One of the most significant transitions your baby will ever go through is the birth process.
Within hours, they transition from a warm, fluid world where everything is controlled for them to one where they must breathe, eat, control their body temperature, digest food, and react to their environment on their own. It's an amazing process; however, it's also a significant neurological and physiological event.
The Intensity of the Birth Process
Your baby's body experiences extensive mechanical and physiological stress during the labour and delivery process. The following happen as they pass through the birth canal:
- Compressive forces acting on the spine and skull
- Quick changes in oxygen and pressure levels
- The release of stress hormones that support adaptation
These responses are essential because they help your baby become alert, initiate breathing, and begin adjusting to life outside the womb (Prado et al., 2018; Cerritelli et al., 2021). At the same time, growing evidence shows that the type and experience of birth can influence how smoothly this transition occurs, particularly in areas such as respiratory adaptation, immune development, and early stress regulation (Cho & Norman, 2013; Prado et al., 2018).
Chiropractors are particularly interested in understanding the full birth experience, as different factors can influence how a baby adapts and recovers. Mechanical forces applied to the baby’s head and neck whether related to positioning, duration of labour, or assisted interventions can increase strain on the developing musculoskeletal and nervous systems (Chaturvedi et al., 2018; Cabrera-Dandy et al., 2026).
This perspective builds on early chiropractic research and foundational clinical observations of Dr Jeanne Ohm, who first highlighted the impact of birth forces on the developing spine and nervous system. More recent research continues to expand on these concepts, offering deeper insight into how early mechanical and physiological stress may influence neurodevelopment, motor patterns, and stress responsiveness
For example, unnatural birthing positions particularly those that limit movement or place sustained pressure on the pelvis may increase mechanical stress on the baby’s head and cervical spine during delivery (Gardosi, Hutson & Lynch, 1989).
The use of medical interventions during labour, while often necessary, can also influence the natural progression of birth and may increase the likelihood of assisted delivery, where additional external forces are applied (Studd et al., 1980). In some cases, medications used during labour may affect the mother’s movement, positioning, and sensory feedback. This may interfere with the mothers’ intuition of natural birthing and can also contribute to the use of additional force during delivery. While some birth-related injuries are immediately obvious, many are subclinical, meaning they aren’t obvious at birth, but this trauma may have long lasting effects on the child’s future health status (Yashon, 1986).
Your Baby’s Nervous System: Switching On to the World
Your baby’s function and transition outside the womb is achieved largely thanks to activation of the nervous system. As your baby moves into a space of ongoing adaptation in the world on the outside they need to activate and succeed with:
- Coordinating their breathing
- Sucking, swallowing and breathing
- Controlling sleep-wake cycles
- Taking in fresh sensory information
This process is controlled by the Autonomic Nervous System, particularly the balance between stress and regulation pathways. Keep in mind, your baby’s nervous system would still be in its early stages of development. So, while some babies handle this change with ease, others may exhibit symptoms that indicate their nervous system is working a little harder to adapt.
There is growing evidence that early physiological stress can affect neurodevelopmental outcomes and autonomic regulation, especially during the neonatal period which is the first month of life. (Baroutis et al., 2025; Smith & Pollak, 2020).
We certainly see this in practice, that early stress indicators are often still present in toddlers but expressed differently. A baby who showed digestive upset and presented with colic-like symptoms may now be a toddler or preschooler with emotional regulation issues.
When the Transition Is More Challenging
- Having trouble falling asleep or settling
- Discomfort in the digestive system
- Preference of head position
- Sensitivity to handling or movement
- Difficulty with breastfeeding - latching, coordination of suck, swallow, and snout reflex.
In the weeks after birth, babies start learning how to:
- Move their head and body
- Improve feeding coordination
- Build sleep patterns
- Interact with their surroundings
Comparatively, restrictions or areas of tension sometimes described in chiropractic as subluxation or altered neuromuscular control may influence how efficiently a baby feeds, moves, and settles. Emerging clinical perspectives suggest that addressing these mechanical and neurological factors may support improved breastfeeding outcomes and overall regulation (Fludder & Bourgeois, 2020).
What do we do as Chiropractors?
As we’ve talked about previously, stress on the nervous system in the early stages of life can influence not only autonomic function, but may also play a big role in how your baby grows and develops long-term. Our role as chiropractors is to gently unwind and release stress patterns, often dating back to birth, while supporting your baby’s nervous system and movement, especially during this window of rapid development.Research confirms that early supportive environments and interventions can positively shape both motor development and overall developmental pathways (Dumuids-Vernet et al., 2022). With that said, our main goals are to:
- Reduce tension and unwind stress patterns
- Encourage more symmetrical and optimal movement
- Improve that brain to body communication
- Latch and feed
- Settle and Sleep
- Balance and Ease in movement
References
- Moore, E. R., Bergman, N., Anderson, G. C., & Medley, N. (2016). Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 11(11), CD003519. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub4
- Prado, D. S., Mendes, R. B., Gurgel, R. Q., Barreto, I. D. C., Cipolotti, R., & Gurgel, R. Q. (2018). The influence of mode of delivery on neonatal and maternal short and long-term outcomes. Revista de saude publica, 52, 95. https://doi.org/10.11606/S1518-8787.2018052000742
- Smith, K. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2020). Early life stress and development: potential mechanisms for adverse outcomes. Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 12(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-020-09337-y
- Corvaglia, L., & Martini, S. (2015). Feeding difficulties during the neonatal period. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 41(Suppl 2), A21. https://doi.org/10.1186/1824-7288-41-S2-A21
- Dumuids-Vernet, M. V., Provasi, J., Anderson, D. I., & Barbu-Roth, M. (2022). Effects of Early Motor Interventions on Gross Motor and Locomotor Development for Infants at-Risk of Motor Delay: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in pediatrics, 10, 877345. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.877345
- Baroutis, D., Sotiropoulou, I. M., Mantzioros, R., Theodora, M., Daskalakis, G., & Antsaklis, P. (2025). Prenatal maternal stress and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes: a narrative review. Journal of perinatal medicine, 53(9), 1159–1171. https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2025-0297
- Cerritelli F, Frasch MG, Antonelli MC, Viglione C, Vecchi S, Chiera M and Manzotti A (2021) A Review on the Vagus Nerve and Autonomic Nervous System During Fetal Development: Searching for Critical Windows. Front. Neurosci. 15:721605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.721605
- Cabrera-Dandy, M., Torloni, M. R., Merialdi, M., Greco, E., & Iliodromiti, S. (2026). Effectiveness and safety of assisted vaginal birth and second-stage cesarean section: a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world contemporary data. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 234(2), 310–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2025.09.022
- Yashon, D. (1986). Spinal injury (2nd ed.). Appleton & Lange.
- Gardosi, J., Hutson, N., & B-Lynch, C. (1989). Randomised, controlled trial of squatting in the second stage of labour. Lancet (London, England), 2(8654), 74–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90315-2
- Studd, J. W., Crawford, J. S., Duignan, N. M., Rowbotham, C. J., & Hughes, A. O. (1980). The effect of lumbar epidural analgesia on the rate of cervical dilatation and the outcome of labour of spontaneous onset. British journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 87(11), 1015–1021. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1980.tb04466.x
- Fludder, C. (2020, October 8). 2020: Chiropractic management of an infant with breastfeeding difficulty and poor weight gain: A case study. Chiropaeds. https://www.chiropaeds.com.au/research-papers/2020/10/7/2020-chiropractic-management-of-an-infant-with-breastfeeding-difficulty-and-poor-weight-gain-a-case-study
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