In March, I received a call from a doula asking if I could come adjust one of my patients while she was laboring at home. Her labor had slowed, and she was hoping that an adjustment might help her body relax, find better balance, and gently move things along. It was a Sunday afternoon, I was near her house, and I happened to be free, so I headed over.
There is something incredibly sacred about being invited into a space like that. Labor is such an incredible, powerful moment—the in-between time where everything slows, where a mother is doing the deep, quiet work of preparing to meet her baby. I worked with her as gently and specifically as I could, offering adjustments to her neck and sacrum, working in between contractions. I stayed around for a short time and then headed home, grateful to have been a small part of such a meaningful moment.
A few days later, I returned—this time to check & adjust her new baby boy. Another incredible honor.
Birth is not only a powerful experience for mom, but for baby as well. Just imagine—after months of being curled up, gently moving and growing in a small, protected space, baby begins the journey into the world through a passage perfectly designed for that transition. Every contraction, every movement, every breath has a purpose. The lungs are compressed and prepared to take that first breath, the head gently molds, and the body adapts in ways that are nothing short of incredible. It’s a process that reflects the brilliance of how we are designed. How incredible!
So why would we check and adjust a newborn baby? Because even though birth is beautifully designed, it isn’t always easy.
The instinctive process of rotating and turning down the birth canal and pushing through can cause subtle shifts in the upper neck of the baby. That subtle shift can affect how the nervous system communicates, which can make it harder for a baby to fully adapt to life on the outside. Sometimes this shows up as difficulty latching, extra fussiness, grunting, trouble with digestion, or a baby who just doesn’t seem quite comfortable.
Specific, gentle adjustments to newborns can make such a positive difference in the start of their life, it’s incredible to witness.
This is why we check babies—not because something is “wrong,” but because we want to support their ability to adapt, grow, and thrive from the very beginning. There is something so special about caring for a baby in those first days of life, helping their body settle, unwind, and find balance after such an incredible journey. It’s an honor I never take lightly—to be invited into these moments, to support both mom and baby, and to witness the very beginning of a new life story.
~ Dr. Pam
(side note: if someone is not under regular care in my office while they are pregnant, I won’t do house calls, we have to have an established doctor-patient relationship to be able to help them in situations like this.)
