Cranio-Sacral Therapy in Oxford for Babies & Children

Cranio-Sacral Therapy for Babies:

The birth process is a huge event for a baby (as well as the mother) and a formative experience in their life. The nature of a baby’s birth – their transition into the outside world – can influence and set the stage for their whole life moving forwards. We don’t usually consciously remember our births, but our subconscious mind and body does.

During birth, the bones of the baby’s skull, spine and pelvis are not yet fully formed or solidified and can sometimes become compressed or misaligned due to various factors such forceps or venous intervention, forceful rotation or compression. Whilst the cranial bones are designed to re-shape themselves post-birth, sometimes more invasive procedures can leave compressions and misalignments that lead to associated health, nervous system and behavioural issues.

In addition, procedures such as inductions and caesarian sections, whilst sometimes necessary, can cause shock the the baby’s delicate system as they are forced out before they feel ready. Even just a ‘normal’ birth without complications can create some shock in the baby if they are taken away from their mother too early or without gentle care, the cord between mother and baby is cut too rapidly, or they are placed under bright lights, subjected to invasive procedures or put in an incubator. The difference between the darkness, safety and warmth of the womb and the harshness, noise and bright lights of the world outside (often a hospital) can be a huge shock for the baby to manage – unless they have a very sensitive and gentle midwife to help them manage this transition.

Trauma and the residual shock create tension, holding patterns and restrictions in the baby’s delicate system. Some common symptoms of birth trauma include:

-Excessive crying/agitation/restlessness/waking at night;

-Digestive issues, such as excessive wind, colic, vomiting or food allergies;

-Plagiocephaly (flat section of the head), difficulty latching on/feeding;

-Asthma/wheeziness, allergies, ear/nose/throat infections, squints, epilepsy, lethargy and excessive sleeping.

-Behavioural difficulties such as aggression, agitation, poor attention span, obsessional behaviour and personality disorders.

-Learning difficulties such as poor concentration or memory, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism.

Cranio-Sacral Therapy is an extremely gentle and non-invasive therapy, which can help to identify places where your baby is still holding onto tension or birth trauma, and very gently help them release and let go of these physical/emotional imprints. It is the perfect treatment for calming the nervous system, and soothing and relaxing distressed babies.

What a Craniosacral Treatment involves:

The first appointment will last around an hour, and important information about the pregnancy and the birth itself will be discussed first.

During the treatment the parent stays present and often holds the baby. Treatments are carried out through clothing and can be given when the baby is asleep, feeding or awake.

In the treatment itself, I will use extremely gentle touch to ‘tune into’ the baby’s delicate system to help to identify and help release any tension or restrictions, help calm the baby’s nervous system to enable them deeply relax, let go and return to a more peaceful state.

Sometimes the baby will ‘remember’ his or her birth experiences when you contact their body and temporarily move into these positions as a way of healing and resolving the issue. They often ‘show’ the therapist where healing is needed through their body language! The job of the therapist therefore is to listen to the baby and to support whatever healing they need. Often only a couple of sessions are needed to completely resolve an issue- much easier than waiting until someone is an adult when everything is much more ingrained.