Cranial Osteopathy is a very gentle, safe and effective treatment involving light finger pressures to the head, pelvis & body. Cranial Osteopathy for babies aims to reduce the moulding of the baby’s head caused by the physical trauma of birth. Retained moulding & the associated tensions & strains within the baby’s skull & body can feel uncomfortable. Baby’s show signs of this discomfort by crying, being unsettled or fractious for prolonged periods. Babies may benefit from cranial osteopathic treatment if they:
Had a difficult birth:
Needed a caesarean section, forceps or ventouse delivery
Sustained a very fast or long labour
Have signs of colic, digestive discomfort or wind
Cry for prolonged periods
Appear persistently fractious or unsettled
Have difficulty falling or staying asleep
Struggle to breastfeed or bottle feed
Prefer to turn their head to one side
What to expect? I need to take a full case history, including questions about:
What symptoms are troubling your baby and details of the pregnancy and birth. After an initial cranial assessment of the movements of their head bones, pelvic bones & other areas of the body I’ll describe my findings with you & how I think I can help. I am highly experienced in treating children that will not want to lie down or are very agitated. Babies prefer being treated while being held by a parent and bringing along a favourite toy or feeding during treatment also helps. Treatment does not hurt and often the baby is very relaxed afterwards and sleeps well. Others have a burst of energy after treatment, usually followed by a good night’s sleep. Occasionally children are unsettled after treatment. This is a temporary situation, and usually clears within 24-48 hours. On average, two to six treatments are sufficient, although this varies according to the severity of the problem. Credentials & experience:
I’ve been a Cranial Osteopath for over 10 years, specialising in treating babies and this is why…
Ever since my school days the study of biology, anatomy & physiology has always fascinated me. I am still intrigued by how things work and what’s happening when they don’t. After needing osteopathic treatment myself as a teenager I was awe struck that someone could simply “fix someone & make their pain go away”. I later realised that it’s not simple at all but nonetheless amazing. I graduated in 2000 with a first class Batchelor of Science honours degree in Biological Sciences from Exeter University. I then trained for 4 years at the British School of Osteopathy, London, qualifying in 2005. (http://www.bso.ac.uk/)
During my training I found my preferred treatment approach was using the gentler cranial osteopathic techniques. So on graduating I immediately sought further training to specialise in Cranial osteopathy and have attended a series of Sutherland Cranial College post-graduate cranial courses. Over the years, countless numbers of parents have thanked me for helping their children. Yet, the significant impact of cranial osteopathic treatment never truly sunk in until I became a mother and my own babies needed it too…
About me/ my story. I am a busy mum of two boys who both benefited from cranial osteopathic treatment after their births. My eldest was born in 2012 by emergency Caesarian because of foetal distress after an induced labour. He couldn’t latch properly or breast feed initially despite help from breast feeding experts & midwives in the hospital. I was both desperate to breast feed & dreading the inevitable distress trying caused both of us. But after his first cranial osteopathic treatment he finally latched on properly & fed for England ever since. My youngest was a VBAC born in 2014. He came naturally but very quickly! I went from 5 cm to fully dilated in 2 hours then he was born with 3 pushes. I knew, from experience as an osteopath, that the speed of his birth could make him unsettled or have difficulty sleeping, so I wanted to nip these in the bud. He had his first cranial osteopathic treatment just a few days after birth. Since then he’s been a happy and calm little boy, who is easily settled & feeds for England too, just like his brother. Having experienced the misery & heartache a mother feels when their baby is distressed, uncomfortable & unable to feed. It allowed me to fully appreciate the utter relief & joy when their baby changes “miraculously” for the better after their cranial osteopathic treatment. I, like many other parents, have found that providing prompt cranial osteopathic treatment was the best thing we ever did for our babies. As one of my patients once told me “it was the best money I ever spent”!
