When you bring your newborn home, you expect some exhaustion, some learning curves, and a whole lot of love. 

And, as a new parent, of course there will be advice. So, so much advice.

But even with the best advice, there will be things you're just not sure about. Times when you feel apprehensive, but no one is taking you seriously.

The quiet worry that creeps in when something just feels off can be pretty unsettling.

Your baby may seem uncomfortable. They could be fussier than you imagined. Maybe they can only nurse well on one side. Maybe they arch, or struggle to sleep. Maybe they hate the car seat with a passion.

Your instincts may be telling you something is wrong.

But when you bring these concerns up, you’re told:

“It’s normal.” 

“They’ll grow out of it.” 

“Some babies are just fussy.”

I often see parents who have tried everything: the lactation advice, the homeopathic remedies, the gripe water, the position changes. Yet, they still feel like nothing works and no one is listening. 

What do I tell these parents when they come to see me? Trust your instincts. 

They’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering if they’re missing something important.

The fact is, birth is intense on your baby’s body.

Birth is beautiful, but it’s also traumatic—even when everything goes smoothly.

I often tell parents: Birth can be the first subluxation.

During even the easiest vaginal birth, a baby’s head, neck, and spine experience:

• Compression
• Twisting forces
• Rotational stress
• Skull molding
• Intense nervous system stimulation

When more interventions are involved, we see even more stress on the baby’s muscles, nerves, and joints. 

Things like induction, prolonged pushing, vacuum extraction, forceps, breech positioning, or even a C-section make birth harder on the baby.

What exactly is happening to your baby during birth?

Even in the smoothest birth, your baby is working incredibly hard to navigate the narrow space of the pelvis. 

These movements are normal and necessary. 

They can also lead to tension, tightness, or trouble feeding after birth.

As your baby moves through the birth canal, they go through what's called the seven cardinal movements. 

The seven cardinal movements include:

1. Engagement

What happens:

The widest part of your baby’s head enters the top of mom’s pelvis.

How it affects your baby:

This first big compression can place pressure on the plates of the skull, encouraging them to overlap. It also begins the process of neck loading—the very start of the “first subluxation” for many babies.

2. Descent

What happens:

Your baby’s head moves deeper into the pelvis with each contraction.

How it affects your baby:

This downward pressure creates rhythmic compression along the neck and spine. 

Babies who descend quickly or unevenly often develop tightness on one side of the neck or jaw, which can contribute to one-sided feeding preferences.

3. Flexion

What happens:

The baby’s chin tucks down toward the chest so the smallest diameter of its head can move through the pelvis.

How it affects your baby:

Flexion increases pressure at the back of the skull and upper cervical spine. When this area is overstressed, babies may struggle with:

• Latching
• Turning their head
• Getting comfortable lying flat
• Preferring to be held upright

4. Internal Rotation

What happens:

Your baby rotates their head to line up with the widest opening of the pelvic outlet.

How it affects your baby:

This is one of the biggest contributors to neck tension. Rotational forces can lead to:

• Torticollis (head tilt)
• Jaw tightness
• Difficulty nursing on one side
• A “stiff” or “snappy” feeling in the neck
• Arching when lying down

It’s a normal movement—but an intense one for tiny muscles.

5. Extension

What happens:

As the head moves under the pubic bone, it extends upward so the forehead, then face, and finally chin can emerge.

How it affects your baby:

This opens the neck in a big stretch. 

Babies who struggle with extension sometimes become very fussy when placed on their backs or in car seats. This is because extension loads the same tissues that were overstretched during birth.

6. External Rotation

What happens:

After the head is born, it rotates back to align with the shoulders.

How it affects your baby:

This movement helps the shoulders navigate the pelvis, but it also introduces another layer of twist through the upper spine. 

Babies with shoulder strain from this phase may show:

• Arm preference
• Trouble with tummy time
• Difficulty with burping
• Discomfort being lifted under the armpits

7. Expulsion

What happens:

The shoulders and the rest of the body follow.

How it affects your baby:

This final push can place traction on the neck and shoulders—especially if the birth required vacuum extraction, forceps, or assistance with the shoulders. 

Babies affected by the expulsion phase often show:

• Back arching
• Gas or constipation
• Tightness through the mid-back
• Difficulty settling
• Crying when placed down

During birth, compression of the baby's neck and spine is pretty normal, but also pretty intense.

In a natural birth, the baby’s head is being squeezed, molded, and rotated through a tight space.

In a C-section, the forces are different. There's more traction and pull.

These normal, necessary forces can create:

• Minor misalignments
• Nerve tension
• Muscle tightness
• Skull molding (plagiocephaly)

These tensions can—and often do—affect feeding, sleeping, pooping, and comfort.

Infants show their stress and tension in a few ways.

Parents usually notice symptoms long before they know what’s causing them.

