Osteopathy for Babies

Cranial Osteopathy is a very gentle, effective form of osteopathy that is suitable for babies of all ages. It can help ease the trauma of birth, giving babies a healthy, happy start in life.

Consider trying cranial osteopathy if your baby had a traumatic or difficult birth or if he or she suffers from any of the following:

For Babies
  • Trauma after difficult delivery (Forceps, ventouse, induction)
  • Misshapen head
  • Irritability and restlessness
  • Colic, sickness and wind
  • Feeding difficulties
  • Sleep disturbances
For Young Children
  • Learning difficulties
  • Torticollis
  • Persistent coughs and colds
  • Hyperactivity

It is a common belief that babies and children should have no structural stresses or strains in their bodies, because they are 'so young'. The reality is very different. Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives.

The baby is subjected to enormous forces as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal.

The baby has to turn and twist as it squeezes through the bony pelvis, on its short but highly stimulating and potentially stressful journey.

The baby's head has the remarkable ability to absorb these stresses in a normal delivery. In order to reduce the size of the head, the soft bones overlap, bend and warp as the baby descends. The baby's chin is normally well tucked down towards its chest to reduce the presenting diameter of the head.

Forceps and vacuum (Ventouse) extraction can also cause trauma. Even Caesarian delivery can present a number of problems. In all cases, the cranial osteopath can gently align the bones of the skull into their optimum position - as if the baby had experienced an ideal birth.

Cranial Osteopathy for babies

Many babies are born with odd shaped heads as a result of the birth. In the first few days, the head can usually be seen to gradually lose the extreme moulded shape, as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. However, this unmoulding process is often incomplete, especially if the birth has been difficult. As a result, the baby may have to live with some very uncomfortable stresses within its head and body.

Some babies cope extremely well with even quite severe retained moulding and compression, and are contented and happy.

For others it is a different story, and they can display a variety of problems.

Cranial Osteopathy may help with:

  • Tension and an inability to relax: The baby may be uncomfortable, with a constant feeling of pressure in the head. This may be made worse by the extra pressure on the head when lying down.
  • Digestion Problems: The baby may be finding it uncomfortable or painful to feed. Sometimes there are bouts of prolonged crying and excessive regurgitation and wind. These can be all aggravated by tension either around the diaphragm or elsewhere in the body.
  • Muscle tension in the neck: Here the baby's head is usually tilted to one side while the chin is turned to the other. Most often this is due to tightness in a muscle called the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This may have developed because of the way the baby was positioned in the uterus.

Find out what to expect when you take your child's first visit for osteopathy treatment

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