CranioSacral Therapy for Infants
What is CranioSacral Therapy?
CranioSacral
Therapy is an extremely gentle and effective way of adjusting the bones and membranes of the head, spine and pelvis for improved
mobility, releasing of restrictions, and rebalancing of the nervous system. The amount of pressure used to make these adjustments
is about the same pressure exerted by the weight of a nickel. When bones overlap each other or the membranes are restricted,
pain and discomfort can occur that manifests in many different ways (see below). Babies are not always able to tell us directly
where the problems lie, but certain symptoms or circumstances of the birth can suggest areas that may need treatment.
How is CranioSacral Therapy done?
The treatment
is usually performed with the baby fully clothed. It can be done while in my arms or the mother's arms, or even while the
baby is sleeping. I assess the baby from head to toe using various techniques, then I zone in on any problem areas that need
treatment. Adjustments are very gentle, with pressure equivalent to the weight of a nickel. Most babies will have a nice
period of deeper sleep after a treatment while the body integrates the work that was done.
Why might my baby need CranioSacral Therapy?
There are many issues that can be improved with CranioSacral Therapy:
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Poor latch
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Birth with forceps
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Colic
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Sleepy at the breast
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Birth with vacuum assistance
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Baby whose disposition shifts
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Sucking difficulties
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Cesarean birth
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Separated from mother
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Cries at the breast
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Breathing difficulties
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Experienced invasive medical procedures
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Favors one side
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Wet-sounding lungs
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Baby who has had surgery
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Fast birth
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Clicks in shoulders or hips
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Babies who came out OP, or facing towards the mother's front
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Slow birth
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Struggling on the brink of a developmental milestone
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Military/ asynclitic/ compound/ brow/ face presentations
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Difficult or slow to start breathing after birth
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Emotional trauma
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Breech birth
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Resuscitated infants
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Angry
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Shoulder dystocia
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Intubated infants
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Scared
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Twins
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Deeply suctioned with laryngoscope
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Crying jags
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Babies who spit up
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Bulb suctioned
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"Sensitive baby"
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Down syndrome
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Birth injuries
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Startles too easily
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Favors turning head to one side
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Erbs palsy
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Baby not comfortable in body
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Baby with constipation
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Caput
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Crooked nose or face
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Premature birth
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Broken clavicle
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Arching cryer
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Flat spot on baby's head
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Any nerve injury
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Unresolved sutural override
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Baby with reflux
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How many times will my baby need to be treated in order to
see results?
Many babies will experience full resolution after only one or two treatments. Parents
may want to have the baby treated again if they see some change in the baby but instinctively know that more change
is possible, or if there has been great change followed by worsening again over time. Sometimes the body needs to be treated
in layers; when the most important area has been addressed, other issues may present themselves for treatment. You can probably
think of problems in your own body that have resolved in this way.
How can we arrange for a treatment for our baby?
Contact Wendy to set up an appointment. Treatments can be done in our office, in the hospital, or in your home if you live within the
Portland metro area.
