3 Reasons Why Infant Craniosacral Therapy is Effective
As an infant Craniosacral therapist, I have parents ask me all the time "How can Craniosacral therapy benefit my newborn?" Here are 3 reasons why Craniosacral therapy can be highly beneficial to your newborn, especially during their first 3 months of life.
1) Birth is traumatic:
Even a seemingly "easy" or uneventful birth is still a significantly challenging and exhausting process for mothers and babies. From a Craniosacral perspective, your baby has to change the entire shape of his/her head to squeeze through the birth canal, and even if your baby is born by cesarean, they encounter a huge pressure change in their cranium going from womb-life to breathing air for the first time. All babies experience high cortisol levels in their bloodstream to make this arduous journey into the world, and depending on interventions or complications that may have occurred during labor and birth, their systems can sometimes get stuck in a highly activated, fight-or-flight nervous system response.
Craniosacral therapy supports your baby's nervous system to down-regulate to it's preferred state of relaxation and rest, which is what the body needs to grow and thrive. "Stressed systems do not strengthen," says Judith Bluestone of the HANDLE Institute. Getting your baby's nervous system in a healthy state can have profound effects on sleep, digestion, breastfeeding and more. My goal is to always get the baby feeling comfortable and at ease in his/her own skin.
2) Getting a good latch:
For those of you wishing to breastfeed your newborn, Craniosacral therapy can be extremely helpful if the baby is struggling to get a proper latch.
Signs of improper latch include:
"Clicking" or "chomping" at the breast
Insufficient transfer of milk/low weight gain
Chronic, painful gas and reflux (baby taking in too much air during feedings)
Sore, cracked, or bleeding nipples
There are several reasons why your baby could be having a difficult time latching properly. As an advanced Craniosacral therapist, I am trained to help identify structural asymmetries in the mouth, cranium, and spine, and gently work to release adhesions and tension around these structures. This includes inter-oral work. I work with a lot of babies who have been diagnosed with tongue tie and/or lip tie to help parents try and avoid any surgical interventions, or after the procedure in order to support the baby adjust and heal properly.
3) Movement is medicine:
We all know what it feels like to have a tight, sore, or strained muscle preventing us to move and stretch the way we want. Depending on the baby's position in utero or during birth, muscles and fascia (connective tissue surrounding every structure in the body) can be overstretched, strained or tight in your baby's body, making simple movements difficult and possibly painful.
Craniosacral therapy is a gentle yet powerful modality to release tension in the body. I also incorporate baby massage, tummy time and specific stretches and exercises during my sessions to show parents ways to insure their baby is moving properly at home. Babies need to move well to grow well! Proper head turning and muscle strengthening around the spine allows your baby to develop in a healthy way.
Get in touch!
If you’re ready to schedule an appointment or have any questions about how infant Craniosacaral therapy can help, click here to get in touch! I look forward to speaking with you!
