suggest that increased folic acid intake, as in prenatal vitamins, may play a role.

As pediatric chiropractors specializing in neurology and neurodevelopment, we go beyond traditional approaches by looking at the nervous system and considering factors such as soft tissues. The nervous system’s tone influences the tone of muscles and soft tissues. If both the mother’s and baby’s nervous systems are stuck in fight-or-flight mode, it can affect the frenulum, mouth, and jaw. 

While physiology and chemistry matter, true health, and development start with the nervous system. 

Tongue ties, like many conditions, often result from a combination of factors, creating a “Perfect Storm.”

What is the Connection Between Prenatal Stress, Birth Trauma, and Tongue Ties?

This “Perfect Storm” frequently begins during the prenatal stage due to the emotional fight-or-flight response of the mother and baby. It becomes compounded during the birth process or delivery. Where physically stressful births commonly involve misalignment and fixation of the vertebrae, which have biomechanical and musculoskeletal effects. 

Combined with in-utero stress, a neurological component arises during key developmental periods. In fact, a study found that 99 out of 100 healthy newborns experienced somatic dysfunction (misalignment and fixation stress) during the birth process. This adds further pressure to the already compromised cranial and oral system, impacting the baby’s neuro-oral movements.

Care Options for Tongue Ties:

Many parents opt for tongue-tie revision surgery performed by a pediatric holistic dentist. You may consider making this decision based on concerns regarding nutrition, neurological development, and emotional bonding with your baby. However, like any medical procedure, certain factors should be considered first before making this decision.

If your baby experienced stress in utero, abnormal fetal positioning, or birth trauma, the increased tension and thickness of the soft tissues may be a protective response to the entire neurological system. The key is to address the underlying tension and consult with a neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractor before considering surgical revision. By doing this, we can work together with surgical revision to achieve the best short-term and long-term outcomes for your baby.

Navigating tongue ties or potential tongue ties can be complicated and complex. We are here to help! We so often find that a baby’s tongue tie is associated with moderate to severe tension and stress in the nervous system. The INSiGHT scan, a gentle and non-invasive thermography-based scan, can provide insights into the neurological struggles your baby may be experiencing. 

Remember, as parents, you are not alone in this journey. We want you to have access to the complete narrative, encompassing the underlying factors behind tongue ties. By exploring comprehensive care options, you are enabled to make well-informed decisions for your baby’s health and well-being.  This approach will greatly contribute to you and your baby’s prosperous journey during the nursing period and throughout infancy. Something every parent and baby deserves!

The understanding and facts behind this topic are so clear and have been for so long. It’s hard to believe every parent isn’t told the full truth about this all-too-common ‘Perfect Storm’ story. 

What am I talking about? The clear, and all too commonly seen path from childhood ear infections to lifelong asthma and immune challenges.

It starts with the way we birth and deliver babies in today’s traditional medical system. 

For thousands of years, kids were brought into this world WITHOUT the need for “intervention and induction”. Was every birth perfect and non-complicated? Nope. But 30-40% or more of them didn’t end with anesthesia, surgical tools, and a baby being pulled out by their head and neck either.

We’re starting with the birth process because it’s where the most common injury to the upper neck, brainstem, and cranial areas occurs. It’s the first “kink” that occurs, and it sets the stage for the rest of the path to develop. As you’ll see, one problem leads to another, and it just keeps going.

When there is physical strain, tension, pulling, and stress placed on the child’s head and neck during the birth process, it very commonly leads to something called a subluxation. We like to explain subluxation as having three parts – misalignment, fixation (“stuck”), and neurological interference/irritation. All three of those components are at play in this situation.

The greater the amount of intervention during the birth process (induction, forceps, vacuum, C-section, etc.), the greater the likelihood of a significant subluxation to the upper neck and brain stem area. Is it an ‘absolute’ situation? No, few things are… but in our 11 years of clinical experience, it’s a very, very strong correlation.

How Childbirth Relates to Ear Infections

Those three components of subluxation lead to two main problems that cause and contribute to ear infections:

1. Poor “plumbing” or drainage
2. Lowered (weakened) neuro-immune function

Physical trauma to the neck in-utero, during birth, or from a fall early in life creates that “kink” in close proximity to the “drain pipes”. All coming from the ears, sinuses, and head. Specifically, the top two vertebrae share a lot of nerve supply, muscles, and structures with the inner ear and sinuses.

