Ask Dr. Anne-Marie

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is widely used and generally considered low-risk when it is provided by a chiropractor trained in prenatal care, using techniques and positioning modified for a pregnant body. Care should be coordinated with your obstetric provider or midwife, and certain pregnancy complications require medical clearance first.

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic assessment and adjustment of the sacrum and surrounding soft tissue, used in pregnancy with the aim of reducing biomechanical constraint in the pelvis. It is a chiropractic technique performed on the mother — it is not a procedure performed on the baby.

There is no required age. Parents most often seek an assessment in the early weeks when they notice a consistent pattern — a strong head-turning preference, difficulty feeding on one side, persistent arching, or trouble settling in certain positions. Any concern about feeding, weight gain, or illness should go to your pediatrician first.

Chiropractic care does not treat reflux, and the research in this area is limited. What an assessment can address is whether a baby is comfortable in the positions feeding requires and whether they can turn and extend evenly on both sides. Reflux with poor weight gain, feeding refusal, or signs of pain needs medical assessment.

A consistent head-turning preference usually reflects a difference in comfort or range between the two sides. It is common and often improves, but it is worth having examined — particularly if it affects feeding, if the baby resists turning the other way, or if you notice head-shape changes.

Birth is a significant physical event for a baby as well as a mother, and it is reasonable to consider it part of a newborn's history. That is different from claiming birth causes lasting damage — newborns are remarkably adaptable, and most recover from the mechanics of birth without any intervention.

Childhood headaches are common and have many possible causes, including sleep debt, dehydration, screen and posture load, vision problems, stress, and neck tension. Frequent or worsening headaches — and any headache with red-flag features — should be assessed by your child's doctor.

Feeding difficulty should be assessed first by an experienced lactation consultant. Chiropractic care does not treat latch problems, but assessment of a baby's comfort, symmetry, and ability to turn in both directions can be a useful support alongside skilled feeding care.

It describes an approach to chiropractic that frames care around how the nervous system receives and responds to information from the spine and joints, rather than focusing only on the site of pain. In practice it means assessing how the whole system is functioning and adapting, not only where it hurts.

Look for postgraduate pediatric training such as the CACCP designation, a thorough examination and history, clear explanation of technique and force, honest scope boundaries with willingness to refer, and a care plan with a defined purpose and review point rather than an open-ended commitment.