Cranial Osteopathy - advice please

[Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp]

My ten week old has been impossible to settle since day 1. She's on neocate formula for cmpa and gaviscon for reflux. It feels like we've exhausted so many avenues to try and settle her, and a couple of people have mentioned cranial osteopathy to me. I asked the HV about it but all she said was they couldn't officially recommend anything like that. Does anyone have any experience of this type of therapy on unsettled babies - can you please explain in layman's terms what it is, how it benefits, any unwanted side effects etc? And would you recommend?! Thanks!

My son had three sessions as he was constantly unhappy - it was awful. Also reflux and CMPA.

On his first session the practitioner identified he had issues with some of the muscles and tissues in his neck which she said is very common in C-section babies - which mine was.

Even after his first session there was such an improvement and by the end of the other two sessions he was like a different baby.

Took my DS years ago. Tbh I felt like I was paying her to stroke my babies head, but it really made a difference. He was c section birth and would just scream, I remember he would clench his fists constantly, after the first session he slept so well then by the end of I think 3 sessions he stopped screaming and his fist were unclenched.

I love my cranial osteopath. I have no idea how it works, but was recommending by a friend when I was suffering from really debilitating headaches.
One session with her eases them for the best part of 6 months.
And even better, she’ll moved just down the road from me!
Give it a go - what have you got to loose?

@Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp I know your baby is bottle feeding but it may help with the reflux. That was a huge difference between my two. Like your baby my first had (and still has egg allergy) dairy allergy which he has almost grown out of now. We went privately for my second as unless baby was losing weight they won't do anything. It is tough and frustrating but hang in there, you're doing your best.

Neocate is hypoallergenic so right milk for allergic babies and she should be better once the milk settles. I did only osteopath for my first and did osteopath and snip tt for my second. I would recommend trying an osteopath first to see if it helps her settle.

It's quackery and occasionally kills babies.

As a pp said, your baby will probably enjoy a massage from you though

@Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp it's so difficult isnt it!? I feel for you having to homeschool and on such little sleep too!
There's a Facebook group called Living with Reflux (child support) that I found really helpful during my endless researching! I know for some babies infacol can aggravate the reflux so some have more success with gripe water. So much trial and error. Definitely go back to the doctor and trial the other medication if you think it will help. My little one has been weened off the meds now so it does get better. Once he could sleep on his tummy in his cot it helped - I remember the early days he'd pretty much only sleep on me

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine

"and occasionally kills babies"

Have you got any support for that statement? Research? Even of harm...

Really if you've seen cranial osteopathy at work, you'd know what a ridiculous statement that is. You're more likely to do harm through massaging baby yourself than through the incredibly gentle osteopath who actually has substantial physiological knowledge and training.

@Needsleeeeepsendheeeelp

Thanks everyone! Really interesting to read all of the different experiences.

On a couple of specific points others have mentioned... DD was born by c section after going into spontaneous labour but I had very frequent, extreme contractions but no dilating so it all happened very quickly. Whether that has a part to play in how she is generally, I don't know?

My DH really wants to take her to a private tongue tie specialist, but I'm not keen. DD had a blood test this week and I asked the registrar at hospital to check and she said she had the most minor tie but not something anyone would cut. This was the fourth doctor/hcp to say the same. She has free movement of her tongue and now she's settled on her formula, she is starting to feed very well again. So it doesn't feel like this is an issue.

She can go to sleep on her back. Sometimes takes a fair few tries to get her down. But she jerks around a lot and can't get herself back off between sleep cycles. So daytime naps tend to be taken in the sling now, and the nights are really really tough. She has also had a regular tenancy to scream and thrash after feeding, but this is something that has started to lessen, again I think as she's settled on her milk. She is happy playing on her back and tolerates tummy time. It could be that she'll simply grow out of it, or that the issue is more that the gaviscon isn't doing enough for her silent reflux. It's hard to know whether to sit tight for a while longer or try something else - and then what to try! In any case, I'm going to look into some local practitioners and just see where/how much they are etc.

Jerking around is normal. That's the morro reflex. And getting them down is something they don't tend to like in 4th trimester. And sorry, settling between sleep cycles takes time to develop.

If the discomfort is lessening, and she's only 10 weeks, I think you possibly just need to wait it out.

Babies born by c section miss out travelling through the birth canal and their skull/neck going over the maternal tail bone which is actual something that should happen in a "perfect" birth and it does something important.

Cranial work will help ease any tension held by baby int their neck etc which is often intertwined with stomachs discomfort because our bodies and neurological system are intertwined.

Also moro reflex should wear off around 6 weeks so baby massage should help that lessens more quickly as it stimulates the neurological system to think IYSWIM.

It's illegal to do this to babies where I live.

Had it for both my c-section babies. Tangible improvement in both of their body alignment, feeding and settling. I recommend it.

In England (presumably the UK) they need to have undertaken specific additional training to do so, not all osteopaths can do cranial work on babies.

Don’t you just love the way people are so negative!? People come on who have had great results from something but someone will come on who had no experience saying it’s “quackery” etc

I have experience of it. It made absolutely no difference to my colicky non sleeper, and I can't see that it is based on anything scientific at all. I had heard a lot of good things about it (like this thread) and was astonished when I went to find out how woo it actually was - a bit of hand waving around the head. Bit like reiki.

