Ep 150: Birth Stories and Newborn Chiro Care with Dr. Twila

In this episode of the Aligned Birth podcast, Dr. Shannon interviews Dr. Twila Blossom Jones, a chiropractor and mother of three. They discuss: 

• Dr. Twila's journey into chiropractic, her experiences with pregnancy and birth, and the influence of chiropractic care on her pregnancies. 
• Her decision to choose home birth for her third child and the benefits she experienced. 
• The importance of finding alignment in both personal and professional life, and the impact of chiropractic care on overall well-being. 
• Dr. Twila shares her experiences with chiropractic care during pregnancy and the importance of newborn chiropractic care including the benefits of adjusting a newborn and the impact it has on their overall health (check out our social for a video of her adjusting newborn son!)
• Dr. Twila also discusses the role of the birth support team and the changes she made in her own team with each pregnancy. 
• She emphasizes the importance of postpartum care and support, including pelvic floor PT and lactation consultants 
• Dr. Twila shares how her faith has influenced her birth experiences and the importance of thriving in life through chiropractic care.

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• 17:12 (Cont.) Ep 150: Birth Stories and Newborn Chiro Care with Dr. Twila

Transcript

Dr. Shannon (00:00.636)
Hello, hello, you are listening to the Aligned Birth podcast. We typically have two hosts on the show. So we typically have Dula Rachel, Dr. Shannon, that's me, and we talk about all things, I guess, perinatal health, pregnancy, birth, labor, postpartum, motherhood, everything perinatal. And so we're gonna do that today, but today it's just me, Dr. Shannon on the show with our...

And our guest is Dr. Twyla Blossom Jones, but we're going to call her Dr. Twyla because again, there's not too many Dr. Twyla's around. And we, she's a fellow chiropractor friend of mine and we are talking about chiropractic care, but I want to go into her journey into chiropractic, why she's a chiropractor, and then we're going to touch on her birth. So she's got three kiddos, three different births. Her last one was really awesome. We want to talk about that.

and who she used, who was on her birth support team, why did she have them on her birth support team, how she found them, how she supported herself, and then how she uses that at her office to support the families that come in and see her at 100 % Chiropractic in Snowville. So again, we have Dr. Twila on. She has an enthusiasm for helping people to become the best version of themselves. She's chosen her passion for health and wellness as a platform to impact the masses to live at levels of optimal health. She uses her expertise and training as a chiropractor.

former NCAA Division I track and field athlete and former math educator to accomplish this mission. She attended the University of South Florida where she got her bachelor's degree in mass communications, Agnes Scott College for post -baccalaureate program, and then Life University, that's where we met, where she got her doctorate of chiropractic. She's a chiropractor that loves to get to the cause of the dysfunction and pain in the lives of her patients so that they are thriving throughout every aspect of their lives. She's married and has three kiddos,

Dr. Twila (01:41.428)
Thanks.

Dr. Shannon (01:54.33)
And I am so excited to have you on the show today, Dr. Twyla.

Dr. Twila (01:57.904)
Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here.

Dr. Shannon (02:04.154)
When I was sitting down with this, so where this show idea came from was, first of all, you're an amazing human and I would love to have you on the show no matter what, but you had posted a video of an adjustment you gave to your son almost immediately after birth. And I saw it and I was like, we have to talk about this, this is beautiful. And then I was like, I wanna talk to our first sport team and then you were on.

your home birth midwife has a podcast and then you were on her podcast. I was like, this is all so cool. So that's what sparked this. And then I was like, how do I know Dr. Twyla? Like we just met at school. I don't even remember when we met at school. Was it a pediatric class? I feel like.

Dr. Twila (02:47.188)
That's so long ago and that program was so intense. So it's like, we're done. Let's not go back there, but we met and you're great. So.

Dr. Shannon (02:56.734)
You're like, no, I don't want to go back to it. It was probably, no. Well, and you've got that track background and history, so we probably loved talking about running and that type of thing. But I know that we met in school, yeah, we won't win. That's all we'll say. We don't talk about school anymore. PTSD from that. But okay, so why chiropractic for you then? What started this?

Dr. Twila (02:59.316)
I don't.

Dr. Twila (03:18.846)
You know, okay, you know how we were in school and when the old chiropractors would come in and speak to us, and I use that quotes because now we're probably considered old chiropractors. And they would say, they believe chiropractors called them. I believe chiropractors called me and I was called a chiropractor. And I say that because I was a teacher before I was a chiropractor. And before I...

Dr. Shannon (03:29.24)
Hahaha! Uh huh.

Dr. Twila (03:47.988)
I guess before I went to college, I had a vision of becoming a pediatrician because my pediatrician was like really cool. And I was like, I want to help people. But the med school thing didn't pan out the way I thought it was going to be and so, or how it should be. And so I like surrendered to the process of like, okay, maybe it's not for me now. And then doors of teaching opened up and I'm like, I really love teaching.

Dr. Shannon (03:55.712)
Okay.

