One of the greatest travesties in our society is the lack of attention that is focused on new mothers. After having been endlessly encouraged to care for herself, being doted upon and given lots of special treatment during pregnancy, the mother is all but forgotten about once the baby is born. This is a time when the woman needs more attention than ever. She continues to have ligamentous laxity, and now she adds to it the numerous sustained, awkward postures of motherhood. Breastfeeding for literally hours each day, carrying or wearing the baby, leaning over to change diapers, bending down to pick up toys, lifting a heavy diaper bag, doing all the extra laundry – the list of postural stresses on a mom’s body is endless (and this is especially true if they have older children as well). And all of this is handled by a person who is most likely getting less sleep, living on less income, and getting less time for self-care than ever before. Now take into consideration the massive hormonal fluctuation and propensity for mild to severe postpartum depression. It is basically a recipe for disaster.

We encourage mothers to come in for care as soon as they are able after birth. They are welcome to bring their babies and older children along to their appointments in our office. We are happy to work with the mama on the table as they kids play at our feet, or sometimes ‘help’ us care for her. We also usually have an extra pair of arms around the office to cuddle newborns as needed. Restoring balance to a mama’s body, helping her heal from pregnancy and birth, and allowing her to better handle the many stresses of mamahood are among the most important things we do. When she feels better, she can better care for her baby, and be more present during that magical ‘babymoon’, encouraging more positive interactions between mother and baby—what better gift could we ever hope to give?