Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Rachel Babbitt and Dr. Annie Bishop. Them and their team share their story with us below:
We first met and became friends through Rachel’s youngest sister Bri who introduced us when Annie was interested in going to chiropractic school. Rachel had just graduated from Life University in Marietta, GA where Annie also attended. While in school, we each realized our passion for working with pregnant moms and kids and took extra seminars on the weekends to learn as much as possible about the specifics of pregnancy and pediatric care. Dr. Rachel became pregnant with twins and saw the major benefits firsthand of chiropractic care throughout her pregnancy. After her maternity leave, we decided to start our own chiropractic practice focusing on perinatal care, babies, and kids. In June 2018, Rise Wellness Chiropractic opened in the Kingsley Building in Eastown and has since grown and expanded. In August of 2021 we moved to our current location in East Hills.
Since opening, we have loved getting to know others in the wellness/pregnancy community and have a huge referral network with some of GR’s best birth support: midwives, doulas, therapists, and many others! Being a part of the community has always been important to us and developing the amazing relationships that we have with other providers has allowed us to provide the best care and resources for our practice families. We are always expanding our knowledge base and continue learning with other pediatric and perinatal chiropractors from all over the world. In 2020 Dr. Annie completed her Certification through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
We all face challenges but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The pandemic was a struggle, we had just hit our stride and a point in our practice where we were looking to expand and then the world shut down. Our schedules cleared and we saw very few patients for the first couple of weeks. There was the big unknown if the business would get back to where it was at, but luckily, as the weeks went on people really began to search out wellness care and our practice grew even more! We hired on Rachel’s sister Catherine to be our office manager and that has really helped our practice run so much smoother as we get busier and busier.
When we were again ready to expand, we faced a lot of challenges as a women-owned business to find the financial support needed. It was difficult situation to navigate. Although we had been in business for three years and had grown even during the pandemic we came up against many dead ends. We tried multiple small business and women-owned business support associations, but because of our doctorate education loans we were not able to receive any help. Despite those challenges, we were still able to buildout a bigger space on our own (literally).
We had our eye on our current space since just before the pandemic hit, and it remained available until we were able to move on it. After we signed the lease, we had to work with the city to get the space re-zoned for our use, which turned out to be a complicated process. We got to know our business neighbors well to drum up support for our case, and we made some great connections in the process. Once we were approved, we got to work building out our space with the help of Dr. Annie’s dad, and our friends and families chipping in every weekend last summer. In August we were able to open in our brand-new space and became busier than ever!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a perinatal, pediatric, and family-focused chiropractic office which means both of our doctors have special training in pregnancy care, and in pediatrics. Both are certified in Webster Technique and have advanced perinatal training. Dr. Annie is also fully certified in pediatric care through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. This special training sets us apart from general family chiropractors because we are trained to analyze and adjust specifically for these stages.
We are also very neuro-functionally focused. We do specific scans to see how the body is adapting and functioning, and how it changes under care. Another way we are different, is we use an instrument to adjust called an Activator, that is very specific and doesn’t require any twisting or cracking.
We also offer home visits for our pregnant patients when they have their baby because it can sometimes be difficult to leave the house soon after. That is one of our favorite things and one of the things we are most proud of. We have a lot of families that “grow up” with the practice and that is very exciting to see. Also, we are constantly hearing from parents that their kids talk about us at home and are so excited to come to the office to play, get adjusted, see Miss Catherine, and get their stickers and snacks.
What makes you happy?
So many things make us happy in our office! We absolutely love what we do and are so lucky to come to work every day and have it not feel like a job. Our office is very high energy with kids playing, moms chatting and comparing stories, and us adjusting. Root, our neighbors, always comment on the laughter and fun they can hear.
It is very rewarding to help our patients hear how their experiences have changed under our care. For instance, we often have moms looking for a different birth experience, so they come to us and always report being more comfortable throughout their pregnancy. Some moms are even able to go for a VBAC or a home birth that they have been wanting, which is incredible! We have also had many instances of seeing babies who have difficulty nursing, or pooping, or won’t calm, then mom will text us after an adjustment and tell us they are like a new baby. It is amazing to witness the changes that specific chiropractic adjustments can make.
Another one of our favorite things is when toddlers that we’ve seen since birth (and often before), can say our names and are so excited to come to the office. We also love seeing moms through multiple pregnancies and having their families grow up under our care. We love getting to know the families that we see, and we care about them so much.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.risewellnesschiro.com
- Instagram: @RiseWellnessChiro
- Facebook: facebook.com/RiseWellnessChiro
Image Credits
Abbey Moore Photography
Honey Wild Photo
