Paediatric Osteopathy

During the birth process babies are subjected to big forces as they squeeze through their mum’s pelvis. Babies are designed to adapt this force allowing them to travel through the birthing canal. As both the head and body are compressed and squeezed during this journey, any part of the baby’s head and body can absorb stress and retain strain.

 

Things like crying, yawning and sucking are all things that help this unmoulding process of strains in the first couple of days of the babies life. In some cases the strains on the babies head can still be retained especially if it was a long labour, a very short labour, or one that involved intervention such as ventouse or forceps. This may mean that your baby is experiencing discomfort in their head or body.

 

Osteopaths believe that unresolved birth strains may contribute to many different problems as the child grows and develops. Osteopaths are trained to thoroughly assess your child for asymmetry or tensions in the pelvis, spine and head to ensure that your baby's body is balanced.

 

Osteopaths recommend every baby be checked after birth for musculoskeletal stresses that can present as different symptoms. Babies will often communicate there is a problem by being irritable, unsettled or wakeful. Symptoms in a newborn to be aware of are: 

 

• Favouring the head to one side

• Stiffness of the neck muscles 

• Jaw restriction, latching issues

• Irritation when moving arms or legs while being changed. 

• Irritation/ inability to tolerate tummy time. 

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When treating babies, the osteopath will use gentle techniques to release any strains or restrictions that they may find. There is absolutely NO manipulation performed.