If you’re like our entire PWC Team and many, many moms of today… you are well-versed in the world of what’s trending on Instagram Reels. Well, as of writing this one of the top trending topics on ‘The Insta’ is this concept of “Pandemic Babies” and how it’s a good, positive thing they are moving so fast 💨 through their motor development.
There are now hundreds of videos each day being uploaded talking about how it’s a sign of resilience and strength if brand new, super young infants 👶 are doing these things:
- Holding their head up in a matter of days
- Pushing up on their arms in a matter of weeks
- Skipping crawling and going right to standing, walking, running 🏃♀️
Now from a parent perspective, without a doubt this could so easily be seen as a good thing! They obviously know firsthand how much stress, emotions, and challenges they had to endure with being pregnant and delivering their baby into this crazy, chaotic, and stressful world.
Despite clear evidence from the very beginning of it all that THANKFULLY pregnant mothers, infants, and really kids of all ages are at an extremely, ridiculous low risk of Covid… the stress, constraints, and fear poured into and onto our poor pregnant 🤰 mamas and their families has truly been at pandemic levels.
Even more unfortunate is this reality — this was already a significant problem before Covid.
IT’S ACTUALLY NOTHING NEW
Accumulating research shows that prenatal exposure to maternal stress increases the risk for behavioral and mental health problems later in life. Other research has also linked it to chronic digestive and immune health challenges as well.
In our work we’ve long since known that significant exposure to emotional stress to a pregnant 🤰 mother is often the first significant trigger of the Perfect Storm 🌪 that the child gets stuck on later in life.
All of this is the science, information, and understanding we need to actually understand that this trending “Pandemic Babies” information is actually 180 degrees off track. It’s really NOT good that these infants are holding their heads up, pushing up, and going to walking so darn fast!
It’s actually a sign that very soon their adaptability and resilience, the absolute keys 🔑 to health and well-being for life, are going to be limited and interfered with in a big way if something isn’t done to help take that stress and tension off their little bodies and brains🧠 .
WHY IS THAT TRUE?
Because of that exposure to so much emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and worry reaches the child from almost concept on, and doesn’t relent… that distress and tension then sets up shop deep within the child’s central nervous system 🧠 and effectively gets “stuck” there.
If you get done reading this article wherever you’ve found it, and from here go back through Instagram and search and see all the posts with the hashtag #pandemicbabies please look 👀 at them differently this next time around…
Look for the stress, fear, and “stuck on” element you can actually see quite clearly in these infant’s eyes 👀 ? Watch their movement and motor planning and see how “stuck” and “stiff” they are, instead of relaxed, chill 😎, and easy-going like we want healthy developing infants to be like.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
As a neurologically-focused Pediatric Chiropractor, we are trained to not just understand what’s going on here, but be able to spot it and best of all… do something about it.
We’ve got a catch all word that really describes what is going on here — subluxation.
Subluxation in an orthopedic term means misalignment and abnormal movement (“stuck”), but from a chiropractic perspective we know there is much more to it than that. Once subluxation sets in especially to a brand new, neurologically developing infant, they get shifted and “stuck” into a state of sympathetic fight-or-flight tone almost 24/7.
Once their neurological 🧠 tone is stuck in this sympathetic state, it alters the rest of their motor development in a big way. They become wound up, tense, and rigid… and that’s exactly what you’ll see on all the Instagram “Pandemic Babies” posts.
As parents scroll by it looks cute, exciting, and actually good that they are so strong 💪 . But when a trained Pediatric Chiropractor, PT, OT, Speech Therapist, or Developmental Specialist scrolls by and sees this happening… we can’t help but get nervous and want to reach out and help!
WHAT DOES THAT HELP LOOK LIKE?
Since the underlying cause of these challenges are that tension and tone being “stuck” in the central nervous system, that’s where the help has to start — getting it “unstuck” as quickly, efficiently, and fully as we can.
These infants need movement-based care of all kinds, starting with Pediatric Chiropractic adjustments 🙌 that are wildly safe and simple. And then from there, we strongly suggest getting an expert Pediatric PT involved as well and putting these two care programs together in combination.
If a pediatrician 👩⚕️ completely misses or dismisses all of this as “totally fine” and “normal” do not be surprised. The average pediatrician often misses many signs of neurological developmental challenges and the Perfect Storm 🌪 early on. Too often they wait to even try and intervene until the speech delays, sensory issues, and behavioral challenges have long since set up shop.
If you’re one of the amazing rockstar parents of a “Pandemic Baby” who found this article, do not add stress on top of the stress you’ve already been through! We got you, you got this!
Simply reach out to us via direct message, or visit our PX Docs directory to find a trained PX Doc (Pediatric Chiropractor) near you. This is something that is not for the average chiropractor, so be sure to connect with one of our trained and skilled docs to get your beautiful, soon-to-be-resilient again baby 👶 back on track, relaxed, and healthy for the long haul!
Just a few of the many research citations:
