maternity
Cranial
Osteopathy
Cranial osteopathy, can it help improve
your baby’s sleep?
T
wo-month-old Sophia is Emma’s
third child. Contrary to her other
children, Sophia’s birth was
long and difficult. For a week
after birth Sophia slept “like a baby” then
something changed. Putting her down
for naps was becoming a challenge, the
intervals at night were getting shorter
and Sophia was more irritable, tired and
crying more frequently.
A friend advised Emma to try Cranial
Osteopathy for Sophie. But what exactly
is Cranial Osteopathy?
Osteopath Inès De Beer explains how
it works and what to expect when you
bring your baby to see an Osteopath.
Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle manual
technique that osteopaths use to treat
structures anywhere in the body, but
mainly on the cranial parts of the skull.
The concept originates as far back as
a 100 years ago when Dr Sutherland
discovered the bones of the skull were
designed for slight movement/motility.
Osteopaths are trained in picking up
restrictions in these motions and with
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www.playtimes.com.hk
Rotational strains in the
upper neck and
compressive strains
in the lower half of the
infant’s head are
quite common
specific gentle techniques, tensions and
strains in the body can be released.
In the case of baby Sophia and
so many other infants, working with
the mechanical effects from the birth
process is the focus of many sessions.
Rotational strains in the upper neck and
compressive strains in the lower half
of the infant’s head are quite common;
not only related to the type of birth but
also how the baby was positioned in
the womb. Those tensions can often
lead to sleeplessness, colic, torticollis,
preference to turn the head to one
side or nurse from one breast, reflux,
constipation, etc.
Ensuring optimal mobility of all soft
structures is enough to set off the
body’s healing process and restore
natural equilibrium.
An average of three sessions within
the first three months of birth are usually
enough to settle these tensions down
and for the baby to thrive and develop
normally. Most babies like the sessions,
as an experienced osteopath knows
perfectly how to respond to the infant.
Often they sleep or feed throughout the
treatments and barely notice.
As for baby Sophia, she responded
very well to the treatments. She became
more settled within the first few sessions,
with her sleep improving in both quality
and length, giving mum Emma a well-
deserved rest!
Inès De Beer works from The Round
Clinic. www.theroundclinic.com