Dr. Twila (04:13.894)
I like to make things that are complex, make them simple for people. But what I always, I had this tug in my heart, like I gotta do something more. I still wanna help people, this isn't it. And I didn't, I felt a little conflicted because I always would tell my students, follow your heart. Follow your heart. And so I like did some soul searching for about two weeks, one day, like at the end of I think 2010. And I was like, what am I really supposed to be doing?

Dr. Shannon (04:26.106)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (04:43.22)
And ironically, during that same time of self -reflection, one of my greatest friends in the world was like, hey, you know what? I've been going to this chiropractor for the last two weeks. Every time I walk in, I think of you. And I was like, OK, God, answer. Because I really like searching, like, what is my purpose? What am I supposed to be doing? I know teaching is somewhat it, but I don't really think that was totally it. And.

Dr. Shannon (04:57.818)
Huh. Uh -huh.

Dr. Twila (05:09.78)
I immediately went to Life University's website. It was a Thursday and then they had a tour. Like where I remember this was a Thursday night. Yeah, I was like, okay, is this it? And I was researching chiropractic and I was like, I really align with the philosophy behind it, the power that made the body heal the body. And they can really heal it. Like when you really get the body in alignment, it really can.

Dr. Shannon (05:16.646)
You remember this, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (05:31.064)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (05:39.156)
heal itself and you don't have to use drugs or surgery. And that really aligned with my core principles of health because growing up, my mother really, when I think back on it and I think about my grandmother, we really ate a lot of fruits and vegetables. We did things that were natural to stay healthy. And so subconsciously, this was really the route that aligned with my core values. And so,

when I did a tour, I think that following week, I remember going to the tree house, so that's where the tour started. And I was like, immediately I stepped on, you might know what a gravel is by the tree house. Immediately when I stepped on the gravel, I was like, something clicked, and I was like, I think this is it. And I hadn't even done a tour. And so, you know, fast forward, going through the philosophy classes, going through really understanding.

Dr. Shannon (06:16.73)
Uh huh.

Yeah!

Dr. Shannon (06:26.618)
Uh huh.

Dr. Twila (06:33.972)
the anatomy and the science of chiropractic, it just really, really makes sense that the body is this beautiful organism that when you put it in the right environment and you maintain that environment, it really can keep you alive and thrive. So that's how I think chiropractic found me and I found it. And so it's been a great journey. And so, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (06:50.296)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (06:59.258)
Yeah, I know so many of our fellow chiropractors say that and I feel like I would say the same thing too where it comes to you at a certain point when, and if you are searching for that purpose and that meaning. I like what I'm doing but I know I can do more but then it's part of that journey as far as like, okay, are you ready for it? So like it's God lining up the steps to say, okay, here it is in your lap, are you ready for it? So, ah, I love that. So, okay.

Dr. Twila (07:04.788)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (07:11.708)
Right.

Dr. Twila (07:21.522)
Bye.

Dr. Twila (07:25.234)
Right.

Dr. Shannon (07:29.914)
Now, I guess I don't know how I'm gonna ask these questions like in what order or what I want to go through. So, did you already have kiddos when you were in school?

Dr. Twila (07:41.98)
I didn't actually had two while I was there. I came in at the time, my husband now, we were just dating. We got engaged, we got married. And I think because I was under chiropractic care, I got pregnant twice. My body was. I had two kids.

Dr. Shannon (07:52.354)
Uh huh.

Dr. Shannon (08:04.058)
So while you were in school, like that is a whole other, you have the kids that are in school and the chiropractor program that are young babies, like fresh out of undergrad, and they just fly through. And then you have your section where it's like, oh, you're having, it's like that second career, this is your life purpose, oh, but I'm gonna throw in a couple kids and let's see how you handle school.

Dr. Twila (08:32.34)
Like, I don't even think it was, right? But like people say, how did you do that? I think honestly, if they didn't come when they did, I don't know if I would have had kids. So my, my, like my mother -in -law told me that she was like, I was like, man, I had these kids while I was in school. And she looked at me and she said, but if you didn't have them then.

Dr. Shannon (08:35.386)
That's a lot. Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:41.784)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (08:48.504)
Mmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (09:00.756)
Cause when I went to school, I was 30, I I was 32 and I didn't have children. And so she's like, if you didn't have those kids between like 34 and 35, cause I think that's when I had them. She said, you probably would have never had kids because you would have graduated and really got focused on your career as a chiropractor. So having kids focused me, it grounded me, God like totally knew what I needed. It caused me to really study at a different level to press through.

Dr. Shannon (09:05.882)
Uh -huh.

Dr. Shannon (09:19.31)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (09:29.242)
Yes, you knew that purpose. You know, like it switched that purpose. That purpose was now these kids and what you were gonna see with them with chiropractic care and how it was gonna impact them. And oh yeah, it gives you had a fuel, a different fuel that was, you know, lighten that fire for you. Uh -huh.

Dr. Twila (09:30.772)
I'm from... Yeah.

