Babies cry... and just as well. However, there are many complaints and symptoms of babies that can be helped. Cramps, reflux, extreme crying, difficulty defecating or lots of gas, preferred posture, repeated inflammations, general restlessness, you may recognise them. The tensions may have arisen in the womb, through childbirth or during all the change in their short lives.
As an osteopath, I can help your baby by releasing tensions and blockages to bring balance back to the body. From a holistic point of view, I bring anatomy and physiology together with your baby's perception of its growing world. Many factors can influence your baby's (un)well-being. By checking these factors and examining tensions, I can create a targeted treatment plan for your baby. When blockages are resolved, your baby comes back to balance and relaxation. This creates room again for growth and development.
Baby anamnesis
Treatment always starts with a comprehensive anamnesis, in which I take an interest in your child's general state and any specific symptoms. Are there any abdominal complaints or reflux? Is he upset? but the course of the pregnancy and delivery are also important. Duration, medication, aids, stress can all have a big impact on your baby. Taking a holistic view, all these factors are brought together and we look at how the complaints and symptoms relate to each other.
Examination baby
Next, I want to reinforce my working diagnosis using the examination. In this, the little one lies in his romper on the treatment table and through gentle techniques I examine the mobility with my hands. The baby is always examined completely the first time, as various blockages elsewhere can cause a problem. For example, hip mobility, freedom of diaphragm, neck mobility and the shape and structure of the skull plates are felt. An osteopath gets a lot of information from movement losses and tensions in the body with which the diagnosis is made.
Treatment baby
Once the symptoms are clear, treatment follows. Like the examination, gentle safe techniques specific to babies and children are used. Tension and loss of movement are treated according to their degree of influence. For example, the liver is important for proper bowel movements and so is the diaphragm for and proper mobility of the chest and thus neck rotation. The aim of the treatment is to stimulate or calm certain systems so that the body returns to balance. Babies generally respond quickly to osteopathy treatment.
Complaints babies
Reflux
Excessive crying with no apparent cause
Abdomen and intestines
Cranial tension childbirth and aid tools
Overstretching or cramps
Preferred position
Sleep and restlessness
Drinking and latching
Recurrent inflammation and illness
Complaints children
Development issues
Headache
ENT problems
Behavioural disorders
Musculoskeletal complaints
Abdominal pain and stool problems
After tensions have been found in your child, we move on to treatment. With gentle pushing and stretching techniques, tensions are calmed. Connective tissue becomes looser, circulation is stimulated, waste products can be drained away and relaxation can occur in the nervous system with positive effects on organ function. Your child has been holding onto tension and stress in the body for weeks, sometimes months. Every child has a personal story and thus its own course. Children's reactions can vary, from crying and releasing a lot of frustration to experiencing calmness and falling asleep. Both outcomes are okay.
During and after a treatment, a lot happens in that little body and head. This can cause them to react by falling asleep immediately, but also by being listless or moody. Give your baby 2 to 3 days to settle into the new balance, after which you can start noticing effects. Support the baby in this by not exposing it too much to change or stimuli and instead offer plenty of personal contact and warmth. Effects may include more general relaxation, better sleep, easier movement, less spitting up, easier bowel movements and so on.
Depending on the symptoms and the phase of treatment, you may be given exercises or tips. Think of carying tips, specific exercises to improve mobility or exercises for massage or the like.
A follow-up appointment is usually scheduled within one to two weeks. Each treatment will evaluate what is still needed to get your baby back into balance. Most babies respond quickly to osteopathy and 1 to 3 treatments will be sufficient.
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