Is osteo treatment safe for babies?
When thinking of osteopathy for babies, think gentle. The pressure used on babies is the lightest of touch. With these listening, soft, gentle hands osteopaths are able to diagnose issues and relieve tension within the different systems of the body such as the soft developing skeletal system, muscles, fascia, nervous system and organs. Restriction and tension in a baby in any of these systems can cause baby to have issues with feeding, digesting, moving, sleeping, regulating their nervous system and progressing through their building blocks of development.
How do babies get little niggles?
Who would have thought a perfect baby just born could have any issues? Babies in both a vaginal or C-section delivery can have tension in their systems before, during and after birth. Reduced space inutero and positioning can cause baby to be born with cranial compression, neck rotation preferences or postural asymmetries. Other factors that affect baby's overall presentation are the type and duration of birth or if there were complications and/or instrumentation used.
What can osteopaths help with?
Osteopaths help a number of baby ailments such as:
- Reflux or unsettled baby
- Torticollis or neck muscle tightness causing baby’s head to tilt to the side affecting ability to feed, digestion and the nervous system
- Plagiocephaly or flattening of baby’s head
- Cranial asymmetries can cause compression on the nervous system
- Neck rotation preferences or postural asymmetries
- Chest, ear or nasal congestion from aspiration of meconium, amniotic fluid during the birth process or general infection
- Constipation
- Hypersensitive baby or the opposite
- Treatment after a lip or tongue tie procedure (frenotomy)
- Nervous system integration of primitive reflexes and help baby to transition through each milestone
When and how often would I see the osteopath?
Osteopaths are able to see baby from day dot. Clinically it is so important to get treatment for any issues earlier so that there is not hard wiring of the nervous system. We would never want a mum to be struggling at home with issues that can be managed. The first year of a baby’s life is integral to how they will develop neuro-physically and cognitively in the years to come due to the many foundational integrating neurological building blocks of development.
Babies’ systems are so fragile that osteopaths take the utmost care with you and your little ones. We hope to help baby and you through this monumental transition in life. As a practitioner it will always remain an honour and privilege to treat babies.
