If you’re a parent who feels like there’s never enough time to take care of yourself, you’re not alone. It can be easy to feel like there’s just not enough time for self-care when you consider you have kids, a job, and a social life, too—especially if you’re a new parent.

Think about the on-board instructions you’re given on a plane. Remember the part where they explain using the oxygen mask? How they tell you to put your mask on before you help anyone else—even your children? It seems selfish when you first think about it. A good parent would take care of their child first and then put their own mask on, wouldn’t they? But think about it this way: if you pass out, you are no good to anyone. You must make sure your oxygen is flowing first. There’s a great lesson here in making sure you take care of yourself the best you can in order to take care of your family the best you can.

Taking care of yourself is essential to being able to take good care of your baby. This includes what you eat. Your doctor should remind you that what a breastfeeding mother eats affects her baby. If a baby is sensitive to certain foods, the mother should avoid them as traces of what you eat pass to your baby. Focus on eating healthy to support healthy milk production and to ensure your baby is getting the nutrients they need. Remember that the better you feed yourself, the better you feed your baby.

Along with the more obvious ones of eating right and getting enough quality sleep—as much as you can during pregnancy and postpartum—getting regular chiropractic care is important, too. During pregnancy, chiropractic can help maintain alignment and reduce low back pain. Many pregnant mothers even report having less morning sickness. During labor and delivery, chiropractic has been shown to decrease labor times and complications. It can also reduce nausea, help reposition the baby, and reduce postpartum pain—along with what chiropractic is known best for, helping low back pain.

An important consideration for moms is the aftermath of epidurals. Many moms receive epidurals before delivery as a way to manage the pain of labor. Typically, it works well and goes without a hitch. But we are seeing more frequently that moms with chronic low back pain after labor and delivery are affected by the epidural shot itself. The shot can cause a very small amount of scar tissue in the lining of the spinal cord. This can generate inflammation around the spine at that area. I have seen some moms who have pain from this years later—we’ve even had a couple of moms that we’ve helped with this recently in our office. Once we address this issue, that chronic pain is significantly reduced or even goes away completely. Normal chiropractic adjustments don’t correct this; you have to do the lumbar adjustments a special way. If this sounds like something you’re experiencing, let me help you get rid of that pain!

Now, let’s focus on the babies. If I had to choose one specialty in chiropractic, it would be treating babies. Over my years of practice, I have had the privilege of treating hundreds of babies for colic, ear infections, fussiness, digestion problems, babies who spit up too much—occasionally right on me while getting adjusted! Research has validated what we have seen in practice for years—chiropractic works for babies even better than it does for some adults! Babies don’t have the stress, the trauma history, the bad diets that adults have. Occasionally they have birth trauma, often from a C-section where they were pulled out quickly. For babies, the birth process can be traumatic and put stress on their spine. This can lead to breastfeeding and latching problems, if they’re experiencing torticollis and they can’t turn their head to the side.

Some parents are worried about taking their baby to a chiropractor since they’re concerned the adjustment will hurt the baby. But the pressure needed to adjust a baby is actually about the same you use to apply makeup to your eyelid. Quite often, babies will sleep through an adjustment. Because babies don’t have a long history of muscle tightness and spinal misalignment like adults do, they don’t need the same kind of adjustment or force that an adult needs. If not chiropractic, what else? There aren’t other natural, effective treatments that don’t have side effects.

For ear infections, avoid getting tubes and using antibiotics at all costs. Ear infections are typically caused by lack of drainage in the eustachian tube. Chiropractic adjustments can decrease the constriction of the tube and allow for proper drainage, thus making ear infections less likely. And where antibiotics are concerned, did you know that using repeat courses of antibiotics for babies significantly raises their risk of asthma? Babies don’t need drugs; they need healing. And that is what chiropractic is all about.

There have been studies on chiropractic for pregnant mothers as well as babies, and those studies found no adverse effects for either group. So, remember, treat you and your baby to chiropractic care. It’s safe, natural, effective for all.