If you “kink” those vertebrae you start to “clog” the drainage of the surrounding structures. In this case, that includes not just the ear, nose, and throat region, but the lymphatics that drain the head and neck as well.

Pediatricians still today give the ‘explanation’ to parents that “early in life the Eustachian tubes are just more horizontal. And for some kids, that’s worse than others” and so on and so forth. Well, they are right… sort of. Those tubes are more horizontal early in life, but that’s because they were designed that way!

Gravity plays far less of a role in actually draining the fluid from our ears than does one other major factor – MOVEMENT.

You see, when those two ‘physical’ components of the subluxation occur – misalignment and fixation – not only does it “clog” up the actual physical space in the ears and sinuses and lymphatics… but it’s the FIXATION part that really messes things up. When those vertebrae get jammed and “stuck” from that early physical trauma, they don’t move around as easily. Therefore, they don’t do their job in helping move fluid out of the ear and sinuses.

Finally, the longer that fluid is allowed to sit in the inner ear, the greater the chance that “bad guys” like viruses (most of them) and bacteria set up shop, replicate, and cause an infection.

And on top of all that, because that region of the brainstem and spinal cord house and protect a very important “hard drive” and “operating system” for our immune system… when we have a subluxation there, we can have compromised neuro-immune function.

So if you have bad plumbing and poor immune function, you have ear infections.

The Role of Antibiotics

But, that’s why we have Walgreens and CVS on every corner filled with antibiotics of all shapes and sizes right!? All a parent needs to do is go to their local pediatrician, urgent or immediate care, ER, or minute clinic and talk for a few minutes, grab the prescription, and head out. And all is good then, right?

Not so much.

We’ve had plenty of research since the 1980s that antibiotics don’t work very well for ear, sinus, and respiratory infections. And, they don’t come without side effects. Not only are there short-term side effects such as stomach pain and diarrhea in a lot of kids. There are also long-term ones are even worse.

Many studies have shown that if a child is given antibiotics early in life, it increases their risk of other long-standing inflammatory and autoimmune type issues, like asthma, later in life. Especially within the first 12-24 months.

But the problem doesn’t stop there with over prescribing antibiotics. Read an excerpt from another study that spells it out plain as day: 

“Antibiotics are not recommended for either diagnosis, as most of these infections are viral, but antibiotics are frequently prescribed to children with these diagnoses. Reducing unnecasssary antibiotic use is important: antibiotics are the leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits for pediatric adverse drug events and contribute to antibiotic resistance.” 

Even the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends a watch and wait approach. “Updated American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical practice guidelines address the diagnosis and management of uncomplicated acute otitis media (AOM) in children aged 6 months to 12 years. The new recommendations, which offer more rigorous diagnostic criteria to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, were published online on February 25 and in the March issue of Pediatrics.”

So if they’re known to not work well, known to have short and long-term side effects, and known to contribute to what is now a major public health crisis (antibiotic-resistant strains or “superbugs”)… then why do they still get prescribed left and right by pediatricians and doctors of all sorts? Good question.

Our guess is that most pediatricians still lack the level of education and understanding in natural health remedies and neurologically-focused options. Yet care deeply and want the child and parent to receive some relief. They then turn to the only thing they have in their ‘tool kit’ and still provide antibiotics.

Where birth trauma and poor plumbing come into play

Before we wrap up this blog post, let’s circle back to the birth trauma and poor plumbing discussion. Is that the only negative health effect our kids may face after significant birth intervention or trauma? Unfortunately, no. That is just where things get started. 

In case history after case history we see the following Perfect Storm pathway play out: 

• Tons of mental + emotional stress during the fertility period and pregnancy 
• Birth intervention leading to physical trauma to the brainstem and neurospinal system 
• Difficulty nursing, latching, soothing, and bonding 
• Colic, reflux, and constipation 
• Chronic and recurrent ear infections, cough, croup, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses
  • Antibiotics, steroids, and other medications frequently then frequently provided 
• Altered motor development and delayed developmental milestones such as sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, social engagement, speech, etc. 
• Diagnosis of things such as apraxia of speech, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, etc. 

