The first few weeks with a newborn can be beautiful, exhausting, emotional and sometimes a little overwhelming. Every baby is different, and while some settle easily into life outside the womb, others may need a little more support as they adjust.
The process of childbirth involves a series of complex movements and adjustments as the baby passes through the birth canal. This journey can involve twists, turns and compression as the baby’s head and body navigate through the mothers’s pelvis. The ability of a baby’s skull to reshape and adapt is a remarkable aspect of human physiology that aids in the successful passage through the birth canal and early postnatal development.
After birth the baby’s cranial bones can continue to adapt and reshape within the next few weeks.  These adaptations are helped by yawning, sucking and breastfeeding. Difficulties occur if the baby’s cranial bones become compressed or have trouble releasing naturally after childbirth. This can occur if there has been a very quick or long birth, if there has been intervention such as forceps suction or Caesarean births.
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, hands-on approach that some parents choose as part of their baby's wellbeing routine, whilst others bring their babies for treatment if they are suffering from colic or other digestive problems, are unsettled,  have problems sleeping or have problems following a traumatic birth.
Craniosacral therapy can be effective in dealing with the effects of birth trauma including both the compressive forces exerted on the skull and the shock effects of a traumatic birth.  The transition from the womb to the outside world is enormous. Babies are learning to feed, sleep, digest, move and respond to a completely new environment.
During a Craniosacral Therapy for Newborns appointment I spend time listening and appreciating the parent's concerns and the baby’s journey to be born.  With a background in midwifery, neonatal intensive care nursing, I am able to understand the processes parents and babies have experienced.  The treatment involves light touch around the babies head, spine and sacrum. I am constantly paying close attention to the baby's signals and responding to their needs. Babies can be treated whilst feeding, asleep or cradled in parents arms, there is no need to undress them. 
Parents often report their baby feels relaxed, less tense and more comfortable. Babies often lay  straighter and are less twisted after treatment having been given the opportunity to unwind and release the tension or trauma from the birth process. If you would like to discover more about Craniosacral Therapy for Newborns and helping babies to adjust to life outside the womb please get in touch.

With more than 30 years’ experience supporting mothers and babies as a midwife, neonatal nurse and voluntary breastfeeding supporter, I understand how challenging and emotional breastfeeding can be. I combine this experience with Craniosacral therapy to provide informed and individual support for breastfeeding mothers and babies.
Craniosacral therapy is such a gentle hands-on technique it is very suitable for newborn infants. It can help to release tension that may have accumulated inside the womb or through the birth process. This is especially so in babies who have had a traumatic, quick or assisted delivery, such as forceps and caesarean.

Babies who have tension in the head, neck or jaw may have difficulty opening their mouth widely enough or have difficulty co-ordinating sucking and swallowing. Some newborns hold a preference for turning the head to one side creating asymmetry in latching onto the breast. 

Muscle tightness and strain in the newborn infant can make a baby feel irritable which can affect the digestion. With the addition of an uncoordinated suck, swallow, breath pattern babies can sometimes take in more air and suffer with colic or reflux. 

During a Craniosacral therapy treatment, I assess the baby for tightness and misalignment throughout the whole body and in the cranial bones. I tune into the baby’s nervous system and can sense irritability and tension. 

I check the mouth for tongue tie, high palate and jaw tension as well as sucking pattern.  I can help to release the tension in the baby,  align the cranial bones and allow the baby’s body to unwind and release. Releasing tension in the head and cranial nerves, that innervate the mouth, tongue and jaw, may help support the baby’s ability to use the mouth and tongue more effectively and help with co-ordination of the suck swallow breath patterns. 

Parents often report their baby feeds better, as the mouth can open wider, the latch can be deeper and feeding can be less painful as the tongue can move more effectively.  Parents say their baby feels ‘lighter’ or ‘softer’ holding less tension and are more comfortable.

