How to Know if Your Baby Should Have an Osteopathic Check

Although Osteopathy is becoming more widely recognized, many people do not know when or if Osteopathy may be of benefit to their babies. Here are some brief pointers to help you decide if Osteopathy might be a good choice for you.

Babies are designed to withstand the rigorous nature of the birth process, but sometimes the birth can be a little too difficult for the baby to bounce back well or quickly. Often your baby will let you know if they are unhappy by being particularly difficult to settle, restless, poor sleepers or struggling to digest their food. In our experience here are some key events that may warrant an Osteopathic checkup:

1) If your baby’s head was fully engaged for some weeks before the birth. (this bone to bone contact between their head and your pelvis could have strained your baby’s head and neck before the birth even began)

2) If the birth required suction or forceps to aid extraction. This is especially true if it required a strong pulling action to achieve the birth.

3) If you required a Syntocinon drip as your labour was going on for a long time, particularly if your baby’s heart rate was dropping or it had meconium in the waters.

4) If the cord was tightly wound around your baby’s neck.

5) If your baby was slow to revive after the birth and had a particularly traumatic delivery.
If you are unsure if your child would benefit please do not hesitate to call us. We are always delighted to answer any questions.