You can read more via all the links provided above, or by checking out our entire birth trauma article here. 

Does asthma come after tubes?

But before we finish up this blog post, let’s explore the neurophysiological connections to asthma and how the next level of medical treatment, ear tubes surgery, may be at play. 

Just like the guidelines for when to prescribe antibiotics are not necessarily set in stone, neither are the ones that help doctors know when to recommend ear tubes. Most of the time it looks something like this: 

• 3 or more ear infections within 6 months 
• 4-6 ear infections within 12 months 

We’ve certainly seen many case histories of patients who’ve well surpassed that mark. We’ve also taken plenty of case histories of kids who’ve received two or even three different ear tube surgeries. That likely comes from the reality that ear tubes and surgery “force” an improved drainage system. For a short time period. As the child grows, the root cause of the buildup and poor plumbing is still not addressed. The body pushes out the original tubes and goes back to the same Perfect Storm it has been stuck in. 

Just like ear infections and upper respiratory challenges are the #1 reason for a visit to the pediatrician, this is the most common surgery (myringotomy or tympanostomy) in kids. It is performed over 700,000 times in the United States each year, costing $1.8 billion dollars. 

So Where Does All That Stuck, Virus-Filled Fluid Go Next?

Many parents report immediate relief from the eustachian tubes surgery. Sadly a few weeks or months later, they start to notice that their child appears to be talking and breathing differently. Their voice changes a bit. They become a bit more hoarse, unclear, and labored in their breathing. Seemingly having to “work harder” at it than before. 

This time the pediatrician isn’t as concerned with the ears. Now they say that the tonsils and adenoids are “swollen” and the kiddo has a strep infection. But hey, don’t worry! This one is actually bacterial a lot of the time, so you guessed it! MORE ANTIBIOTICS!

Well, as time progresses the snoring gets worse. The sinuses and throat get more jammed up. The breathing more labored, and the strep infections more frequent. So finally the pediatrician says to go back to the ENT and see about having the tonsils and adenoids removed.

For most kids, this means the same doctor, same hospital, and same surgical routine. After previously drilling some holes in one body part, they just altogether take out a few more. 

Like building a coffee table you bought at IKEA, who needs all those extra body parts right? I’m sure they were just “extra” and not really needed for good, long term immune health. 

(Sorry for the satire. It’s heartbreaking when you know what’s really going on and know that parents are not told the whole story and not given ALL of their options.) 

So, back to the hospital. More surgery, more ice cream. And, more dispersal of the fluid into other places within the body. 

The fluid keeps moving “south” and starts to set up shop now in the lungs and upper airway. It’s simply the next stop on the anatomical map. Where the ear, nose, throat, and lymphatics were all supposed to be draining into naturally and easily this whole time before the birth trauma. Or other trauma set up that subluxation and “kink” in the plumbing system.

Asthma & Allergies Set in for the Long Haul

Essentially now this child becomes sick every single day of their life… Advair, Flovent, Singulair, etc.  They can’t run without challenges, they can’t go outside without challenges. Spring and fall are nightmares for them due to “allergies” as they’re now called.

Basically, it started out as a short-term, acute problem that could’ve been fixed for good. Instead of improving plumbing and restoring neuro-immune function, it is now a lifelong chronic illness and immune dysfunction. What was once a kid who struggled for a night or two with pain and discomfort, is now a kid who struggles every single day of their life.

It’s an absolute “Perfect Storm” all on its own. 

These kids don’t need more antibiotics and they don’t need more surgeries. Their families need more facts. They need more doctors and pediatricians who will tell them the actual truth. That antibiotics are not only mostly ineffective for all these challenges, they’re dangerous. 

They need doctors who will tell them to seek out chiropractic care and natural health options for ear infections. Before sending them down this perfect storm road of antibiotics, surgeries, allergies, and asthma. 

If you have a kiddo who is suffering, or if you know someone who is, please get them checked by a pediatric chiropractor to find out if they are subluxated. If there was extra stress during the pregnancy or intervention and trauma during the birth process, the chances are high that they indeed are. 

But that can mean good news for your family! Because that can mean a better chance of finding answers and relief through chiropractic care and natural health!