Dr. Gabrielle Manto, DC

Doulas are generally for support in the perinatal, birth, and labor atmosphere. They may be able to help with neurodiverse children if they have extra training, but for the most part, ABA therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists are better suited for this type of help.
 
Transcript: "Okay, can doula services help families with neurodiverse children? So great question. So a doula is a support person that gives physical support, emotional support, partner support, advocacy, and education throughout the entire perinatal period. So we will see a lot of birth and labor doulas, and then there are also postpartum doulas. So the point of a labor and birth doula is to assist both the mom during the birth and her partner. And then the postpartum doula's responsibility is to help and nurture during the postpartum period or the trimester four period. So doulas really help with the birth, perinatal, breastfeeding, postpartum, that space, not so much in the neurodiverse space. Now if your doula or postpartum doula has extra training in the neurodiverse field, they can definitely help with siblings who may be neurodiverse. But I would personally look at ABA therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists who are well known in this field. Doulas are more for the perinatal birth labor atmosphere, not so much in the neurodiverse field unless there is extra training that the doula can help you with with siblings. So can doula services help family with neurodiverse children? Again, depends on their training. But for the majority of the time, it's going to be around the postpartum perinatal birth labor field."

To become a doula, one should do their research to find an organization they trust and align with. The training process involves the academic portion which includes physiology, anatomy, breastfeeding, etc., as well as a practical mentor-mentee portion and continuing education.
 
Transcript: "The question is how does one train to become a doula? So great question first and foremost finding a group or an organization that you trust And to train under so there are a variety of different organizations that can train you to be a doula So I would highly recommend looking into each of those groups Doing your due diligence and their research to make sure that it is an organization that you align with as far as mission values beliefs techniques so on and so forth And there are a lot of different trainings that you can use so the biggest piece would be the academic portion whether that looks like a couple weekends one weekend intense weekend of training Where they will go through the physiology of birth the anatomy of birth what that looks like They'll go through Breastfeeding any type of feeding challenges they will also go through different modalities that you can use how to be the best doula ever Possible and then there is a practical portion, so there's a certain number of births that you have to attend under a mentor So it definitely goes into an in-depth process And doulas do a ton of training not just within one group But I know that a lot of doulas do trainings and continue to do trainings to better serve their clients as well So first it become fine first is to find the correct Organization that you align with and study the academic portion and then there's going to be a practical mentor mentee Portion and then of course continuing ed so definitely do your research if you're considering to become a door"

Chiropractic care for pregnant women can help with hip and low back pain, reduce labor times, increase energy, improve sleep and digestion, decrease heartburn and indigestion, improve breastfeeding, reduce rib pain, headaches, and stress levels.
 
Transcript: "What are the benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women? Such a great question and I try to educate on this all the time. So, first and foremost, what I'm saying is either anecdotal or well supported with research that you can find more of at ICPA4Kids.com. So, first and foremost, we're looking at the neurobiomechanics of the pelvis. So, chiropractic can really help with proper alignment of the pelvis, which then leads to decrease in hip pain, low back pain, pubic bone pain, and also proper alignment for baby. Another huge benefit is decreased in labor times, beautiful birth, so less intervention needed during the labor and birth process. Women have also reported increase in energy, better sleep, better digestion, which is huge, the way that we are able to impact the immune system and the digestive system is our impact on the vagus nerve and the brain. Our moms have also seen benefits with heartburn and indigestion, which also goes back to the digestion piece as well. Better breastfeeding as well, which is huge, especially as we transition from pregnancy into the postpartum period as well. So, the energy piece, digestion, and of course the pain is going to be the top three reasons or the top three benefits that women come in during the perinatal period, especially during pregnancy. Our moms have reported decrease in rib pain, decrease in headaches, which is huge, and then of course, adaptability to stress, so less stress, less anxiety as well. So, these are some of the benefits of chiropractic care for pregnant women."

Parents can help their newborns adjust to life outside of the womb by engaging in skin-to-skin time and making sure they are taking care of themselves. This will help the baby stay calm, comfortable, and well-regulated.
 