What is the Immune System

The Immune System is that aspect of the body whose function is to protect us from harm. It is a distribution network of roughly 10 billion loosely cooperating cells that communicate with each other physically, energetically and chemically through the body.

Where is the Immune System

There are 3 primary areas of the immune system

1. Under the skin and in the mucus membranes, which means inside the mouth and nose, the whole of the respiratory and digestive tracts, inside the reproduction organs, in the eyes. 

2. In the blood and the lymph

3. In the specialised lymphoid organs, the bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, lympoid tissue (appendix, tonsils, adenoids, spleen, bone marrow).

We have 3 layers of defence

1.  The Physical Barrier which is the skin and mucous membrane 

FUN FACT  We have over 400 square meters of mucous membranes in your bodies

2.  The Innate Immune system, which acts very fast when we are exposed to bacteria or parasites, but it does not learn from previous encounters.  


FUN FACT  The immune system can react within minutes of exposure to an infection.

3.  The Adaptive Immune system which is where the body has adapted and learnt from a previous encounter, such as the body has had this infection before or has been immunised to a certain pathogen or virus.  It takes a few days for the adaptive immune system to react to a virus or pathogen it has be previous exposed to so relies initially on the innate immune system.

 
So what has the immune system got to do with Cranisosacral Therapy?

If the body has stress or restrictions this can affect how effectively the Immune System is able to function. During a craniosacral therapy session we can help to reduce stress, and calm the central nervous system, which allows the immune system to be primed to look out for pathogens (for example bacteria and viruses). During a treatment in the same way as restrictions are released around your spine, you can also get restrictions around an organ and this can impact how the immune organ functions. Sometimes the immune system can become over active or a bit confused and this can lead to cancer or autoimmune conditions so it is really important for it to be in balance.  

If you would like to find out how Craniosacral Therapy might help your immune system then please get in touch.
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Placiopcephaly is a condition characterised by asymmetry and flattening of the skull. Positional Plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome is a common sight in babies and in recent years the incidence has increased to 1 in 60 babies. Flat Head syndrome is usually caused by babies being in the same position for long periods of time. It is more common in babies who have a larger birth weight, were in a difficult position in utero, had a long labour or an assisted delivery such as forceps or ventous. Premature babies who have softer skulls and lower muscle tone are also at risk. Sometimes a baby finds it difficult to turn the head due to tight muscles or torticollis. Babies who suffer with reflux also have an increase chance of flat head due to being held in an upright position for long periods of time.

Flat Head syndrome does not usually cause problems to a baby, however it can have an impact on feeding, increase chance of ear infections, or scoliosis. 

To help to prevent flat head syndrome it is important to reposition the baby's head when the baby is sleeping if you notice that the baby always faces one way.  Encourage baby to turn the head, so talk to the baby from both side and positioning toys to encourage turning. Babies to be placed on their tummy for short periods of time when awake and supervised. Tummy time is important for your baby's development as it helps to build the muscles your baby needs for sitting and crawling, as well as helping baby to make left to right brain connections important in later life for reading and writing. 
Follow  NHS guidelines on how safely to do tummy time.

Sometimes a baby may have some stiffness or restriction in the neck or shoulders, or torticollis and will find it difficult to turn the head away from the tightness. This can then lead to the baby always favouring to turn the same way and this can result in the head becoming flat.

Manual therapy such as Craniosacral therapy, osteopathy chiropractics or physiotherapy may be needed to release the tension and gently encourage the repositioning of the cranial bones. The younger the baby is treated the better.  Craniosacral therapy gently releases tension from the baby's body which helps head and neck movement and can help with the correct alignment of the cranial bones.

In moderate to servere cases of Flat Head Syndrome Cranial orthosis or helmet therapy is needed.

In rare cases placiocephaly is caused by Craniosynostosis were one or more of the cranial suture between the cranial bones fuse prematurely. It is always best to get the baby checked by a doctor or paediatric trained manual therapist 

I see lots of babies in my practice, if you want to discuss your baby please get in touch.