Dr. Twila (09:40.756)
Right.

Dr. Twila (09:47.636)
Right, I had to pass boards. I didn't have an excuse because I had two little girls looking at my face. So it was tough. I had to slow down a little bit. So I didn't necessarily graduate in the four prescribed years that they told us we can do it. And I think it took me about four and a half, five years. But I had children. I had to take breaks. But here we are. And so I think they were, when I look back on it, I have to agree with my mother -in -law when she said,

Dr. Shannon (09:49.722)
you

Dr. Shannon (09:53.882)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (09:58.426)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (10:09.018)
Here we are.

Dr. Shannon (10:17.082)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Twila (10:17.652)
I had to have them now. And so it gets kind of fuel and passion. And it also I think caused me to be relatable to my patients and to the mothers that come in and the people who have children and how to juggle it all and be successful in whatever success looks like for that particular person. So.

Dr. Shannon (10:26.668)
Yep.

Dr. Shannon (10:37.562)
Yeah, I do. I mean, it takes a lot in that program having children. Because I went through and I already had mine. They were like 10 months old and three years old. That's a different, you know, that's a whole thing in and of itself. But then actually going through a pregnancy and then having them and then having like a maternity leave and still being in school. Like, yeah, I'm always like, you know what? You are here for a reason, my friend, and you're going to spread the good news about chiropractic care.

Dr. Twila (10:49.492)
Okay, yep.

Dr. Shannon (11:08.602)
Okay, so do you now in okay, so you may not have had your kids had you not been in that chiropractic program and everything do you How did chiropractic care influence? those Pregnancies do you think?

Dr. Twila (11:25.14)
So being around Life University, the time we went, we were constantly inundated with natural health care, so to speak. I hate to use that term because health care really is natural, but that's a whole nother topic. We can talk about that later. We were inundated with this whole thought of the power that made the body heals the body. Your body knows exactly what to do when you put it in the right environment. And so my first...

Dr. Shannon (11:37.978)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (11:53.044)
My first pregnancy, ironically, was a bunch of us who were pregnant around the same time. It was about three or four of us. And one of my friends at the time, she was like, hey, have you ever thought about having a midwife? And I was like, what is that? She was like, OK. So at the time, I think we used, I think it was, I forget her name.

Dr. Shannon (12:12.418)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (12:21.652)
I forgot the first lady's name. It wasn't C -Baby. Yeah, it was with C -Baby with, but it was with Atlanta, I think Midtown, midwifery or something like that. That was the first pregnancy. And so I got open to that because of my classmates and that made me go on a journey of what midwifery was and it closely aligned with what we were learning in school.

Dr. Shannon (12:25.658)
I would say baby boots tailor, okay?

Dr. Shannon (12:32.346)
Yes. Okay.

Dr. Twila (12:50.516)
And so being that it was my first pregnancy, I'll be totally transparent. I did not feel comfortable having a home birth. Cause I was like, this is my first one. I'm going to probably just use a midwife excuse me. They can be there with me through, you know, the birthing process, but I want to definitely go at a hospital. That's just where I was comfortable with being my first. So.

Dr. Shannon (13:11.44)
Mm -hmm, definitely, yeah.

Dr. Twila (13:18.996)
That's honestly how I learned about MIT with free was through car practice school because I was.

Dr. Shannon (13:23.376)
Yeah, we're in that bubble. When you're in the chiropractic program, you're in that bubble. Sometimes I want to go back to that bubble. Okay, so yeah, exactly. Okay, so with your first, you had your hospital birth there, but then that really opened up, chiropractic opened up that lens to midwifery. And I know that that's probably what you do in your office though too when you have families come in, you can open them up to the words of doula.

Dr. Twila (13:34.068)
It was safe. It was safe.

Dr. Shannon (13:53.1)
and midwife and things that they're not necessarily hearing. So that's why I want to mention like, sometimes I know that happens in your office where you can really expose people to those words that like you didn't know as well. That was the same thing for me. Yeah.

Dr. Twila (14:00.884)
Right, right, right. Right, and then the second birth, I used, I think, See Baby again, and this is when I met Chris Taylor. And what I realized was she was, she and I connected instantly.

Dr. Shannon (14:17.144)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (14:25.658)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (14:25.724)
perfectly personally, and we got each other. One thing I love about Christina, she's like fun, but honest, but straight to the point, and she knows her stuff. Like she knows it, hands down. And so she helped us through that process of having the second baby. We did have it at the hospital, but this time I did labor at home a little bit longer.

Because what I learned was in the hospital, your labor tends to slow down because you're not in a comfortable environment. It's cold. Like everything slows down. So what Travis and I did on the second birth with our daughter, Taylor, was we literally labored until the last possible moment. And the hospital was less than 10 minutes from us.

Dr. Shannon (14:53.658)
Okay.

Dr. Shannon (14:59.322)
you

Dr. Shannon (15:15.954)
Uh -huh. Yep. Okay.

