When a baby has reached term and is about to be born, his or
her bones, particularly the skull is made of very soft not-quite-bone material.
The reason for this is to allow the baby’s head to deform slightly in order to
fit through the birth canal. While usually this will correct itself over time,
cranial manipulation for infants is one safe, gentle, and non-invasive
technique that many parents use to relieve any trauma the baby may have
experienced during birth.
As a baby moves through the cervix during labor, it causes
the baby’s head to move in several different directions, while undergoing the
pressure of the mother’s contractions on his or her skull. A newborn’s skull
consists of plates of bone connected by cartilage that can overlap or compress
in order to make the skull smaller. Some skull compressions often relieve
spontaneously shortly after birth as the baby cries or suckles.
Occasionally, however, some times the un-deforming process
is incomplete, particularly if the birth was difficult. For instance, some
babies have a hard time traveling through the cervix and the doctor or
obstetrician will be required to use forceps to grab the baby’s head and guide
it through the birth canal. Additionally, a long labor or a caesarean birth may
require cranial manipulation to help restore their skulls to normal.
Cranial osteopathy as the process is known, is complete safe
and gentle for your baby, and is also effective in restoring the baby’s skull
to a more normal head shape. The osteopathic specialist who performs the
treatment will apply gentle and specific pressure to the parts of the skull,
gently encourage the natural healing ability of the baby’s body to aid in the
restoration of the skull.
Many babies react well to this treatment, leaving the baby
relaxed and able to sleep very well afterwards. Some babies may experience a
burst of energy directly after treatments followed by a restful night’s sleep.
In most cases, two to six treatments of cranial manipulation will be
sufficient.
