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What problems can cranial osteopathy help with in babies?
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. This process may become more difficult due to forceps or Ventouse extraction.
Some babies cope extremely well with even quite severe retained moulding and compression and are contented and happy. But others it is a different story and they can display a variety of problems. Cranial osteopathy may help with:
Crying, screaming, and irritability: 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.
Feeding difficulties: the baby takes a long time to feed and one feed merges into the next. They may be a "Windy" feeder. Feeding is difficult and tiring due to mechanical stresses through the head, face and throat. The nerves to the tongue and face muscles may be irritated on their exit from the skull which makes sucking difficult.
Sickness colic and wind: regurgitation of milk between feeds, bouts of prolonged crying due to colic and wind. These are often worse in the evening.
Sleep disturbances: the baby sleeps only for short periods and may sleep little in the day or worse still in the night. They wake to the slightest noise. This may be due to tension in the skull and membranes keeping the baby's nervous system in a persistent alert state.
What problems can cranial ostepathy help with in older children? Infections particularly of the ears. Retained moulding and both stresses take their toll on the body's reserves. This leaves children more vulnerable to all types of infections. Retained birth compression within and around the ears leaves children vulnerable to ear infections and glue ears.
Behavioural problems, learning difficulties and special needs. Poor concentration, fidgeting, difficulty sitting still and hyperactivity may sometimes be helped by cranial osteopathy. |