Dr. Twila (15:22.74)
So we sort of talked it and we learned from the first birth. And then like literally, I remember getting to that hospital, I think it was like 725 by 757. I think it was like two pushes after signing in and signing out of crazy paperwork, she was here. I think it was like three or four pushes. So what I learned from the first pregnancy, the second pregnancy was it is okay to labor.

Dr. Shannon (15:42.74)
Uh huh.

Dr. Twila (15:51.604)
and is open to labor as long as possible at home. That's just what I was comfortable with, and that your body really knows what to do.

Dr. Shannon (15:51.896)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (15:58.178)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. So with that first one, did you kind of go to the hospital, do you think, like a little early for what you needed? Yeah, did you have a vaginal birth? Did you have like a whole cascade of interventions or anything or? Okay, good. Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Twila (16:07.604)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (16:15.06)
No, no, the first birth, I was in labor a very long time. I probably went too soon. I remember getting there and the labor like slowing down. And the one thing I can't remember was it was super cold in that hospital. And I think that...

Dr. Shannon (16:22.786)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:28.056)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:33.146)
Hmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (16:39.38)
Just knowing everything I know now, I would choose home birth hands down, but just have a Plan B just in case of medical intervention. And I am really strong about that because I truly know that a body can really get you through birth properly if you had the right support.

Dr. Shannon (16:46.936)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (16:55.674)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, if you're comfortable and safe. So now, and if you feel that way. Okay, so first one, you had the hospital birth, but long labor. Second time around, labored at home a good amount of time, which, I mean, that's what I usually say with mine is I wish I had stayed home longer and labored at home longer. So it's, you know, and I know you talk about that with your mom's as well too. So then, okay, so now walk us through. So at this point,

Dr. Twila (17:11.976)
All right. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (17:22.874)
you were still in the chiropractic program. So now before third baby comes, you did, you've graduated, right? Before.

Dr. Twila (17:29.204)
I was graduated, I had been in practice almost three years, or a little over three years, and we got pregnant. Wait a minute, he's gonna be four. So we got pregnant, I think January of 21 is when I found out I was pregnant, because he was born September of 21. And by this time, I'm shocked.

Dr. Shannon (17:33.978)
Yeah. Okay.

Dr. Shannon (17:49.88)
Okay.

Dr. Twila (17:53.812)
Cause I was like, wait, wait a minute. This is, this is, wait a minute. This is what I thought was happening. My children at that time, I think were six and eight or five and seven. And they were sleeping through the night, potty trained in school, could talk. Like we had a good rhythm. They go to bed by eight, 39 o 'clock. And I'm like coasting, practice is going well. And here comes this little baby boy.

Dr. Shannon (17:56.122)
You

Dr. Shannon (18:00.116)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (18:06.456)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (18:22.372)
disrupting my flow. What absolute world is happening here? Because I was like, whoa. So I remember calling my mother every day of the first trimester, like, what is happening? I did not want this. This is, you

Dr. Shannon (18:26.17)
I love it. I love it.

Dr. Shannon (18:32.392)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (18:44.692)
She's like, it's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. And I was like, am I bad? I was crying. Am I a bad person? She's like, no, it's just disrupted your plans. But we have a son. Boys are totally different than girls, to say the least. They are. You have boys. Okay. Yeah, totally different.

Dr. Shannon (18:51.418)
Mm -hmm. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (19:01.498)
Yeah, I have two boys. Yeah, so I don't know. I'm assuming they're totally different than girls.

Dr. Twila (19:12.948)
One thing I can say is they're super clingy. My daughters are really clingy to their dad, my husband. But he's a joy. I had a great pregnancy. This time, it was really during when COVID sort of was, I guess, ending or shifting. And that pregnancy,

Dr. Shannon (19:15.834)
Ah!

Dr. Shannon (19:25.786)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (19:39.996)
What I did was I reached out to Christine Taylor because she had started her own midwifery service and we had such a great connection.

Dr. Shannon (19:49.434)
Oh, okay, so she wasn't, she was with Sea Baby with the second pregnancy and you were with her. Okay, and that's how you met and she branched on her own. Okay, yeah.

Dr. Twila (19:53.3)
Right?

Dr. Twila (19:59.572)
Well, she branched out on her own and some of my friends who had been following on Facebook were having children during 2020 and in the early part of 21. And one thing they kept expressing having children in the hospital was their partners couldn't labor with them. I went through the labor process. It was more like you labor by yourself and right when the baby is basically crowning.

Dr. Shannon (20:01.73)
Uh huh.

Dr. Shannon (20:20.344)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (20:28.34)
then the partner could come in and see the baby. And I was like, well, now my first two Travis has been there from like every step of the way. So I still wanted that experience. And I know she did home births and water births. And I was like, well, I already have a bond and a connection. I'm going to use her. And Shannon, guess what? It's actually a cheaper. Oh, goodness, the hospital bills.

Dr. Shannon (20:32.568)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (20:37.528)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (20:42.904)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (20:51.034)
There's that! There's that!

