The Growing Caldwell Family

A lot of people envision that adjusting a baby is about cracking their neck or some other aggressive maneuver, but it is quite gentle.  Charlie had his second visit with Dr. Laura this week and slept through the whole thing.  She very gently feels his neck and massages areas that feel tight.  He actually grinned while she was doing it! When she saw him grin, she mentioned that babies who have gentle births tend to smile very early.  I believe her because I would swear that he has been smiling since he was born and that it is often intentional.  He will look up at me after nursing and just smile, such a wonderful sight!

Monday was Charlie's first visit to the pediatrician.  I really like that our pediatrician has a special entrance and waiting area for newborns.  Charlie handled the visit like a pro and was content the whole time. Here are his current stats: weight is 8 pounds 11.5 ounces (81st percentile and almost back to his birth weight, which is pretty impressive for a breastfed baby); height is 21.25 inches (78th percentile); and head circumference is 14.25 (86th percentile). We were concerned about the jaundice, but the pediatrician said he looked good and she didn't feel we even needed to check the billirubin level.  That was a relief to hear! Saturday my milk started coming in and Sunday night I was miserable with so much milk.  It was making it difficult for Charlie to latch and causing me a lot of discomfort.  I felt like there must be something we needed to do to make it better, so I called our doula and asked if we could come by.  She is very gracious and...

I mentioned in a post a while back that we started taking Sarah Graves to a chiropractor.  The chiropractor was recommended because they have had success in helping babies with their alignment for better sleep and spitting up.  Mom helped me find one who is certified for pediatrics and she knows our midwives, which made me feel comfortable having her work with Sarah Graves.  I have been amazed at how many babies come in to see her.  Parents with newborns, infants, and toddlers are always there.  She has been working with Sarah Graves for a few weeks and keeps suggesting other ideas to help her.  She thinks the spit up may be because her diaphragm muscle is tight and putting pressure on her esophagus causing her to spit up.  To help relax this, she has recommended that we put pressure on that spot when we hold her facing out and she recently recommended that we start probiotics and doing baby inversion.  The baby inversion is just what you would t...