Birth is one of the most physically demanding experiences a baby will ever go through. Whether your little one arrived via C-section, vacuum extraction, forceps delivery, or a prolonged labor, the forces involved can create stress patterns in your newborn’s delicate spine and nervous system that aren’t always visible on the surface.
As parents, you might notice the effects without knowing the cause: difficulty latching, excessive fussiness, preference for turning the head to one side, trouble sleeping, or digestive distress like reflux and gas. These are often signs that the birth process created interference in your baby’s nervous system — what chiropractors call subluxation.
At Liberated Chiropractic in Grapevine, TX, we specialize in identifying and gently addressing the neurological effects of birth trauma. Dr. Tyler Ardoin D.C and Dr. Adam Ardoin D.C use advanced INSiGHT scanning technology to objectively measure your baby’s nervous system function, pinpointing exactly where stress patterns exist — no guesswork involved.
Birth trauma refers to the physical stress placed on a baby’s spine, skull, and nervous system during the delivery process. Even “normal” deliveries involve significant forces on a newborn’s cervical spine. When interventions are added — induction, epidural, vacuum, forceps, or emergency C-section — these forces increase.
The result can be subtle misalignments in the upper cervical spine that interfere with brainstem function, vagus nerve communication, and overall nervous system regulation. Because a baby’s brain doubles in size during the first year and forms over one million neural connections every second, even minor interference during this critical window can have cascading effects on development.
Every baby is unique, but parents commonly report the following when birth trauma is affecting the nervous system: difficulty breastfeeding or latching on one side, excessive crying or colic that doesn’t respond to typical soothing, torticollis (head consistently tilted or turned to one side), reflux, gas, or digestive discomfort, difficulty sleeping or only sleeping when held, arching of the back during feeding or when lying down, delayed motor milestones like rolling, crawling, or sitting, and overall irritability or being described as a “high-needs” baby.
These signs don’t mean something is “wrong” with your baby. They’re signals that the nervous system is under stress and could benefit from support.
Unlike traditional approaches that rely on observation alone, we use the CLA INSiGHT scanning system to get objective, measurable data about your baby’s nervous system. This technology includes three painless, non-invasive scans: Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures your baby’s stress adaptation and recovery capacity, Surface EMG (sEMG) detects areas of muscle tension and neurological imbalance along the spine, and Thermal Scanning identifies inflammation patterns indicating nerve interference. Together, these scans generate a COREscore — a comprehensive measurement of your baby’s neural efficiency on a scale of 0-100. This gives us a clear baseline and allows us to track measurable progress throughout care.
We understand that trusting someone with your newborn requires confidence. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments use no more pressure than you’d use to check the ripeness of a tomato. There is no twisting, popping, or cracking. Most babies sleep through their adjustments, and many parents notice visible relaxation during and immediately after care.
Dr. Tyler holds certifications in pediatric chiropractic through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and has completed extensive training in neonatal assessment and gentle adjusting techniques specifically designed for newborns and infants.
Plan on 45 minutes. We take a detailed birth and health history, do a hands-on exam, run the INSiGHT scans, and if it’s appropriate, deliver a first gentle adjustment. You come back for a Report of Findings where we walk through the scans together, show you exactly what we found, and lay out what we recommend and what it costs. You will leave that visit knowing both. No surprises later.
Absolutely. Pediatric chiropractic adjustments are extremely gentle — using less pressure than you’d use to test a ripe tomato. Our doctors have advanced pediatric training and have safely cared for many infants. The INSiGHT scans are completely non-invasive, radiation-free, and most babies sleep right through them.
We can safely assess and adjust newborns within hours of birth. Many families in Grapevine bring their babies in during the first week of life, especially after difficult deliveries. The sooner we can identify and address nervous system interference, the better your baby’s developing brain can build those critical neural connections.
While any birth can create stress on a baby’s spine, we see the most significant patterns with: C-section deliveries (especially emergency), vacuum or forceps-assisted births, prolonged labor (over 18 hours), induced labor with Pitocin, breech presentation, and rapid deliveries. That said, even uncomplicated vaginal deliveries involve substantial forces, which is why we recommend every newborn receive a nervous system check.
Every baby is different. Based on the INSiGHT scan findings, birth history, and current symptoms, we’ll recommend a personalized care plan at your Report of Findings visit. Some babies respond quickly with noticeable improvements within a few visits, while others with more significant patterns may benefit from a longer care plan. We track progress with follow-up scans so you can see measurable changes.
