"This Looks Like a Completely Different Baby": A Dad, a Newborn, and a Face Presentation

Some moments in my office stay with me for years. This is one of my favorites, and I want to share it because it says so much about what newborns go through before we ever meet them.

A Hard Start for a Tiny Body

A family came to see me when their baby was just two days old. Their little one had been born in a face presentation. That means instead of tucking the chin and leading with the top of the head, baby came into the world face first.

If you've never heard of it, you're not alone. It isn't common, and it's a lot for a brand-new body to go through. When I first held this baby, I could see it. Their face looked puffy and a little uneven. Their neck felt tight. They seemed tense in a way that's hard to describe unless you've held a lot of newborns. And I have. I've been caring for babies and families since 2010, and after 16 years, a baby's body tells me a lot.

What Gentle Newborn Care Actually Looks Like

I know the word "chiropractor" can bring up pictures of popping and cracking. That is not what happens with a two-day-old. Newborn work is soft and slow. The pressure I use is about what you'd use to check whether a peach is ripe.

With this baby, I worked gently along the spine and the head, including the small bones of the face. Babies' heads and faces are made to shift and mold during birth, and sometimes they seem to need a little help settling. I go slow. I watch how the baby responds. I pause when they need a break.

Babies can't tell us with words what feels tight or sore, but they tell us in other ways. Between what I know about how little bodies are built and a sense I've learned to trust over the years, I can usually feel where a baby is holding on.

Mom and Dad were right beside us the whole time. They could watch and ask anything they wanted. That matters to me.

"This Looks Like a Completely Different Baby"

When we finished, the baby had melted into a soft, sleepy little bundle. Their face looked calmer and more even. Their body wasn't holding all that tension anymore.

Dad looked at his baby for a long moment and said, "This looks like a completely different baby."

I'll never forget it. It wasn't that I did something magic. It was that he got to see his child more at ease, and he got to relax a little too. In those first raw, exhausting days, that kind of relief is huge.

Why I Share Stories Like This

I'm a mom of five. I remember how scared and protective I felt with each new baby. I've also been through medical emergencies of my own that left me feeling crushed and hopeless. I never want another mom to feel that way, alone and without help.

That's why our mission at Raw Health is to help families reclaim hope, help, and healing through loving service. Not every visit has a big moment like this one. Some changes are small and quiet. But parents often tell me that even a little more ease in their baby (a better nap, a calmer feeding, a looser neck) helps them breathe again.

Every baby is different, and I'll always be honest with you about what I see.

If Your Newborn Had a Tough Birth

If your baby came into the world in a hard way, whether that's a face presentation, a long labor, a very fast delivery, an assisted delivery, or a C-section, I'd love to meet you both. We're right here in Lenexa and see families from all over Johnson County and the Kansas City area.

When you're ready, you can book a gentle newborn visit at rawhealthco.janeapp.com or call us at 913-738-9322. Bring your questions. Bring your worries. I'll hold your baby with the same care I'd want for my own.

With love,

Dr. Suzanne Adams, DC