Meet Danielle Calahan | Perinatal and Pediatric Chiropractor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Calahan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After I graduated from the University of San Diego with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology, I went straight into chiropractic school at Southern California University of Health Sciences – Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. It was during my first year that I switched my emphasis of sports to family wellness. I took the ICPA Webster Certification during my first year and fell in love with studying and working with pregnant women and children.

I received my Doctorate of Chiropractic in April of 2016. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and received the Dr. Lester McCoy Clinical Excellence Award. I started my career working for my family’s chiropractor in Long Beach, CA. After having my first baby and living in Orange County, I decided to take a leap of faith in October of 2019 and start my own practice where I would have an emphasis on the perinatal and pediatric populations. It was one of the best decisions I ever made, because come September of 2021, I had outgrown my space and needed to move into a bigger space to accommodate our growing practice.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a perinatal and pediatric chiropractor, who specializes in family wellness. I love working with families to help them feel well throughout their journeys. I have taken an extra 200-hour certification on perinatal and pediatric adjusting through the ICPA to effectively care for this special population.Chiropractic care during pregnancy can be beneficial for the normal physiological function of the mother and baby. During pregnancy, chiropractic care focuses on alignment and balance in the musculoskeletal structures of the pelvis. Proper pelvic alignment helps the mother have an easier pregnancy and can also ease the birth process! This is done through the Webster technique.

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nervous system and balances maternal pelvic muscles and ligaments. This optimizes uterine function and allows for a safer, easier birth. I have completed my Certification of the Webster Technique through the ICPA.

Postpartum chiropractic is also essential for moms and babies. I work closely with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), helping families navigate breastfeeding and digestion. This specifically pertains to helping babies latch both sides if they have a head turning preference, constipation, and/or sleep disturbances.

There are so many things that help families navigate through the first few months of life. I work with babes with constipation, sleeping issues, feeding issues, tongue/lip ties, plagio/brachyo-cephaly (flat-headedness), etc. One of the biggest things that sets me and my office apart is that we utilize the team approach to helping families. In the office specifically, we have an IBCLC, Occupational Therapists, and two different birth classes that are hosted at the office.

I really got to where I am today by finding my niche. It is such a specific specialty, but lots of families really appreciate that I have taken specific courses and certifications to be able to treat their precious families. This is what made branching off on my own so challenging. I wanted to build my practice around new families, but that also meant that I would be limiting my population size to a very small portion. I had many doubts when I first started out and the biggest one was, “would any one show up? Would any one call?” And they did show up and they did call. I made this giant leap and because of my hardwork and the support of those close to me, we became successful.

This is one of the things that I have told many chiropractic students while they are still in school, is that they should explore and find their passions within the profession. If we all focus on what we love and what we are good at, our patients are the ones that are truly benefiting.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite spot of all time in and around the city I work and live in is Irvine Regional Park. I have two children, Jack, 4.5, and Ginnie 1.5. We revolve most of the places we go around if its kid friendly or now. We love going to explore the park and visit the OC Zoo. Jack is also obsessed with trains so we go and ride their little train around the park. We would also go visit LEGOLAND because its less crowded than Disneyland and again, my son Jack LOVES legos!

Our favorite restaurants are sushi and Mexican restaurants. We love going to Sushi Plantation, Muse Sushi, and Zenko Sushi! We also go to South of Nick’s and we would definitely take a road trip to San Diego to visit the San Diego Zoo and of course get some Mexican food in Old Town!

Our family does love being home bodies as well. My husband in another life would for sure be a chef because he loves to learn new things all the time, specifically barbecue. So we would definitely spend a lot of time in our backyard where we have a jungle gym and my husband would probably cook something on his smoker!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The people that I would dedicate my shoutout to would be my family, specifically my husband and my parents. I met my husband while in undergrad at the University of San Diego. He was by my side through my years there and all through chiropractic school as well! It was some tough times spending all my waking hours at school, studying, or at my internships. He would support me by making meals, and spending late nights up with me. He was particularly supportive when I told him I wanted to take a giant leap of faith and open my own practice. It was one of those times where he knew that once it took off it would be good, but it was the fear of the unknown for both of us!

My parents have also been a huge part of my success as well. They have always supported me in all me endeavors and have helped in any way possible! They have been there for me, through undergrad and chiropractic school, through my first chiro job, shopping for furniture for my first office, and watching my babies so that we did not have to worry about childcare. They have always been there for us and have helped in any way that they could.

Website: www.calahanfamilychiropractic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calahanfamilychiropractic/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calahanfamilychiropractic

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/calahan-family-chiropractic-laguna-hills

Image Credits
Lindsey Faust – The Magical Everyday Photography