Dr. Twila (20:57.748)
Oh my God, it's significantly cheaper for us, for me to go to all my prenatal checkups and postnatal checkups and have the home birth was significantly cheaper. So I was like, wait a minute, what is happening here? And so I chose that because I wanted Travis to lay with me and...

Dr. Shannon (20:57.85)
Uh huh.

Dr. Shannon (21:05.306)
Hmm.

Dr. Shannon (21:16.314)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (21:25.716)
I really wanted to have a different kind of experience. I wanted to be comfortable. And I really wanted to make sure it wasn't any necessary medical interventions that could put myself and the baby in jeopardy. So that's why we chose Christine. And it was a great experience. Her office, her team, her staff are amazing. She had a ruler that she uses named Don. Don is amazing.

Dr. Shannon (21:49.434)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (21:55.892)
So like it was a great experience as far as.

Dr. Shannon (21:58.554)
It was a good experience there for you, yeah. Now, I remember seeing this and I can't remember if I had either seen it from something that you had shared and I had mentioned this earlier in the show or if Christine had shared, but you have this video of that first adjustment for your son immediately, I mean, pretty much immediately after birth. So I want to maybe...

I mean, as the chiropractor on the show here, I feel like I'm always talking about it. But when I have other chiropractors on, I love for them to talk about what the importance of that first adjustment is and what that looks like. Because it was just such a beautiful video. And we'll share it on social and everything as well. But just kind of going through the whys of that newborn chiropractic care and what

Dr. Twila (22:30.45)
Eh.

Dr. Shannon (22:53.338)
I don't know how, that was so cool because you just gave birth and then you're the chiropractor and you get to do the adjustment as well too. So that's a whole other, that was a whole other level when I saw that. But kind of walk us through a little bit of that newborn care.

Dr. Twila (23:06.708)
Okay, so I think when we released that video, I got a lot of questions about why would a baby need to get adjusted? Baby doesn't have back pain. It's a baby, the baby is new. And I'm like, okay, but do you understand that the baby comes through the canal? Do you understand that as a baby comes through the birthing process, that the baby has to twist and turn and move its body and that with every contraction, the contractions are...

are done to help force the baby out so it's pressure on the baby's body. And people are like, oh, I never thought about that. I said, the baby's working hard to get here too, just as much as the mother. And since the baby has a spine, and the spine is the house for the nervous system, then at any point, that spine can be subluxated.

that put nerve interference into that baby's body. And so when you adjust the baby, the spine, excuse me, adjust the spine, the nervous system will function at an optimal level. And so what that looks like is a lot of people think, you know, because people watch videos and they think we're cracking and popping a baby and, you know, that phenomenon. And it's totally not like that. And so what I did in the video was I

understood that thought process and what my son went through. So the first, one of first things I did check was his atlas. And the atlas is that top bone that supports the brain and the brain stem. And you only have to put the amount of pressure you would put like if you're touching a tomato or checking the ripeness of a tomato. And you can literally hold it for sustained contact and you'll feel it move.

Dr. Shannon (24:56.314)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (24:56.372)
You know, I checked his pelvis and I think in a video we did adjust it because he's still moving coming through the pan. And the last part of the pregnancy, they're in the ball, like in a fetal position, literally. So I tell people, remind them, if you were in a fetal position for two weeks, how would you feel? And they're like.

Dr. Shannon (25:06.33)
still moving.

Dr. Shannon (25:11.416)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (25:21.508)
Exactly.

Dr. Twila (25:23.132)
Oh, as babies have feelings too, they just can't verbalize it the way we can. And so we adjust the pelvis, that aids in the first bowel movement coming on time.

Dr. Shannon (25:28.856)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (25:36.244)
that aids in the digestive system being regulated, that aids in kidney function, liver function. Also, I think I remember adjusting his thoracics because again, you're in a fetal position. So that aids in breathing, allowing him to rest. And also when you adjust the atlas that allows for him to nurse properly. So he's not, so he can nurse on both sides of, from both breasts. So. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (26:03.482)
Ah, I can't. So we're gonna share it. It's such a beautiful video, but it shows just the ease. I mean, it's very, I know I think a lot of people too think it's like a super forceful thing. And I'm like, no, newborn adjustments aren't, it's very, it's very, very gentle. So much so where I'm usually talking parents through it. I'm like, I promise I'm doing some things here. It just doesn't really look like there's a whole lot going on.

Dr. Twila (26:27.604)
I think sometimes what happens is people fail to realize that newborns don't have the same kind of traumas that we as adults have faced. They're brand new, so you can set the foundation of how their body is going to function and move. Like they don't have things that they've gone through. They don't have muscle imbalances and spinal dysfunctions because they're just here. They just got here. They're just right when they come out.

Dr. Shannon (26:34.872)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (26:54.264)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (26:56.882)
The mom.

Dr. Shannon (26:58.33)
I know.

