Pediatric CranioSacral Therapy

CranioSacral Therapy is an extremely gentle and kind way to settle Mom and Baby’s central nervous system after the birth process. Births can be beautiful and still overwhelming, sometimes challenging, and sometimes traumatic for mother and baby. Mother may worry about baby, and baby can feel what mother is feeling. Mother, father and baby need to adjust and recover from the birth experience, when it all went perfectly, and when it did not go as expected. Where assistance is needed in this adjustment process, CranioSacral Therapy helps in the following ways:

• Calming and balancing of Mom and Baby’s nervous system. This may involve release of trauma.

• Skull bone overrides and head shape can be addressed.

• Assistance (alongside a lactation consultant) with breastfeeding problems such as a weak latch, fussiness, colic, etc.

  For example:

• Mom may need help adjusting to lactation

• There could be a structural problem such as alignment of skull bones or torticollis that is affecting Baby’s ability to breastfeed

• There could be a fascial issue such as tongue tie or other tissue restrictions

• There may be some energy resulting from the birth process that Baby or mom needs to release.

Childhood development issues are greatly helped, and can even be avoided, with this gentle therapy. An imbalance in the cranial system can cause sensory, motor, and/or neurological dysfunction. Gentle touch techniques to release such restrictions enhance the body’s ability to heal itself and attain its optimal balance.

CranioSacral Therapists work alongside pediatricians, tongue-tie release practitioners, lactation consultants and other healthcare practitioners looking for the best solution for you and your child.

As the African proverb goes, and my good friend who is a lactation consultant and a CranioSacral Therapist often says, “It takes a village to raise a child”.

CranioSacral Treatment for Tongue/Lip Tie

Babies

• Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) and lip-tie are diagnosed by medical professionals. A release of the tie may be recommended to alleviate problems with breast-feeding and fascial restrictions. If the baby’s family decides to have a release done, I recommend that baby receives CranioSacral Therapy bodywork prior to getting the procedure done. This helps to lessen the amount of fascial tension before the release and can improve results.

• Following the procedure, CranioSacral Therapy will help to settle baby’s nervous system, release any trauma, and help to release the fascial tension that was caused by the tie. This includes the musculature that is involved in breastfeeding (muscles of the mouth and throat) and the innervation of those muscles by the cranial nerves.

• There are several facial muscles, tongue muscles, and muscles of the neck, as well as 7 out of 12 cranial nerves involved in breastfeeding. Since our fascia is all connected, tightness could be found anywhere from the cranium to the feet, depending on where the tie is.

Children

• As well as having tight fascia, some issues that may show up if a child has a tie are:

• They could be picky eaters because it may be difficult to maneuver their tongue

• Speech issues that may affect self esteem

• Tonsil or adenoid problems

• Sleep apnea and consequently bedwetting

Adults with tongue-tie can experience similar problems to children. Tight fascia can lead to postural tightness, and a release of this may free up the neck, chest and shoulders and improve breathing and sleep apnea depending on how much fascia can be freed by releasing it. Bodywork is important to help the fascia to release.