NGCO Clinic

🌱Newborns🌱

We are privileged to see many newborns each month at NGCO. This may be for a general assessment, because the families previous child struggled with a lot of issues as an infant or for other concerns.

Newborns and those in the first month of life are particularly sensitive to their environment. It's important that the clinic provides them with a soft and comfortable environment so that what we do goes largely unnoticed by them! This is why you'll often see us switching off lights and using a curved, soft surface to examine and treat. Babies are initially, inherently "C" shaped. It's for this same reason we recommend sling libraries and one to one consultations for slings - did you know Chiropractor Sarah can help with this also?

It's then vital to take a thorough history before checking through the physical examination in detail. Babies are born with a set of primitive reflexes that gradually become integrated at intervals over the first year of life. This means we can liase with your baby's health care team when needed; paediatrician, midwife, health visitor, GP, lactation consultant, tongue tie practitioner etc.

🌱 If you have any questions regarding your newborn please just drop us a message. 🌱

👣 Photo Credit: Sarah Howarth - baby Jade 👣

Sarah’s diary is incredibly busy so please book ahead.

🌱 *Love Gardening? Protect Your Back While You Grow.*

Gardening is a fantastic way to stay active, but bending, lifting, and kneeling for long periods can put extra strain on your spine.

Here are a few simple tips to help keep you comfortable:
🌼 Bend at your knees when lifting.
🌼 Avoid staying in one position for too long.
🌼 Take regular breaks to stand up and stretch.
🌼 Use kneeling pads or raised beds where possible.

If aches and pains are stopping you from enjoying your time in the garden, chiropractic care may help improve movement and keep you doing what you love.

🌿 Look after your spine, so you can keep your garden thriving.

Come and see us at The North East Dog Festival

🌿 WELLBEING STAGE SPOTLIGHT 🌿

Curious about how chiropractic care could benefit both you and your dog?

🎤 Zoe Freedman & Dom Salmon
A Modern Approach to Chiropractic for Canines and for You

Join Zoe and Dom as they explore how considering fascia, muscles, joints, ligaments and the nervous system together can support a wide range of needs, from post-operative rehabilitation and senior care to injury prevention and performance enhancement.

This on-stage session will also include live demonstrations and clinic case examples, giving you a fascinating insight into how chiropractic care is tailored to each individual.

Not only that but you can visit Zoe and Dom in our large shopping marquee.

NGCO Clinic

Tummy Time: Little Time, Big Benefits 💛

Tummy time is one of the best ways to help your baby grow strong and reach important milestones.

Benefits:
• Builds strong neck, shoulder and back muscles.
• Helps with head control.
• Supports rolling, crawling and sitting.
• Can help prevent flat spots on the head.
• Encourages healthy movement and coordination.

Top Tips:
✔ Start with just seconds building to 1–2 minutes, a few times a day initially.
✔ Always do tummy time when your baby is awake and supervised.
✔ Get down on the floor with your baby and make it fun.
✔ Slowly build up the time as they get stronger.

Every baby develops at their own pace—little and often is the key!

This past week, Sarah and Zoe attended a seminar in Oxford learning more about infant feeding, tongue tie and fascia. These are topics that we already know a great deal about and and work with babies in the clinic who have issues surrounding feeding and tongue tie on a daily basis. So why attend another seminar? Quite simply to be the best we can be with the most up-to-date evidence based information. There is always something more to learn and always additional skills to glean.

Did you know that we have a large waiting area with plenty of toys and books? We also have a separate quieter space for those needing a calmer area to wait, feed a baby or take some time. All clinic spaces are on ground floor level. There's a large baby changing area.

We're child friendly✅
We're everyone's different friendly✅
We're friendly!✅

✨ Feel Better. Move Better. Live Better. ✨

Your body is designed to move, heal, and thrive—but everyday stress, poor posture, and repetitive movements can take a toll on your spine and nervous system.

🦴 Chiropractic care can help:
✔ Improve mobility and flexibility
✔ Reduce tension and discomfort
✔ Support better posture
✔ Enhance overall wellness

Don’t let discomfort get in the way of your daily life. Prioritise your wellbeing and support your body with the care it needs.

…

"I'd like to bring my baby to see you because I am concerned about their latch / reflux / sickness / irritability / milestones etc. What's the process and what can I expect?"

This is a great question we receive daily. Let's talk through it.

Paediatric care is specific and unique. Babies and children require a different process of examination and treatment. Adult appointments are definitely not the same.

Each situation and patient is different so we unfortunately give you a forensic account of what will occur at your baby's appointment. However, we can explain the process and generalities that might help you decide whether we are the clinic for your family.

Before your appointment you will be sent a form to complete to let us know your concerns and reasons for making the appointment. At the start of your appointment we will go through all relevant history and discuss these concerns. It's sometimes useful to see the red book if you have it to hand.

Next we will undertake an examination. You might be asked to strip your baby down to their nappy or vest. We talk you through everything as it's happening. We'll often take reflexes, assess primitive reflexes if appropriate and look at ranges of motion. When applicable, we'll examine inside the mouth assessing tongue motion, suck and latch. After the examination is completed we'll begin treating any areas of concern with gentle, paediatric specific techniques.

At the end of your appointment we will prescribe any home care exercises or advice that would be beneficial and usually demonstrate this to you. If you have further questions we'll address them and make a plan for when would be useful to follow up.

*Please give a like and a comment if you're reading this through the night. We see you. ◉‿◉

This photo was taken nearly 12 years ago by my then colleague Claire, of me treating my daughter Alba.

A lot of people ask why you would take your child to a chiropractor (or osteopath or physiotherapist) specialising in paediatric musculoskeletal health and this is why I think it's a good idea:

When you bring your baby or child to the clinic we are 100% committed to listening to your concerns and goals and trying to facilitate them. As a parent I understand that although some things are common e.g. breast feeding difficulties, feeding issues, excessive wind, colic, reflux, irritability, hating the car seat etc, it's great if we can prevent at best or at worse, minimise them. It's not always the best policy to let someone grow out of a situation.

We have the time to explain things in a way that works for you to understand what's going on and what we can both can do to help. Advice from a different point of view can often be a game changer.

There is no one size fits all. We are all different and so too should be the care that your family receives.