24/06/2022
Osteopathy: Pregnancy and Childbirth
Pregnancy is a unique and powerful experience. Enormous physical, hormonal and emotional changes take place over a relatively short period of time. The body has to adapt to carrying up to 20lb of baby, waters and placenta, which can impose physical strain on all the organs and tissues.
Osteopaths see three important stages in this process:
Pregnancy and its physical discomforts.
The demands of labour.
Recovery of the mother after birth.
Discomforts of Pregnancy
Aches and pains are common during pregnancy, as the body changes shape to accommodate the increasing size and weight of the uterus. This involves considerable changes to posture. If the mother has existing back problems, or strains in her body from past accidents or trauma, it may be more difficult for her to accommodate these changes, and she may suffer more discomfort as a result.
The ligaments of the whole body soften during pregnancy due to the action of hormones. This allows the bones of the pelvis to separate slightly during the delivery to facilitate the passage of the baby’s head through the pelvis. Unfortunately this softening affects the whole body and makes it more vulnerable to strain during the pregnancy.
Postural changes may cause backache, neck ache, headaches, sciatica, aching legs and undue fatigue.
Nausea and vomiting can cause debilitating physical strains in the diaphragm and ribs.
As the uterus expands, it can stretch and squash the diaphragm contributing to heartburn.
Postural changes through the lower ribs and spine can impede the action of the diaphragm and make breathing difficult.
Tension within the pelvis or diaphragm area can increase resistance to the return of venous blood to the heart from the lower half of the body. This can cause or aggravate varicose veins in the legs, and haemorrhoids
Preparation for labour and position of the baby
As labour is likely to be more difficult if the baby is not lying correctly, it is worth trying to help them to move into a better position. The baby generally settles in a head downward position and facing backward with his spine curled in the same direction as his mother’s spine. This puts the baby in the most advantageous position for passing through the birth canal during labour.
Self-Help tips to encourage the baby to lie correctly
Try to keep as active as possible throughout the pregnancy.
‘Walk tall’, pushing your head upwards as if suspended by a string. Do not allow your lower back to slump into a very hollow position.
Sitting slouched in soft chairs encourages the baby to turn into the back to back position. Where possible, sit with your bottom well back in the chair and the lower back supported. Better still, sitting on a foam wedge, or on a chair that has a seat that tilts forward, actively encourages the baby to lie correctly.
If your baby is lying in either a breech or back to back position, then spending some time each day in an ‘all fours’ position can help it to turn.
As the baby grows and takes up more space within the abdomen there is less space for them to move about, and they will find their own preferred position. The mother’s posture has to adapt to accommodate the position of the baby, and if this conflicts with her own postural needs it may cause undue aches and pains. This is the reason that one pregnancy may be much more uncomfortable to carry than another.
An important part of preparation for childbirth is to ensure that the mother’s pelvis is structurally balanced and able to allow the passage of the baby down the birth canal.
Trauma to the pelvic bones, coccyx or sacrum at any time in a mother’s life can leave increased tension in muscles, and strains within the ligaments and bones of the pelvis. This can limit the ability of these bones to separate and move out of the way during labour, and thus limit the size of the pelvic outlet. Osteopathic treatment aims to release old strains within the pelvis, thus giving the best chance of an easy and uncomplicated labour.
Recovering after birth for mother and baby
The mother’s pelvis is vulnerable to lasting strains from the forces involved, particularly after a difficult delivery. Some of these strains can have a profound effect on the nervous system, and contribute to postnatal depression.
After giving birth, the body not only has to recover from the changes it made during pregnancy but also from the effects of delivery. All this whilst doing the very physically and mentally demanding job of caring for the new baby. Caring for a baby can place enormous strain on the back, during such activities as nursing in poor positions, lifting car seats especially in and out of the car, reaching over the cot, or carrying a child on one hip.
Unresolved childbirth stresses in the mother can contribute to ongoing back problems, period problems, stress incontinence, constipation, headache and more.
Osteopathic treatment aims to help the mother to return to normal, physically and emotionally, after birth by releasing strains from both pregnancy and labour. This allows her to relax and enjoy her new baby.
