Ask the Chiropractor

Ask the Pediatric Chiropractor: Dr. Stephanie Bonn

Question:

My newborn seems to spit up more than other babies. He spits up at least 3-4 times a day, but it doesn’t seem to bother him (he doesn’t cry or anything). Is this normal?

Answer:

My first baby spit up often and in copious amounts, so much so that I was concerned about the effect on his weight, growth and development. Certain babies have a sensitive tummy, or it can be the simple fact that they are drinking in more than their small tummies can hold.

If your baby is gaining sufficient weight for his age and has an adequate daily number of wet diapers, he is most likely fine and the spit up will decrease as he gets older. If he is distressed during the spit ups and/or he is not gaining weight, you should be concerned as he may have gastric reflux. Decreasing spinal stress will help with chiropractic care as well as diet modification and positioning after feeds.

But if he is happy, he will outgrow the spit ups with time, most definitely by six months when he starts eating solids.

Question:

Our 3 week old baby girl is not like our friends’ babies at all! She rarely seems to be content, and fusses and cries almost all the time. We feel there could be something wrong with her. What would you suggest as the first step we should take in figuring out what’s wrong?

Answer:

It sounds like your baby may have colic which can start suddenly at 3 weeks of age. The first step is to ensure that she is gaining adequate weight. If she is not, she may be crying because she is hungry.

Her hunger could be coming from a problem with feedings if she has an insufficient latch or is spitting up everything she consumes. If she is gaining weight, she may have stress in her digestive system which may be causing gas, gastric reflux, slow moving bowels or constipation.

If her digestion is fine, it may be that her nervous system is overly sensitive. If this is the case, attachment parenting techniques can really help such as breastfeeding on demand, wearing her in a carrier and sleeping with her at night.

Have a chiropractor assess her for spinal tension as chiropractic adjustments will relax her nervous system, improve her latch and make her digestive system more efficient.

For questions on colic and/or pediatric chiropractic, please contact Dr. Stephanie anytime at

Dr. Stephanie Bonn, DC