A few helpful hints when baby is stuffy: with EVERY diaper change (and in between when needed), lay baby down and put a few drops of saline solution or breast milk in each nostril. Massage the sinuses, then proceed with the changing process. After baby is clean, dry and happy THEN go ahead and suck their nose. This allows the liquid to sit in there for just a few minutes and breaks everything up, making it much more efficient. Be prepared for your infant to open their eyes wider than you ever imagined they could and not be too thrilled while you’re actually “sucking”, but my experience has always been that baby immediately smiles when you stop because they can FINALLY breathe!

Of course for your convenience, we do have these in stock (Tis the Season!) and ready for you this time of year. I hope this helps!

There is no doubt, having a baby is a life changing experience. It’s full of excitement, joy, and love all mixed in with sleepless nights, waning memory and a little chaos. But, just for fun, add a baby to the mix of an existing household with a toddler (or any other number of children I imagine) and watch the fun begin! I can’t say I wasn’t warned. I even thought I was prepared for the coming storm of truly unbelievable situations. Alas – you soon discover there is no such thing as being “prepared” again. Ever.

Multitasking is something that most of us just do. We don’t even think about it until we’re actually challenged to the point that something gives (gasp – yes, SOMETHING will give!). I remember “hearing” Dr. Hedgepeth tell several expecting moms that very same thing – but I just didn’t get it. Until now. You’re used to doing everything at 100%, all the time. But be (here’s that word again!) prepared. You’re not going to be able to do it all at 100% anymore. Something will get “less than”, at least for a little while. That might be your spouse, your house or in many cases – your appearance. That might also vary depending on the week or the circumstances, but at no time in the foreseeable future will you have all your “ducks in a row” again. One will always be lagging behind, roaming off in a different direction, or even found still sleeping back in the nest.

All of that being said, I’ve found that it’s best to control what you can and let the rest of the pieces fall where they may. And hopefully you can laugh about it when the day has finally ended. Slow down, because so many wonderful things happen each and every day. Seeing a sibling relationship develop right in front of you is magical – and comical all at the same time. Still make sure you get a chance to “do” for yourself, whether that’s 15 minutes in the evening with a book, 5 minutes for coffee in the morning, a quick stroll around the block in the afternoon, or for me – and adjustment always does the trick.  There’s just something about being able to lie down for just a few moments and have someone else tend to you.  Either way, somehow you’ve got to take care of you and recharge. Easier said than done?  Absolutely.

So this morning, as I was putting on my makeup in the bathroom at the office munching on dry frosted mini wheat, I giggled and thought, “Hey, tomorrow I’ll order something special”.  Maybe I’ll be lucky and get slow roasted and mild with and extra “shot” of smiles and all the sweetness I can handle!

*Posted by Heather for Dr. Hedgepeth

I have attached a recipe for one of our favorite snacks, Peanut Butter Protein Balls, that are not only good and healthy but kids seem to love them as well!

Stay cool if you can and enjoy!

My “ah-ha” moment (and I WORK here!) was about 2 months ago.  I had been getting adjusted on an ‘as needed’ basis.  Sometimes that was once every couple of weeks, sometimes that was a couple of times a week depending on how many times I had been on the floor playing with Hotwheels and Thomas the Train.  My midwives noticed that my blood pressure was a little high and I mentioned it as well as the extreme discomfort I was having sleeping on either side.  I remember having femoral head pain (the extreme, sharp pain in your hip/top of your leg when you’re sleeping on your side) with my 1st, but not that bad and certainly not that soon.  Dr. Hedgepeth says, “Oh, why didn’t you say so”.  Good question.  Needless to say, since she had been working on the regular ‘pregnancy’ issues already she added in the femoral heads as well as working with my Atlas (upper neck) and not only have I been able to sleep better, but my blood pressure has been much more stable as well.  NICE!

I don’t know why I would even act surprised at any of this – it’s what we do here and what she specializes in.  I’ve been through it before, and I talk to people everyday about it, but when you have a chance to truly ‘experience’ it yourself – WOW! So for all you expectant Mom’s out there that think you have to be uncomfortable – THINK AGAIN – there’s a lot that can be done to make your pregnancy much more comfortable and that’s a wonderful thing! – Heather

Let’s start with”Less” – Dr. Hedgepeth was tired – literally – of being tired and feeling run  down at the end of every day. Our office was offered a test run on a weight loss program to see what we thought.  She went for it and now – OVER 40 POUNDS lighter – (and looking fabulous I must say!!) – Keystone Chiropractic is an official center for the Ideal Protein weight loss program.  Our patients have not only noticed, but several have begun the program and have had wonderful success so far!  Feel free to call if you have any questions or would like to know more.

Now let’s get to “More” – Well, one look at me when you come in the front door will explain this one!  I am expecting baby number 2 in mid June, so there’s OBVIOUSLY ‘more’ of me to see!!  This also means that we have ‘more’ staff on hand as we have been cross-training Mallory for the past few months to take over in my absence during the summer months.  Don’t worry, we will update everyone upon the arrival of the new baby on our Facebook page!

In summary, it’s been a busy few months with a lot of changes, but we’re looking forward to seeing your faces again between your road trips and vacations in the near future!