Birth
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A baby will often communicate there is a problem by being unsettled, irritable, or wakeful. Symptoms in a newborn baby to be aware of are:

• gastrointestinal disorders (colic, vomiting, 'silent reflux', sucking and swallowing problems)

• continuous crying

• difficulty feeding or a preference to feed from one breast

• sticky eyes

• sleeping difficulties

• stiffness of the neck muscles

• favouring the head to one side (torticollis and/or plagiocephaly)

• a misshapen head (plagiocephaly)

• tongue tie or jaw restriction (often affects feeding)

• recurrent ear infections or 'glue ear'

A baby's passage through the birth canal is often a difficult process. Nature ensures that the bones of the skull are pliable enough to overlap to enable this to happen, however, sometimes the bones do not return fully to their normal positions after delivery. Strain of the baby's neck or spine can also occur and these issues are more likely to happen if the labour is very fast, unusually long, or fails to progress. Other factors include if a large baby is passing through a small pelvis, if a baby has a large head, or if intervention is necessary, for example, a forceps delivery or ventouse extraction. A Caesarian birth may involve trauma to a baby stuck in the mother's pelvis. Alternatively, problems of compression can occur in utero if there is insufficient amniotic fluid. Preterm as well as full-term babies can need help to recover from the process of their birth.

​When to Seek Treatment for Infants and Children

Paediatric cranial and visceral osteopathy can be very effective in treating a wide range of symptoms and conditions in children and adults. Our treatments are very safe and gentle, based on extensive clinical experience and research evidence. Our aim is to gently ease away any obstructions which are preventing the baby or child from recovering their healthy homeostatic function. Obstructions that may get in the way include restriction of  bone and muscle function, and/or of blood supply, nerve supply and venous and lymphatic drainage. Once these obstructions are eased away, the baby or child (or adult) is able to more easily recover their optimal health and feel better.

Please note, our Paediatric Reg Osteopaths who are experienced in the treatment of babies and young children are Dr Melanie Young, Sebastian Tucker and Dr Giulia Buczkowsky.