Osteopathy for Infant

Every pregnancy, every birth and every growth is unique. All these steps will influence the development of the infant. Childbirth is one of the first traumas experienced by the newborn, it is the transition from a liquid and protective environment to a much less reassuring air environment. In the womb of his mother, the child is in harmony with her. It reacts to external elements, mainly noises but also to maternal stress. In the last few weeks before delivery, the fetus has very little room, the head is in contact with the mother’s pelvis and the first trauma can occur. During childbirth your child is under strong pressure, sometimes affecting the mobility of the bones of his skull and spine. They can cause immediate or delayed functional disturbances. 8 out of 10 newborns have a head problem at birth without obvious signs. So, whether the delivery is too short or too long, natural or provoked, or assisted or not by forceps or a sucker, it influences the mobility of the bones of the skull that are not yet welded between them (fontanelles). This can lead to pressure that is manifested by certain functional disorders in the infant or later.

“Birth can be the first trauma of a child’s life.”

This is why an early postnatal check-up (in the first days or weeks) is advisable. Indeed, the more you wait less the skull will correct its asymmetries and more the work of the osteopath will be long and difficult. Here is a list of signs that may cause you to have an osteopath for your baby:

  • Asymmetry of the head: flat head or plagiocephaly, flat or curved forehead, bump, half-closed eye, detached ear, edema, use of forceps or suction cup …
  • Regurgitation, vomiting …
  • Difficult delivery: cord curl, seat, caesarean section, difficult passage, prematurity
  • Digestive disorders: diarrhea, constipation, colic, wriggling, crying …
  • Torticollis, difficulties to turn the head on one side …
  • Agitation, nervousness, sleep disorders, crying, anger, anxiety …
  • Strabismus (converge or diverge)
  • Sucking disorders
  • Otitis or rhinitis with repetition

The management of the child by an osteopath does not replace in any case the medical monitoring by his pediatrician or by another specialist he would need. The techniques used on newborns are soft and adapted techniques.