Meet Dr. Carol Donohue, Sound Shore resident, chiropractor and mom of 2! Founder of C3 Chiropractic, she provides chiropractic care for every stage in life, including pregnancy and postpartum, infants, children and adults. After receiving her Doctorate in Chiropractic degree from Life University, Dr. Carol worked in many different areas of the world including India, Mexico & Haiti before starting her own practice here in Mamaroneck. Read our interview below to learn more about Dr. Carol, chiropractic care and the many benefits it has, especially in perinatal care and in infancy.
Tell us about your family – how many kids do you have and what are their ages?
My husband and I met in college and got back together several years later, now we have two girls, Rae Agnes (2.5) and Issa (almost 9 months).
Where are you originally from and where do you live now?
I’m from Long Island, originally, and Emmanuel is from the Bronx… we moved to Mamaroneck a few years ago and now we live in West Harrison.
How did you decide to settle down in the Sound Shore area?
I thought we’d be in the city a lot longer but once I got pregnant with my first I realized that wasn’t what I wanted at all! My husband works in Greenwich in an independent school and I think we both just knew we wanted to be here, there’s enough access to water and still great access to the city as well.
What are your go-to restaurants and shops in the Sound Shore area?
We love to frequent breweries, especially Decadent Ales in Mamaroneck! It seems like there’s always other kids and my girls can be loud and no one minds! We also love Stan’z Café in Larchmont for their hearty healthy meals and Mister Chen’s in Mamaroneck for takeout!
Tell us about your chiropractic practice. Where are you located and who do you treat?
I’m located in Mamaroneck right across the street from the Harbor on Post Road! I help young and growing families lay a foundation of great health from the start by taking care of mothers through pregnancy, and even leading up to pregnancy, to hopefully decrease the stressors the baby is exposed to in the womb. Then, checking the baby soon after birth helps that baby latch properly, poop and sleep better! A baby pooping, eating, and sleeping is the goal- it makes for a happy baby and a happy baby makes for a happy family!
How did you get into chiropractic care? What kind of training is involved?
I was an athlete growing up and played Division 1 lacrosse at Bucknell University. I really have always found myself happiest when I was playing some sort of sport, so it’s always been in me to take care of my body for overall well-being. I was injured my senior year and lost most of that season but I met a chiropractor the year after I graduated and he helped me get out of chronic pain. But, he also introduced me to a philosophy that I felt called to. He influenced me to change my course, and I went on to take two years of post-bachelor course work and then 4 years to receive a doctorate in chiropractic school.
How is the type of treatment you provide different from traditional medical care?
The major difference is the paradigm we work from. Medical care typically searches for the cause and start of a disease, pathogenesis. Chiropractors study the cause of health and the necessary agents for your body to function and heal the way it was designed to. Obviously, there’s a need for both! We just look at the body through different windows.
What should patients expect at their first visit? How might this differ based on the age of your patient?
First, we take a full health history and ask you a lot about what is going on and try to dive a little deeper into what you’re experiencing. Then, we take you through a series of tests, but they are likely tests you’ve never had done before. These tests are to check if your nervous system is impacting your body’s ability to heal. After observing the results of the tests, we would get a better idea of how to move forward. The adjustment in an adult looks incredibly different from that in a baby! Adjusting a baby doesn’t take much more pressure than you would use to test the ripeness of a tomato or an avocado.
When do you recommend infants start chiropractic care? What are some benefits parents may see in their babies?
I checked and adjusted my girls within a few hours of being born! Birth is a lot of work for a mom, but also for a baby. This causes stressors that can lead to many types of presentations. My first daughter had a long labor, and she did not want to eat from my left breast when she was born because her neck was uncomfortable in that position, immediately following the adjustment she latched on the left breast. This is one of the most common reasons I will see newborns. Troubles with breastfeeding resolve when the jaw and neck can function properly, and when baby latches properly mom’s milk can come in well. Other babies with colic, severe irritability, or reflux, will no longer suffer after getting adjusted. Babies begin to sleep well and deeply. When the nervous system is properly balancing and adapting to the stressors the baby has endured, that baby should poop better as well.
What’s your favorite part of owning your own business?
I’ve always kind of done things my own way, it feels more authentic to have my own business and really focus on helping the people I’m supposed to be helping.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another mom?
An older mother told me before I had my first, if the baby is upset and you don’t really know why, put her in water or bring her outside. I’ve needed this advice more with her as a toddler than a baby, but it never fails me!
Any tips for juggling motherhood and professional life?
I guess I’d say grace and community. I’m still figuring this out, pretty much dropping all the balls but it feels like my husband catches them!
C3 Chiropractic is located at 154 E. Boston Post Road in Mamaroneck. To find out more and to make an appointment, visit their website here. You can also find them on instagram @clear.calm.connected.
Photos 1&2 by Rachel Stasolla