Who all was on your birth support team and how did that change after, you know, with your first and your second and your third? Did the birth support team change who you had on it? As far as, not necessarily like who, but like the actual support people, you know, was it, was there a doula? I know you had OB and a midwife. Did you have pelvic floor PT or anything like that? How did that ebb and flow with all of your pregnancies?

you

Dr. Twila (27:30.484)
Okay, so the first pregnancy we did have midwife and Dr. Boots Taylor was on that first team. So we had, during the birthing process, we did have midwives there for the first team. Afterwards, postpartum, you know, I'm a new mom. I really wasn't really understanding postpartum that well.

I think we have to do better with that. It's educating people what that fourth trimester really looks like. So I just remember doing a post, a two week checkup because I did have, I think, grade three tears with that first baby. I remember doing a post -op checkup for that and that was pretty much it.

Dr. Shannon (28:15.738)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (28:24.788)
The second birth, I was a little bit more aware, and that's when I met Christine and I understood what my body was going through. So when I, and then mind you, I'm still in school at this point too. So when I met with her, I had a different kind of knowledge base of how the body works and how the body functions, which I think that's what made us really connect. And she understood, cause I remember her saying, you really know what's going on here. And I'm like, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (28:38.33)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (28:53.492)
Yeah, and I've done this before. I'm not afraid and I know what to expect. And this is where we should be at by week 20. And this is where we should be by this time. And I know what you're going to do as far as like the procedures. And so I think that's what made us connect on a different level. And I really wanted her to be there and lead that, I guess, the delivery portion of the pregnancy. I do not.

Dr. Shannon (28:53.914)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (29:22.068)
Like I didn't really do a lot of postpartum work as far as going to pelvic floor PT and all of those things. Cause I wasn't having any of the symptoms that you have after you have a baby. Now the third baby, I was a little older. I only use Christine. Honestly, I did not use a doula for any of my pregnancies. And that's something Christine just.

Dr. Shannon (29:31.834)
Hmm.

Dr. Shannon (29:46.986)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (29:48.922)
recommended she was like I don't think you need a doula especially with Travis your husband you guys have a good connection where you guys know how to talk to research and I think the all of the pregnancies though I did do a lot of birth affirmation.

Dr. Shannon (29:55.194)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (30:05.178)
Okay, I was about to ask what you used, not for education, but yeah, like what kind of education aspect thing and what you used for that pain management and all of that. So you used a lot of birth affirmations.

Dr. Twila (30:16.372)
There's a lot of birth affirmations because I was, I'll be honest, I was nervous and scared all three because you never know how my birth is gonna go.

Dr. Shannon (30:24.346)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (30:29.012)
just really had to really just calm myself down and say, you know, your body is designed for this. It knows exactly what to do. You have to breathe and focus on your breathing and know what to do. Oh, the first birth we did go to a, I guess a Lamaze class or a birthing coaching class. Travis and I did that so we can really understand, you know, what to expect, what to do.

Dr. Shannon (30:36.762)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (30:55.866)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (30:57.172)
can help me through the labor, what kind of exercises to do. I did do a lot of research with spinningbabies .com. I think that's the program because the first baby was Breach. Like she would go here, transverse, up and down and then up, like it was a mess. And so, but she eventually the last day she went, she went head down. Yeah, but for a long time she was.

Dr. Shannon (31:07.866)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (31:13.402)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

I'm sorry.

Dr. Shannon (31:22.842)
Head down.

Dr. Twila (31:25.78)
definitely transverse. The second baby, because I understood what to do with my pelvis and the different exercises, like the cat crawl, that helped me keep my pelvis open. I got adjusted more on the second pregnancy and the third, but keep the pelvis more open and aligned. So we wouldn't have that issue with the baby being transverse. What else did we do?

Dr. Shannon (31:33.474)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (31:41.56)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (31:48.088)
Mm -hmm.

That fetal malposition, yeah.

Dr. Twila (31:55.892)
But on the last pregnancy, I did use, her name is Dr. They call her J, Dr. J, but her name is Dr. Mitchell, and she's a pelvic floor PT. So I used her to really help me get through that rehab or that pelvic floor dysfunction. And I did use a lactation consultant for the last,

Dr. Shannon (32:07.834)
Uh huh, yeah.

Dr. Shannon (32:18.008)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (32:25.46)
pregnancy because I was having a lot of sore nipples and Christine caught that right away within like two days. She was like, this is normal. You shouldn't be cracking this way. And I called up a lactation consultant who really helped me get through that. And so that, you know, my son could nurse properly. And I wasn't in so much discomfort because it was horrendous. The pain was ridiculous. So I think.

Dr. Shannon (32:35.898)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (32:52.888)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (32:54.196)
Those are the kind of people I had on my team through those pregnancies.

Dr. Shannon (33:00.506)
Yeah, and it is insane how, I mean, each pregnancy is so different. Each labor and birth is so different. And so the ebbs, that's why I really wanted to highlight the ebbs and flows of your team and someone that's in the holistic healthcare, who are the people that you had surrounding you. And I know you recommend those things for your families who come in now, I'm sure.