Here are the most common signs that birth created tension or misalignment in your baby’s body:

Feeding Challenges

Tightness in the jaw or the neck can make it hard for a baby to latch or feed. 

Sometimes this makes one side nursing more difficult than the other.

Torticollis

Torticollis is a side-bending, head-tilting pattern caused by in-utero positioning or birth trauma. 

It’s like a baby version of a crick in the neck, only they can’t tell you it hurts.

Fussiness & Arching

A baby that is fussy and arching their back is likely hypertonic. 

This baby may be experiencing stiff muscles that are resistant to movement.

These babies look uncomfortable because they are uncomfortable.

Plagiocephaly

It’s pretty normal during birth for the skull bones to overlap to allow the head to pass. This usually resolves on its own. The problem with plagiocephaly is that misalignments can stretch or pinch nerves.

This skull molding can affect your baby's:

• Comfort
• Feeding
• Sleep
• Head turning preference

Difficulty in the Car Seat

Some babies may really not like being in their car seat. Often these babies only sleep comfortably on top of their mother.

This is a huge clue that the baby’s spine or nervous system is stressed.

Constipation or Gas

Compression through the mid-back and pelvis affects the nerves that help babies poop. 

Believe me: When this resolves, everyone is happier.

The stress of being born can cause a lot of discomfort for a baby, and a lot of stress and uncertainty for new parents.

The good news is that you and your baby don't have to just suffer through it.

Your baby can be made to feel at ease. Really!

Gentle chiropractic can help your baby feel better.

When a baby comes in for an evaluation, my first step is observation:

I look at the baby to see if there are any asymmetries in their skull, in how they hold their head, and how they're moving and twisting.

Then I gently palpate, feeling for tension along the skull, spine, jaw, pelvis, and shoulders.

Babies can’t tell me where it hurts, so I watch for:

• Arching
• Squirming
• Subtle cries
• Areas they avoid turning into

The adjustments are extremely gentle.

The force that I use on an infant is very, very light… like putting a contact lens onto your eyeball.

Sometimes I use the Activator on the absolute lightest setting.

Sometimes I do gentle craniosacral work.

Sometimes it’s soft tissue release, wiggling, unwinding, or small stretches.

Nothing is forceful. Nothing is scary.

No cracking, popping, or twisting.

Just light pressure, careful touch, and slow relief of restriction.

Parents often notice a change right away.

This is my favorite part: when the baby’s entire body relaxes and the parent’s whole nervous system unwinds with them.

Parents often tell me:

• “You handed me back a different baby.”
• “The latch was immediately more comfortable.”
• “They pooped on the way home!”
• “They slept through the night better.”
• “Their body feels softer, less tense.”
• “They finally seem comfortable.”

These changes often happen in the first visit, though sometimes we need a few sessions to address deeper patterns.

Recently I’ve seen these transformations in the babies I’ve treated:

Each baby has their own reason for discomfort or dysfunction. Listening to the parent’s experiences helps me figure out how to help.

Baby 1: My little stressed-out ball

This baby was born via C-section after being breech, and he came in so tense—curled into a tiny, tight ball.

You could just feel how overwhelmed his little system was.

After a few visits with very gentle craniosacral work and soft tissue releases, he softened.

His whole body unwound.

He started feeding better, sleeping better, and you could see his parents finally exhale.

Baby 2: Vacuum extraction + painful latch

This little one had a tough entrance into the world.

He got stuck during the C-section and needed vacuum extraction, which stretched his neck and arm.

When he came in, he was arching, fussy, and his latch was painful for his mom.

Once we addressed his thoracic spine and palate—and I showed his parents a different burping technique—the shift was immediate.

Feeding improved right away, his sleep normalized, and he could finally relax enough to sleep off his parents’ bodies.

Baby 3: Constipated, uncomfortable, and hating the car seat

This baby had a straightforward vaginal birth, but he was struggling.

He was constipated, unhappy in the car seat, and just not comfortable in his body.

I found a misalignment in his sacrum, gave a gentle adjustment, and he pooped on the way home.

Sometimes it really is that quick. He’s been much more comfortable ever since.

When should you bring your infant to see me?

I think all babies should get checked after birth. Who doesn’t want their baby to have their best start in life?

This isn’t about fixing something “wrong.” It’s about giving your baby a well-regulated nervous system so they can eat, sleep, turn, and grow with comfort.

If your baby is fussy, struggling to latch, not sleeping well, or just doesn’t seem comfortable in their body, please know:

There is a gentle, effective path forward.

If you're feeling concerned, you’re not overreacting. And you don’t have to just “wait it out.”

Come see us in Aptos.

We help newborns feel better so the whole family can breathe again.

Online scheduling is easy.

Whenever you’re ready, I’m here for you, and I’m here for your baby, too.