Congratulations, You Have a Baby
Your care continues into the fourth trimester. Tap each section below for gentle, supportive guidance for you and your newborn.
Your care continues into the fourth trimester. Tap each section below for gentle, supportive guidance for you and your newborn.
A warm welcome to the fourth trimester. We are honored to keep caring for you and your little one in these first tender weeks.
Congratulations, Mom. After nine months together, your baby is finally here, and we are so honored to keep walking this journey with you. The weeks right after birth are their own season, often called the fourth trimester, and your care does not end at delivery.
Your body has just moved through one of the most powerful physical events it will ever experience, and your newborn is meeting the world for the very first time. This guide is your gentle companion for these early weeks, with plain-language information for your recovery, for your baby, and for what to expect as you settle into life at home.
At Van Every Family Chiropractic Center, the support you felt through pregnancy carries right into the postpartum season. This time is about restoring you fully, not just getting by, and about giving your baby the gentlest possible start. Whenever a question comes up, you have a direct line to your team.
You matter too. It is easy to pour everything into your baby, and your health and recovery matter just as much. Caring for yourself helps you care for your little one. You have taken care of baby for nine months. Now let us help take care of you.
The postpartum period is a time of tremendous change. After nine months of pregnancy and the physical demands of birth, your body needs support to recover and to adapt to the new rhythms of caring for a newborn. Relaxin, the hormone that loosened your ligaments for birth, keeps affecting them for months, so your body benefits from gentle support as it heals and realigns.
Gentle care helps you realign after delivery, restore pelvic balance, and ease the everyday strain of feeding, holding, and carrying your baby. Our techniques are gentle and specific, with no cracking, popping, or twisting, and they are appropriate for new mothers at every stage of recovery.
Hours of feeding in less than ideal positions can cause real neck, upper back, and shoulder discomfort. We are glad to help ease that strain and to share more comfortable positioning so feeding feels better for you.
A note on timing after a C-section: After a vaginal birth, gentle care can often begin within days. After a cesarean birth, we usually wait about four to six weeks for the incision to heal, then begin gently. It is never too late to start, even months or years later. We will always meet you where you are.
Birth, even a gentle one, is a big physical event for a tiny body. Natural delivery, a cesarean birth, a long labor, or a very fast one can each place real forces on a newborn's delicate spine and nervous system. Even in the gentlest circumstances, birth can create small misalignments that may affect feeding, sleep, and comfort.
Our care for infants looks very different from adult care, and it is remarkably gentle. The pressure is about the same as touching your closed eyelid, with no cracking or popping. We use light fingertip pressure, and most adjustments take just seconds. Babies often sleep right through it, and parents are frequently amazed at how peaceful their little one stays.
Supporting healthy nervous-system function in these early weeks can help with feeding, sleeping, and overall comfort. You are welcome to bring baby along to your own appointments, and we can gently check your little one while you are here.
Signs your baby may benefit from a look: difficulty latching or a preference for nursing on one side only, a head that tilts or turns to one side, frequent spitting up, trouble settling, or general fussiness. If you notice any of these, we are glad to take a gentle look and explain exactly what we find.
Care frequency is gentle and tailored to how you are recovering and how you feel. After a vaginal birth, many moms begin within days. After a cesarean birth, we usually wait about four to six weeks for healing, then start gently. There is no wrong time to begin, and we will set a rhythm together based on your needs.
Many families like to have their newborn gently checked within the first weeks of life, so any birth-related misalignments can be addressed early. Beyond that, good times to come in are whenever a concern comes up, after the bumps and tumbles of those first months, and for simple wellness checks as baby grows.
You are always welcome to bring your baby along. Our office is built for families, and we are very comfortable working with newborns, including the wiggly, fussy, and sleepy ones.
When you can, bring a fed and rested baby. Many parents like to schedule right after a feeding. And please do not worry if baby fusses, we are experts at working gently with little ones exactly as they are.
Welcoming a new baby is a joy, and we would love to celebrate with a special gift for your little one. It is our way of saying thank you for trusting us through your pregnancy.
A gift for your new baby: a free newborn exam
As a thank you to the families who trust us through pregnancy, we are glad to offer a complimentary newborn chiropractic exam. To qualify, the mother must have been under our care during her pregnancy, and baby is seen within one month of delivery. Just ask us and we will schedule baby's first visit.
Just ask us. When you are ready, let us know and we will get baby's first visit on the calendar. We cannot wait to meet your newest little one.