Dr. Twila (33:06.74)
Yeah. Right.

Dr. Twila (33:18.344)
Right. Right. Right. Right. Yep. I do. I do. I do. So.

Dr. Shannon (33:27.258)
Now, you always post a lot of encouraging statements. So I find that I'm not surprised that you use birth affirmations because whenever I, like I love you on social media because I'm always like, oh, Dr. Twyla's telling me things today that I need to hear. It's always something that I'm like, I need to hear. But I know that your faith is something that's very important to you too. And so,

Dr. Twila (33:40.852)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (33:53.3)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (33:54.138)
Was that the aspect of the birth affirmations and I know kind of leading you on this whole path. If you want to speak a little bit about, you your faith journey with all of this.

Dr. Twila (34:02.868)
Yeah, yeah, my faith, my faith in God and Christ is huge. Like it's really like my center, my foundation. A lot of times I really like really truly believe like I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And so when I feel like I can't, like especially during those births, I was like, okay, God, I am just a conduit.

to get these children here. And if you want them here, you got to help me get them here. And like, I really had to sort of kind of understand I was just a vessel.

Dr. Shannon (34:31.522)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (34:44.666)
Hmm.

Dr. Twila (34:44.756)
And as the vessel, I was like, hey, you want me to be here? You want me to do this? OK, you got to give me the power to do this. Like I talk to God like I'm talking to you. Like, OK. Like, especially when I had my son, I was like, OK, this is this one part of my plan. So obviously, he's supposed to be here. So you trusted me to get him here. So I need this to go this way. Like, I just really like it's like, OK, so I got to go this way. And it needs to be a quick delivery. I know quick delivery work, but I don't want to labor long with him.

Dr. Shannon (34:52.76)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (35:03.834)
Uh huh. Yeah.

Dr. Twila (35:13.78)
I think honestly the labor probably process was like that active labor probably was about an hour and a half. We were at home. It happened. But my faith really does drive me because sometimes that's all you have. You have to go eternal. And...

Dr. Shannon (35:14.394)
Yeah.

Dr. Twila (35:36.308)
A lot of times, a lot of people tell me some things like you just said, like, hey, what are you going to post today? A lot of that stuff, 99 .9 % of it is for me.

Dr. Shannon (35:44.058)
is for you. I say that all the time. Anytime I post something like, you might think this is for you. No, no, no. I need the reminders. But isn't that a beautiful thing? You know?

Dr. Twila (35:49.31)
It's... Yeah, it's... It's...

And I was like, well, if I'm feeling this way, somebody has to be feeling the way too. So maybe 0 .1 % it'll fit the masses. But a lot of that stuff I post is for me. It's for me. Yep. I'm that friend. So yeah.

Dr. Shannon (35:57.602)
somebody else's.

Dr. Shannon (36:08.922)
hahahaha

Birth kind of brings you to that point though too of you've got to surrender. And you know, there's a lot of different ways and that's why I wanted you to at least talk a little bit about your faith because we have had some Christian Hypno birth instructors on as well too. And we've even on some other episodes have talked about like digging deep and what do you call it? Like going into the pain cave and like how do you cope with those things? And so I'm glad you mentioned those birth affirmations.

Dr. Twila (36:19.188)
Yeah!

Dr. Twila (36:29.8)
I think like I remember one of my friends from Chiropractic school she gave me some scripture she used and Because she that was my first pregnancy and I was scared and I think it was like

her second or third one. And she was like, okay, here are these scriptures, just write them down and say them. I wish I had them to tell you what I used, but I really don't remember it. I think the last pregnancy I created my own. I think I found somebody's online too or on social media and I just like copied hers. And it was just mainly like, hey, I can do this. My body's strong enough to do this.

Like my body's designed to do this. So I just incorporated things I learned from chiropractic school and just my faith that we were here for a purpose, this baby's, I get that is, like it's an honor that this child is coming through me. Like I've been trusted to bring this person into the earth. So like the labor part, the discomfort is only for a moment. And,

you just have to push through. And I would tell myself, and maybe as an athlete, just go ahead and do it. You know, it's sort of like going through a hard workout. The faster you get it done, the faster it's over. So it's like, okay, be smart about it. Be effective about it. Don't stress out because it just breathe and push through. And so that really just helped me. And all my births were non -medicated.

Dr. Shannon (38:05.56)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (38:27.604)
natural. People look at me like I have five heads when I tell them that. They're like, you didn't do any epidurals? No, because I did not want my children to be drugged when they came out. And things I learned in chiropractic school was, you know, if that, I guess epidural is put in the right, the wrong spot, excuse me, you can have a high block, which means,

Dr. Shannon (38:42.682)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (38:58.228)
you may get numb from your chest down, your organs stop working. And I was like, oh, I got to be here for myself and for my children. So I just chose that route that was painful, but it was productive. Yeah, yeah. It was.