Transcript: "What can parents do to help their newborns adjust to life outside of the womb? Such a great question. So first and foremost, it's going to be skin-to-skin time. So whether you've had that golden hour after birth or not, moms and dads have this beautiful superpower to help regulate baby. So mom especially has a superpower that can help regulate baby's temperature, baby's heart rate, baby's breath. Mom also has certain scents that baby is able to smell that smells like the womb. So this helps baby to adjust to this new life on the outside. Secondly is, hey mom, hey dad, hey parents, what are you doing to adjust to this new life? So babies act as a hitchhiker on your nervous system, both mom and dad, but especially mom. So if there are things that help mom stay calm and relaxed and well-adjusted and well-regulated, that is also going to help baby as well. So do we have a small circle of support that's helping mom? Do we have a larger support of providers that's helping mom? Do we have people who are cleaning and tending to her, making sure that she can get showered and that she's eating? Because if mom is feeling anxious and is not well-regulated, baby's going to feed right off of that. So the biggest thing we can do as parents is to regulate our own selves, and then this transcends into the newborn. And then again, that skin-to-skin time is going to be huge, especially making sure that baby feels calm and comfortable and adjusting to the life outside of the womb."

Holding the baby, shushing, bouncing from side to side, gentle rubbing on the back or belly, wrapping the baby in a blanket, laying them in a special pillow, making eye contact, talking in a low voice, and dimming the lights are all techniques that can help babies feel more secure.
 
Transcript: "What techniques do you use to help babies feel more secure? So great question. So first and foremost, there are a variety of different techniques within the chiropractic profession that are super gentle, comforting, and safe for infants. Some of the things that I personally do in the office is holding the infant, especially if they are colicky. There's different things that we use to make them feel more comfortable or secure. So the shushing, the bouncing from side to side, the gentle rubbing on the back or the belly is also very, very soothing for an infant. Another thing that we do is the blanket that the baby is usually wrapped in or that mom or dad brings in with them to the office, laying the blanket out and wrapping the baby in the blanket as they get adjusted is super soothing and securing them as well. Just because the blanket smells like home, it smells like mom, it's a familiar smell, so it reminds them of a safe space. So we have babies lay in a special pillow that is super comforting to the infant. So when we just lay the blanket on top of the pillow and then the baby lays in the blanket, that is also very soothing and makes the baby feel super secure. Eye contact is huge, right? They are, even though they're infants, they're still people. So eye contact, any type of talking, lowering the baby's voice is, or lowering your voice so that the baby feels more secure and safe is also very helpful. Dimming the lights is also very helpful and makes the baby feel more secure. These are all tactics that we can use to make sure that the baby is comfortable and safe in this new environment."

Listen, you have to communicate with your chiropractor and make sure that you are feeling comfortable and confident about the adjustment. If you're feeling nervous or scared about it, just have an open discussion with your chiropractor and explain how you feel. They may be able to use a different technique to get similar results without causing as much stress or anxiety.
 
Transcript: "It feels very weird to get my neck cracked. Should I be scared or nervous about getting it cracked? So firstly, the adjustment is not cracking your bones. The sound that can be associated with the adjustment is just gas escaping the joint as if you were to crack your fingers. Listen, you have to communicate with your chiropractor and your chiropractor should be communicating to you why they are using the technique that you're using. And then also my personal philosophy is that if you're already gonna be stressed out or nervous about the adjustment, maybe taking a step back and using a different technique, easing your way up to a more manual adjustment, but it ultimately comes down to the communication that you have between your chiropractor and yourself. So if this is something that you are truly nervous about and you're not seeing any benefit from, I would just have an open discussion to your chiropractor explaining like, hey, this is how I feel. Is there any way that we can change techniques? So there are tons of techniques within the chiropractic profession that can give the same result, if not a very close result to a manual adjustment. So I would 100%, you know, again, have that conversation with your chiropractor. I would not be scared and nervous about getting your neck cracked, but then again, I am a chiropractor. So again, going back to that communication piece to make sure that you are feeling comfortable and confident and getting results that you deserve."