Could Cranial Osteopathy Be The Answer For Your Badly Sleeping Baby?

17 February 2016 by Milton Hayes

The impact that a badly sleeping baby has on its parents is, in one word, draining. Tired parents going about their daily tasks often resemble zombies. There are a number of reasons why your baby may not be sleeping well. If you have ruled out medical issues with your paediatrician, an osteopath who is experienced in cranial manipulation should be next on your list to investigate. While putting your baby's head in a stranger's hands may immediately raise concern, there is a good reason why they can help your baby sleep better at night.

What Is Osteopathy? 

Osteopathy is the branch of medicine that deals with your musculoskeletal framework. This includes the spine, your muscles and all of the little joints between your bones. The goal of an osteopath is to treat aches and pains that resonate from your musculoskeletal system by using a combination of massage and stretching.

Osteopaths, such as those at Freshwater Osteopathy, are not a replacement for traditional general practitioner advice; however, they can work in conjunction with your GP to treat inflammation, spinal issues and muscle soreness, to name just a few conditions.

What Does Cranial Osteopathy Have To Do With Babies?

Childbirth is a vigorous process for both mother and child, and sometimes during childbirth a baby's skull or spine can be pushed slightly out of alignment. This bad alignment can lead to breathing problems, body pain, and what appears to be a cranky child who has issues sleeping. The lack of sleeping, however, can instead be attributed to the fact your child is hurting while they are trying to sleep, and no matter how they try, they cannot get comfortable.

Because a baby's skull and bones remain soft during the months following birth, an osteopath can use manipulation techniques to realign the skull bones or move the spine to its correct position. This relieves the pain your baby is feeling, and that, in turn, leads to more sleep time because they are now comfortable when lying down.

It may take your osteopath a couple of sessions to make the alignments needed to make your baby happy, but you should see a rapid improvement in their sleeping patterns once the pain has been taken away. If you are tired of looking in the mirror each morning only to be confronted by the face of a very tired parent, have your baby examined by a registered osteopath to see what they can do for you.

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