Dr. Shannon (39:00.122)
Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (39:13.186)
I love that painful but productive. Yes. I love that. Now, tell us a little bit about your office that you have now. 100 % chiropractic in Snellville. So who do you work with and who lights you up and has that? I don't know. Do you think your parenting journey influences your office and who you work with?

Dr. Twila (39:24.22)
Okay.

Dr. Twila (39:40.688)
When you say who do I work with, you mean the kind of patients I see? Is that what you mean?

Dr. Shannon (39:45.57)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (39:48.948)
I don't see anybody who has a spine.

Dr. Shannon (39:49.688)
Everybody. I'm. I was waiting for it. You got a spine. Come on in. Yeah. Yeah. Mm hmm.

Dr. Twila (39:56.852)
I don't adjust them. Anybody who has a time, I take care of. Primarily what I'm noticing is, I guess like we like to say, my patient avatar would be somebody who, what I'm attracting is people who are like me. Mom, career women, people who have children, people who are go -getters, and their partners and spouses.

Dr. Shannon (40:13.718)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (40:27.092)
And mainly people who have spines and who just really want to function at a high level. Cause I really want to make sure people understand that you can be out of pain and survive, or we can get you out of pain and fix your issue so you can thrive in your life. And I like that latter portion. I want people to thrive in their life, not just be out of pain. Cause we're not made to just, we're made to function in the heal and the, you know, walk in our life.

So I see anybody who has a spine because for me getting adjusted is not just about you getting out of pain, it's about you thriving in your life and walking in your practice. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (41:06.458)
Mm -hmm, mm -hmm. Oh, I love hearing that. That was like a little chiropractic philosophy session. We'll give that to all the people. Oh, I love it. Did you, was there anything else that you wanted to chat about today as far as I guess looking at like that prenatal care or anything about that? Because I think we, I know I think we went over all the things that I wanted to ask you about.

Dr. Twila (41:27.668)
I just want people to really understand that getting adjusted is not a scary thing. It's a necessary thing. It's like brushing your teeth. It's like washing your hair. It's like taking a bath. You know, brush your teeth so your teeth can stay in your mouth and you don't have rotten teeth. Well, you need to get adjusted so your spine can be in alignment so your nervous system can keep you alive.

Dr. Shannon (41:43.256)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Twila (41:57.684)
Like it's necessary. And anyone who has a spine can get adjusted. It's a non -negotiable. And there's nothing scary about it. It's a gentle process. And to do your research on what chiropractic care is and go to a chiropractor that you trust and ask questions about your health. And know that when you get adjusted, your body is going to function at a high level.

keep you around to not just exist. And so I think everybody from newborns to elderly, if you're pregnant or not pregnant, especially if you're pregnant, you need to get adjusted and it's safe. It's necessary. So that's all I want to say.

Dr. Shannon (42:43.738)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. No. Oh yeah, I definitely agree with all that because it's, I like you mentioning, and I talk about this a lot in the office too, like yeah, I want people to get out of pain. But again too, a lot of what I'm looking at is not I want you to feel better, but I want you to function better because there's a bigger aspect to care than just getting out of pain. Now that comes with the education piece in offices as well too.

Dr. Twila (43:03.076)
Bye.

Dr. Shannon (43:11.502)
But I think when people get adjusted and they say they do get out of pain and as they continue under care It's like then you begin to realize oh This is what it means to function better to function optimally to not have a pregnancy that's so painfully debilitating or something, you know along those lines or you know, even with the newborns we talked about like there can be issues going on and you may not really

Dr. Twila (43:14.66)
Mm -hmm.

Dr. Shannon (43:39.098)
know it in a newborn. It might manifest as constipation. It might manifest as not nursing well on one side versus the other or painful latch or colic or reflux. And all of that can be traced back to the spine and the brain and the nervous system and how those are connected and how that's functioning. So yeah, I agree with everything you said. Keep preaching it. We'll keep preaching it.

Dr. Twila (43:44.196)
Bye.

Dr. Twila (43:49.684)
All right.

Dr. Twila (43:59.316)
Right.

We went to the same school. We got the same teacher and we went to the best chiropractic schools in the world. We did.

Dr. Shannon (44:08.506)
We did. We did, we did. I'm gonna link all of your office information and everything in the show notes so that people can check you out and find you and reach out with questions or anything. I'm so, so thankful for you for coming on and sharing your birth stories and everything. And I wanna link to all of Christine Birth By Grace, all of her information as well too, because she's amazing.

Dr. Twila (44:35.048)
Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Shannon (44:37.498)
I love following her. She reminds me of a little firecracker. She's just this little ball of energy that just, I don't know. She's definitely living out her purpose. So I want to link her things there too. But again, thank you so much. Thank you for speaking of your birth and speaking about chiropractic care and the importance of taking care of your spine. So it's so good to see you.

Dr. Twila (44:47.604)
Thank you.

Dr. Twila (44:54.388)
It's good to see you too. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.

Dr. Shannon (45:02.426)
Of course, of course. All right, friends, stay tuned to a new episode that comes out on every Wednesday.