KidsHealthWatch

Sponsored by Cornerstone Family Chiropractic

Mom, Baby and Birth

There is nothing quite as miraculous as birth. All the planning and prep has brought parents to this moment, and it’s hard to put into words how it feels. You’re happy, proud, and a little nervous about this new responsibility but excited about caring for someone beyond yourself.

One of the things we advocate from the start of chiropractic care at Cornerstone Family Chiropractic is having adult practice members bring their families and children in for regular spinal evaluations. Stressors can occur as early as birth, as noted in a recent study by Grimm from Bioengineering for Women’s Health (2021).

For example, during pregnancy, the “round ligaments” keep the mom’s uterus in proper orientation. During birthing, the round ligaments contribute to the advancement of the fetus down into the pelvis during contractions. An imbalance in these ligaments negatively affects the mom’s ability to deliver an effective contraction. During dilation, force is key; more force equates to a successful vaginal birth. Less force correlates with a higher chance of c-section, greatly increasing stressors on both mom and baby.

Chiropractic offices with Webster Certified doctors are trained to evaluate the round ligaments and treat imbalances.

For baby, Towbin was the first to note how stressors from the birthing process can affect the spinal cord and brainstem, both vital regions for human function and development. A lot weighs into the birth stress: mom’s health, baby’s positioning, baby’s size, interventions, etc. You need force in a birth, but imbalance is a key cause of injury. Grimm cited a case where 18.9 lbs of contractile force resulted in a nervous system injury in the baby’s neck and arm. For reference, the low end of a vacuum-extractor birth is 26.5 lbs. A c-section birth is even higher. Delivery by hand, even during difficult labor, averages at 15 lbs, but it is essential to note the range of this average was between 7lbs and 30 lbs of force on baby’s head and neck.

One of my mentors in chiropractic school (we’ll call him Dr. Todd) had the honor of helping deliver his first baby boy. The obstetrician on the team noted a problem; the baby had a blue coloration on several spots and shallow breathing. The baby was not getting enough oxygen. The birthing team prepped for additional testing, and Dr. Todd, as frightened as he was, felt compelled to do a spinal analysis on his son. He did find a misalignment in the atlas bone, the highest bone of the neck and spine. It is presumed the misaligned atlas bone was affecting a region of the brainstem called the medulla. One of the medulla’s functions is controlling breathing rate, so breathing could reasonably be affected if stressed. Dr. Todd made a gentle chiropractic adjustment to his son, and amazingly, his son’s oxygen levels and breathing improved. One of the nurses, who witnessed this normalization, said, “Well, he seems alright now,” and then proceeded with the team to the next birth.

Dr. Todd’s son recently finished high school and plays football at his college. It was a needed adjustment to the spine that changed the trajectory of his son’s life, and it is our mission to achieve this for as many people as possible.

Autauga County Schools

AHS Golf Wins 2nd Place

The Auburn High School Boys and Girls Golf teams came in second place during the State Championship tournament at Grand National! Will Stelt and Kate Ha were the Low Medalist for AHS, scoring 142 and 143, respectively, over the two rounds of play. ACS congratulates these young men and women for representing AHS so well on and off the links!

LSA Students Learn Figurative Language

Students in 4th grade ended their school year in language arts by creating figurative language books on idioms, similes, hyperboles, onomatopoeia, personification, and alliteration.

The students dressed up as an example of figurative language and partnered with 1st grade students to teach them a new skill. First graders even created their own figurative language poster. The day ended with a bunch of 1st grade “smartie” pants after being treated with some Smarties!

J.F. Drake Middle Students Write Pen Pals in Africa

J. F. Drake Middle Schoolers in Mrs. Flanagan’s class received some long-awaited mail today. replies from their pen pals in Africa. The class first wrote to them in September and got replies in December. When they wrote back the second time in January, the students were hopeful for replies before school got out in May. “I have enjoyed Samson as my pen pal. He has taught me so much about his home, and what it is like to live there. Samson has told me about some problems in his home, and what they are doing to solve them. I hope that one day I will get to meet him in person,” explained Madi Grace Weaver, DMS 6th grader.

The African students attend schools sponsored by the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. The WHWF was founded in 1982 by actress Stefanie Powers in memory of her longtime love, actor William Holden. Since it’s opening, the main education center has served nearly 11,000 students annually. The WHWF Education Center offers education programs, lectures, field trips, camping and practical displays of sustainable farming, cooking, composting and bio-energy. Courses are designed to serve both urban and rural communities. The rural outreach program serves 7 locations in remote areas of central Kenya, serving an additional 6,000 students and their families through renovated schools, fully equipped libraries, and visiting lecturers to support government curricula. The students are learning to read and write in English which is why the Pen Pal program was developed. The Drake Students were invited to participate in the pen pal program by Ms. Powers who is a friend of the Media Aide at Drake, Kathy Hughes. “She called and said she had a favor to ask,” Hughes said, “I presented it to the Language Arts teachers, and they immediately jumped on the opportunity.

OHS Student Signs with Southern Union

Congratulations to OHS Senior MeKhiron Brock on signing a basketball scholarship to Southern Union State Community College!

Opelika Band Receives Superior Ratings at OrlandoFest

Opelika Middle School traveled to Orlando, FL to compete in the OrlandoFest competition. OMS Beginning Band, 8th Grade Band, and Percussion Ensemble all received Superior ratings and 1st place in their categories. The Percussion Ensemble received the highest award given of the weekend, the Grand Champion, beating out all bands, choirs, and ensembles in both middle and high school categories that performed. Congratulations also to Lucas Duncan on receiving the Outstanding Soloist Award for his marimba solo in the percussion ensemble performance! We are so proud of the OMS band members and directors!

Fueling Up on History at J.F. Drake Middle

DMS hosted the fifth annual Driving Through the Decades car show with 54 vehicles spanning 100 years, ranging from a Model-T Ford to a Mustang Mach-E! The event was a culminating unit for social studies curriculum, and even though a DeLorean was on display, students didn’t need it to time travel. This car show was an opportunity for students to learn about different automobiles and more about the decade in which they were produced, thus becoming an impactful approach to connect with history. Car owners from local clubs participating in this show also enjoyed sharing their knowledge with students during the event. Driving Through the Decades is the brainchild of Social Studies Teacher Beverly Helm and local car enthusiast Tom Spicer, with the goal of offering a visual and tangible way to bring history alive for students.