Why Would a Baby Need Osteopathy?

I get this question a lot when I tell people that osteopathy is common and helpful for babies. In fact, many lactation consultants and midwives recommend osteopathy to support parents and babies after birth.

People wonder seem to wonder, but why would a baby need osteopathy? They don't have achey backs or sore necks like us adults. We work at computers all day and have the stress of the world weighing on us!

As I hope this is true, that a little baby isn't hunched over a computer working in a cubical all day! Babies can still have physical issues that can benefit from osteopathy.

Baby Cove enjoying some cranial work at 2 months old.

These are a few ways babies can benefit from osteopathic treatment...

Some babies have issues with breastfeeding. They may have latching difficulty during feeding, or digestive upset after feeding. This can be due to tensions around the upper part of their neck and cranium which prevents them from being able to open their mouth entirely. Breastfeeding issues can also stem from the inability to rotate their head towards the breast. This can prevent the baby from getting into a comfortable position during feeding.

Osteopathy works very gently to help certain vertebra move better and balance the tensions of muscles and soft tissue in the neck and cranium. This helps the baby have access to all the little adjustments and movements it needs, without creating compensations. There is no heavy pressure or aggressive manipulation, it just takes a gentle presence of hands and some time to get structures released.

There are also restrictions inside the mouth that can be released using osteopathy. The jaw can be released in order to open more fully, by working on the jaw bones as well as certain fascial chains that are accessed through the mouth. This helps them latch and get a better suck while feeding. If a baby has a tongue tie (ankyloglossia), osteopathy can help to gain more mobility in movements of the tongue. Osteopathy can also help with the healing process after a tongue tie release has been performed.

During a vaginal birth the baby can get stuck coming out of the birth canal. This can cause strains on the head, neck or pelvis. Some babies need forceps which can compress bones of the cranium. That kind of compression on the cranium can cause issues like I was mentioning above, in terms of mobility of the neck and ability to open the mouth fully.

In terms of reaching milestones, like tummy time, crawling or sitting, osteopathy can help babies get into positions more comfortably to help them develop and have more functional movement.

Here is a list of issues you might see in your baby that could prompt you to see an Osteopath:

• Difficulty with tummy time: uncomfortable, or fussing.

• Torticolis, or neck tension.

• Difficulty latching with breastfeeding.

• Sleep issues.

• Chronic constipation or digestive upset.

• Tongue tie (pre and post surgery)

• Breathing difficulties (mouth breathing, or chronic blocked sinuses)

I hope this was informative and please get in touch if you have any questions!