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You’ll notice your baby isn’t arching their back during feedings anymore. The painful gas in newborns that had them crying for hours starts to ease. They actually finish eating without pushing away or screaming.
Sleep improves for everyone. Not just your baby, but you too, because you’re not up every hour dealing with spit-up and discomfort. Families tell us they see changes after the first visit, though most babies need a handful of sessions to really turn the corner.
The constant laundry from baby spitting up after every feeding slows down. Your baby starts gaining weight properly. You stop feeling helpless watching them struggle with something that should be natural and easy.
Dr. Paul Roses has been practicing chiropractic in the Hudson County area since 1981. That’s over 40 years of hands-on experience with patients of all ages, including extensive work with infants.
Early in his career, Dr. Roses cared for babies at St. Clare’s Home for Children. He witnessed seizures stop and immune systems strengthen after gentle adjustments. That experience shaped his understanding of how powerful the body’s natural healing ability can be when the nervous system functions properly.
Families in The Island, NJ and surrounding communities come to us because they want a drug-free approach that addresses the root cause. Not just another prescription that masks symptoms while their baby continues to suffer.
Your first visit starts with a conversation. You’ll explain what you’re seeing at home, how often your baby spits up, whether they’re gaining weight, and how everyone’s sleeping. Dr. Roses listens because the details matter.
Then comes a gentle examination to check for signs your baby has a nervous system imbalance. Birth itself can be traumatic, even when everything goes smoothly. That trauma often affects the vagus nerve, which controls digestion and the muscles that keep food down.
The adjustment itself uses about as much pressure as you’d use to check if a tomato is ripe. Seriously. Babies don’t experience pain during these adjustments. Most actually relax or fall asleep. The goal is to remove interference in the nervous system so your baby’s body can regulate digestion properly on its own.
How many sessions for infant reflux varies by baby. Some respond dramatically after one visit. Most need three to six adjustments over a few weeks. You’ll know it’s working because you’ll see the changes at home.
Ready to get started?
You’ve probably already tried changing formulas. Maybe your pediatrician prescribed Prilosec or another reflux medication. You’ve given probiotics a shot. Nothing’s really fixed the problem because those approaches don’t address what’s actually causing the reflux.
The most overlooked cause is neurological. When the vagus nerve isn’t functioning properly due to birth trauma or spinal misalignment, the muscles at the top of the stomach stay weak. Food comes back up because the body’s natural valve system isn’t working right.
Our chiropractic care for infant reflux in The Island, NJ focuses on restoring proper nerve function. When the nervous system works correctly, digestion improves. The esophageal muscles strengthen. Your baby’s body does what it’s designed to do.
This matters in our area because Hudson County families have access to excellent pediatric care, but not everyone knows that chiropractic can complement what your pediatrician is doing. You’re not choosing between medical care and natural care. You’re adding a piece that targets the root cause while your doctor monitors overall health and growth.
Yes, and the research backs this up clearly. Studies show no serious adverse effects from pediatric chiropractic adjustments when performed by trained professionals. The techniques we use on infants are completely different from adult adjustments.
Dr. Roses uses fingertip pressure that’s gentler than what you use when you rub your own eye. There’s no twisting, no popping, no force. Babies typically stay calm or even fall asleep during treatment because it’s that gentle.
The bigger safety question is what happens if reflux goes untreated. Chronic reflux can lead to esophageal damage, feeding problems, and failure to gain weight properly. Those are serious issues that need addressing, and chiropractic offers a safe way to do that without adding medications to a tiny developing system.
You’ll hold your baby or they’ll lie on a specially designed table with padding. Dr. Roses uses his fingertips to apply light pressure to specific points along the spine and neck. The pressure is minimal, about the same as checking a tomato’s ripeness at the grocery store.
The whole adjustment takes just a few minutes. There’s no cracking or popping like you might associate with adult chiropractic care. Most babies don’t cry at all. Many actually seem to relax because the adjustment relieves tension they’ve been carrying since birth.
You can watch everything that’s happening. You can ask questions during the process. The goal is to release pressure on nerves that control digestion, particularly the vagus nerve that runs from the brain down through the digestive system. When that pressure releases, the body can start functioning the way it should.
Most families notice some change within the first one to three visits. That might mean less spit-up, better sleep, or a calmer baby during feeding. Full resolution typically happens within three months of regular care, though many babies improve much faster.
The exact number depends on how severe the reflux is and what’s causing it. A baby with mild symptoms from a slightly misaligned upper spine might feel better after two or three adjustments. A baby who had a traumatic birth or has been dealing with reflux for months might need six to eight sessions spread over several weeks.
Dr. Roses will give you a realistic timeline after the first examination. You’re not locked into months of treatment. You’ll see progress or you won’t, and that tells you whether this approach is working for your baby. Research shows nine out of ten infants experience significant improvement with chiropractic care for reflux.
Beyond the obvious reflux symptoms, watch for babies who arch their back frequently, especially during or after feeding. That’s often their way of trying to reduce pain from stomach acid irritating the esophagus. Excessive crying that doesn’t respond to normal soothing is another red flag.
Difficulty latching or refusing to eat altogether can signal nervous system issues. If your baby seems uncomfortable lying flat or only sleeps well when held upright, that’s worth investigating. Some babies develop a preference for turning their head to only one side, which indicates tension or misalignment in the upper spine.
You might also notice your baby is just generally fussy and uncomfortable in ways that don’t make sense. They’re not hungry, not wet, not tired, but still upset. That constant discomfort often comes from digestive issues related to poor nerve function. These signs don’t mean something is terribly wrong, just that your baby’s system needs some help getting balanced.
That’s a decision you’ll make with your pediatrician, not with Dr. Roses. Chiropractic care can absolutely complement the treatment your doctor has prescribed. Many families find that as their baby improves with adjustments, their pediatrician is comfortable reducing or eliminating medication.
The advantage of chiropractic is that it addresses the underlying cause rather than just managing symptoms. Medications like Prilosec reduce stomach acid, which can help with pain, but they don’t fix why the food is coming back up in the first place. Adjustments target the nerve function that controls the muscles keeping food down.
Some babies are on medication because they weren’t gaining weight and needed immediate intervention. That’s appropriate medical care. As the reflux improves through chiropractic treatment and your baby starts eating better and gaining properly, your pediatrician might decide medication isn’t necessary anymore. The goal is always to help your baby’s body work right on its own.
The most common medical explanation is that babies have an immature digestive system and the valve at the top of the stomach isn’t fully developed yet. That’s true, but it doesn’t explain why some babies have severe reflux while others don’t, or why some babies respond to treatment while others don’t.
From a chiropractic perspective, birth trauma plays a huge role. Even normal, uncomplicated births put pressure on a baby’s spine and skull. If that pressure affects the vagus nerve, which controls digestion and the esophageal sphincter muscles, you get reflux. The body wants to work correctly but can’t because of nerve interference.
Families in The Island, NJ dealing with infant reflux often find that their baby had a long labor, was in a difficult position, or needed intervention during delivery. Those factors increase the likelihood of spinal stress that affects nerve function. Chiropractic adjustments remove that stress so the nervous system can coordinate digestion properly and the reflux resolves naturally.
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