The physical demands of birth — even a straightforward delivery — place compressive and sometimes rotational forces on the baby's cervical spine and cranium. In labors involving prolonged pushing, a difficult presentation, or instrument-assisted delivery with forceps or vacuum, those forces can be more pronounced. The result in some babies is tension or restriction in the upper cervical spine, the craniosacral system, or the muscles of the neck and jaw that directly affects their ability to feed comfortably from the first days of life. Dr. Bronstein has devoted the core of his practice at Beacon Clinic of Chiropractic to understanding and evaluating these birth-related patterns in infants, and feeding difficulties are among the most common presentations he sees as a consequence.
Parents do not always make the connection between a difficult birth and a baby who struggles to feed, particularly if the delivery seemed to go reasonably well from the outside. A vacuum-assisted delivery that took only a few pulls can still leave a pattern of cervical restriction that affects the baby's comfort on one side. A long pushing stage can produce craniosacral compression that settles unevenly. Dr. Bronstein asks about the birth in detail during feeding consultations at Beacon Clinic in Grover Beach, California because that history often explains what he finds in the assessment — and understanding the source of the restriction helps him address it more precisely.