The baby can suffer long-lasting effects from the moulding process during birth, and an osteopathic check up is recommended. See our page on osteopathy for babies and children.
Is Osteopathy safe during Pregnancy?
Osteopaths are highly skilled and undergo a minimum of 4 years training. Gentle osteopathic techniques are perfectly safe at all stages of pregnancy. The cranial osteopathic approach is a particularly gentle way of working with the body’s own natural mechanism for releasing and re-balancing tensions, without force.
Osteopathy: Babies and Children
It is a common belief that babies and children should have no 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 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.
Many babies are born with odd shaped heads as a result. 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 or was assisted with forceps or ventouse. 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. Osteopaths have some observations about how these retained compressions and stresses might affect the baby.
Compression in the bones and linings of the skull
The baby may be uncomfortable, with a constant feeling of pressure in the structures of the head. This may be made worse by the extra pressure on the head when lying down. There is more about compressions of the bones of the skull further down this page.
Pressure on nerves
Osteopaths consider that the nerves to the lips, cheeks and tongue can be affected by birth compressions. These nerves exit the base of the skull, and in the baby this area is not as well protected as it is in the adult. Baby needs these nerves and muscles to be working well in order to latch on and suckle comfortably and efficiently.
Tension in muscles and soft tissues
The tube to the stomach, the oesophagus, passes through a sheet of muscle under the ribs called the diaphragm. Stress from a difficult or fast birth can cause tension in the diaphragm, trapping wind. If the diaphragm is pulled out of shape around the oesophagus, it can compromise the ability of the stomach to retain its contents. Any strain through the umbilical cord, for instance if the cord was around the baby’s neck, can add to strains in the abdomen.
General level of tension
Stress in pregnancy and during birth contribute to the general level of tension of the baby, and can keep the baby’s nervous system in a persistently alert state. This can occur with either a difficult, or a very quick birth- the baby may find it difficult to relax fully and may have difficulty sleeping.
There is a theory that if the baby is in a persistently alert state, it’s digestion can work too quickly. Milk may exit the stomach before it has had a chance to digest, and the partially digested milk enters the intestine where it may ferment and produce wind which can be uncomfortable for the baby.
In older children
There is now much medical evidence that stress during pregnancy and difficult birth can lead to problems later on.
More about compressions of the bones of the skull
Physical compressions may also affect function. Osteopaths consider that the structure of the head and body has a profound affect on their functioning. Unresolved birth compressions around the base of the skull and the ears can compromise drainage of the Eustachian (Auditory) Tube and leave the ears more vulnerable to recurrent infections and glue ear.
Further forwards on the same bone that the ear sits in, one of the nerves to the eye muscles passes under a ligament. This area is sensitive to birth compressions, and if the function of this nerve is compromised, the eye on that side may have difficulty turning outwards, the situation known as strabismus or squint. Often strabismus resolves itself, or there can be other causes. Osteopaths will always ensure that your child is referred to their doctor if necessary.
The bones of the face and jaws can also be subject to birth compressions. The osteopathic view is that the bones of the face and jaws need to be free of birth compressions in order to grow to their fullest dimensions, to allow space for the teeth and avoid overcrowding or occlusion problems. If compressions affect the full development of the nasal passages, then the child may tend to breathe through the mouth. Orthodontists recognise that mouth breathing leads to the tongue not supporting the upper arch of the teeth, and the teeth may grow unevenly.
These are just a few examples of how osteopaths see the structure of the head and body affecting function.
Cranial osteopathic treatment
Osteopathic treatment using the cranial approach is gentle, safe and effective for babies and children. Very specific, skilled, light pressure is applied where necessary to assist the natural ability of the body to release stresses and tensions.
Could there be any adverse reactions?
Reactions to treatment are variable, often the baby or child is very relaxed afterwards and sleeps well. Others have a burst of energy after treatment, usually followed by a good nights sleep.
Occasionally children are unsettled after treatment. This is a temporary situation, and usually clears within 24-48 hours.
Katy Teasdale BSc (Hons) PsySc., BSc (Hons) Ost., DO, DPO
Registered Osteopath
Specialist Paediatric Osteopath
www.katyteasdale.com
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