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Cranial Osteopathy for Babies & Children

Cranial Osteopathy for babies and children is a gentle and non invasive technique where the practitioner aids the body’s natural self-correcting mechanism to relieve trauma that may have occurred during birth.

The movement of the baby through the cervix in labour obliges the head to move in several specific directions whilst undergoing the powerful pressure of the contractions, this naturally causes some overlapping of the skull and compression.

Some compressions may be relieved spontaneously after birth as the baby cries or suckles. Babies born by caesarean section can also present some compression problems, as the skull has not undergone the ‘moulding’ effect of the birth canal.

Compressions can cause:

• Headaches
• Discomfort whilst lying on his/her back
• A poor sucking reflex
• Excess mucous production

Secondary effects of unresolved compressions may result in:

• Poor sleep patterns
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Poor feeding

All of these symptoms may be helped with cranial osteopathy. When osteopaths examine babies, areas of tension are often found in the spine or head, which are indications that the baby is uncomfortable. A baby cannot complain of backache or headache and will typically express this by crying and being unsettled or irritable.
Cranial Osteopathy is for fussy, uncomfortable, irritable babies and the cranial osteopathy is a very gentle treatment, which can act as a catalyst, to nudge the baby’s body towards better comfort and/or functioning.