It was a chiropractor who diagnosed my DC's posterior tongue tie after numerous midwives said there wasn't an issue, despite the fact my DC drew blood on the first breast feed. When another midwife did a home visit my DH was giving my DC an expressed bottle and a lot of the milk was just coming straight out of DC's mouth. The midwife just commented that my DC didn't even know how to take a bottle.
A health visitor recommended that I take my DC to the chiropractor as my DC was so unsettled. When the chiropractor diagnosed the tongue tie I felt confident enough to go to the breastfeeding clinic, where they confirmed the tongue tie straight away. Unbeknownst to me my DC was unable to lift their tongue, hence why when they took a bottle so much of it came straight back out again.
I paid for the tongue tie to be snipped privately and it made a great difference, understandable really as my DC had probably been hungry and frustrated up until then.
When I spoke to the midwife who snipped the tongue tie she said it wasn't really covered in their training, which amounted to a few paragraphs in their text books. If this is the case it's no wonder they get missed.
If you can afford it I'd recommend exploring it, perhaps go with personal recommendation. If you have a local parenting group on Facebook or similar perhaps try posting there.

@FenEel if they didn't actually touch your baby then they weren't actually doing anything it is hands one but very very gentle.

It didn't help my DDs silent reflux but it complete fixed her shallow latch because it meant for the first time she could physically open her mouth wide enough.

[quote Hazelnutlatteplease]@ItsAllGoingToBeFine

"and occasionally kills babies"

Have you got any support for that statement? Research? Even of harm...

Really if you've seen cranial osteopathy at work, you'd know what a ridiculous statement that is. You're more likely to do harm through massaging baby yourself than through the incredibly gentle osteopath who actually has substantial physiological knowledge and training.[/quote]
Translation from Dutch journal:

anaximperator.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/infant-dies-after-craniosacral-therapy/

Available here:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19469218/

@PollyRoe16 we've tried gripe water but it makes her retch and vomit unfortunately

I've found a couple of local practices that I'm going to call tomorrow to find out more. From everyone's input it feels like it's worth exploring at least.

I spoke to the gp today and he said he thinks we're just picking her up too much when she's unsettled at night, so she's crying more for us to respond. So his suggestion was to stop picking her up and to call back again after two weeks if there's still no improvement. I hate the thought of it, not least because we've got the rest of the household, our neighbours etc to consider, along with how little she is it just feels cruel.

@Jijithecat

It was a chiropractor who diagnosed my DC's posterior tongue tie after numerous midwives said there wasn't an issue, despite the fact my DC drew blood on the first breast feed. When another midwife did a home visit my DH was giving my DC an expressed bottle and a lot of the milk was just coming straight out of DC's mouth. The midwife just commented that my DC didn't even know how to take a bottle. A health visitor recommended that I take my DC to the chiropractor as my DC was so unsettled. When the chiropractor diagnosed the tongue tie I felt confident enough to go to the breastfeeding clinic, where they confirmed the tongue tie straight away. Unbeknownst to me my DC was unable to lift their tongue, hence why when they took a bottle so much of it came straight back out again. I paid for the tongue tie to be snipped privately and it made a great difference, understandable really as my DC had probably been hungry and frustrated up until then. When I spoke to the midwife who snipped the tongue tie she said it wasn't really covered in their training, which amounted to a few paragraphs in their text books. If this is the case it's no wonder they get missed. If you can afford it I'd recommend exploring it, perhaps go with personal recommendation. If you have a local parenting group on Facebook or similar perhaps try posting there.

@Jijithecat if it was just the midwife or HV that had said there was no tongue tie I'd definitely be more inclined to get another opinion. But we've had two registrars and two gp's look as well and they're all of the same opinion. We could afford a private clinic and a friend went to own recently that he has recommended but I honestly don't feel its necessary and I'm worried that as its a private hospital they may be more inclined to recommend a procedure that she doesn't really need because they make more money that way...

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine

I have never seen an osteopath do anything like the picture in the article

I spoke to the gp today and he said he thinks we're just picking her up too much when she's unsettled at night, so she's crying more for us to respond. So his suggestion was to stop picking her up and to call back again after two weeks if there's still no improvement. I hate the thought of it, not least because we've got the rest of the household, our neighbours etc to consider, along with how little she is it just feels cruel.

Please, please don’t do this. What awful advice. You don’t have to accept it and do it just because it was a GP who advised it. From your last line it is obvious that it goes completely against what feels natural to you as a mother so just ignore the GP and pick your baby up whenever you want to

@ThornAmongstRoses I am ignoring it, don't worry. We're not picking her up the second she makes a noise, but there's a difference between the odd whimper, whinge etc and crying, and I just couldn't not comfort her if she was actually upset. I'm going to speak to the HV tomorrow and see if they can suggest anything new.

@ThornAmongstRoses how old was your DS when you took him to the Osteopath?

The cranial Osteopath I saw for Dd changed her sleeping, (or lack of,) completely. & in No way would it have damaged her . She had a difficult birth, got stuck & forceps used.
He said the 4 parts of her skull can be squashed/misaligned
From the minute we left on the first aptmt she slept, in the car, for naps, & long periods at night....
I would say you should try..