Supporting Pregnancy, Birth, and Paediatric Wellness in Mosman
We chat with Nomad Chiropractic owner Dr Lucy Bartlett on supporting her local Mosman community through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
What inspired you to focus on pregnancy and paediatric chiropractic care?
Nomad Chiropractic has three female chiropractors who naturally gravitated towards pregnancy and paediatric care. For me, Lucy, it started unexpectedly while working in the Northern Territory. I was caring for babies with tongue ties for the first time and lacked the knowledge required so I immediately upskilled!
Kristin finds both paediatrics and pregnancy fascinating as they are the two phases in our lives where our bodies change the most. She loves supporting both women and babies during these transformative times.
Sandy’s passion emerged from her own motherhood journey. Experiencing the benefits of chiropractic during pregnancy and seeing the impacts it had on her children, inspired her to bring the same support to other families.
How can chiropractic care help babies with feeding difficulties?
We co-manage feeding issues with IBCLCs, GPs, and dentists. Research and clinical experience show Paediatric Chiropractic (or Osteopathy) may be able to help babies with musculoskeletal symptoms that are contributing to feeding struggles - for example: torticollis, TMJ dysfunction, difficulty turning their head, tongue tie, strong gag etc. Position in utero, forces during delivery, and interventions like forceps can all impact a baby’s musculoskeletal system.
We gently assess the cranium, spine, TMJ, cranial nerves, and primitive reflexes. If a correction is required the smallest thing can make the biggest impact. We demonstrate on the parents first, and then to try and restore function we conduct a gentle age-appropriate adjustment where the force is likened to checking the ripeness of an avocado!
What are common concerns expecting mothers have, and how do you address them?
Expecting mothers often seek us out for discomforts like pubic symphysis dysfunction, low back pain, sciatica, and round ligament pain; or simply to optimize their health for birth, regardless of their birth plan.
As Webster Pregnancy and GrowCo Postpartum Rehabilitation Certified practitioners, we help balance the nervous system, spine, ligaments, and muscles to support a healthy pregnancy, birth and postpartum!
What has driven your clinic’s growth since 2018?
The foundations of our ever growing little business are being personable, reliable, consistent, and delivering quality care with love. I started Nomad Chiro with two top of the range chiropractic tables, a vision of a beautiful, family-friendly space and little else!
Growth has been fueled by an incredible team in Kristin and Sandy and a genuine care for our clients. We build trust through our commitment to supporting our local community, building strong relationships with local practitioners and businesses.
What role does movement play in childhood development, and how does chiropractic support it?
Movement is essential for neurodevelopment, as spinal motion stimulates brain activity. If a child’s strength, balance, or coordination is impaired, it may affect their ability to sit still, hold a pencil, play sports and more. We try to make our assessments fun as we check kids' vestibular systems, primitive reflexes, posture, strength and joint mobility. Age appropriate adjustments, home exercises, education, and intentional movement-based recommendations are how we support healthy development.
What advice do you have for new parents considering chiropractic care for their baby?
Give us a call! We offer a complimentary 10-minute discovery call to discuss concerns and determine if chiropractic is a good fit. If you’d like a consultation we’ll take things slowly allowing for feeding and breaks as needed.
Any recommended care we’ll talk you through and demonstrate first. If chiropractic isn’t the right fit then we have a network of allied health professionals we can connect you with who might be able to help! It takes a village.
As a mother yourself, how has your personal experience influenced your practice and the way you support families?
My journey with our midwives was so positive and supportive allowing for a smooth sailing transition into motherhood, which has highlighted the importance of nurturing and empowering women during this time.
It’s also been a reminder that even the most textbook birth can result in a baby born with slight musculoskeletal dysfunction. Both our boys had age-appropriate checks and adjustments within hours of being born and it made a world of difference. We believe in it so much that for any woman under pregnancy care with us, we gift a complimentary newborn check for their little ones.
For Sandy becoming a mother entirely changed her focus in practice so it has had a profound impact on her work and life. Her kids are all in primary school now so she brings another element of relatability and understanding to her practice.
What do you find most rewarding about helping families achieve better health and wellness through chiropractic care?
Every chiropractor’s core toolkit is prepped for helping anyone with back pain, neck pain, headaches, and posture. Naturally, we work with all of that as well - and we love it!
All 3 of us have done extra education in paediatrics and pregnancy-focused chiropractic. What we especially love is getting to know and help entire families. When we help a baby or a child, we don't just help one person - it ends up impacting the whole family and it's such a privilege. We love caring for the whole family at Nomad Chiro!
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