Hv has just recommended cranial osteopathy for 4 week old sleep - worth the expense??

[Jellybabie3]

Any experiences. Ds had stressful birth. Worth the money??

Gonna be £55 first session plus 45 per session there after!!

Yes. Worked for one of mine. Went from a crying stiff as a board being to a reasonably normal baby. One session.

Is he in discomfort? Is his neck pulling to one side or something?

I did one session for DS to help.loosen jaw and neck muscles due to tongue tie. I know the chiropractor and trust his expertise, but I'm not certain the treatment did a whole lot.

However, my thinking is that if my child is struggling, I'm willing to be open minded and try various options to help.

Nope. I think it's quackery. Having said that I did pay lots of money for two of my babies to have a few sessions when I was at the end of my rope.

But it was for me to feel like I was doing something useful to deal with miserable babies. I didn't notice any difference at all with them. Despite the osteopaths assurance that there were serious issues she was 'fixing'. 😂

Go for it but only if you can afford to waste the money and it will make you feel better.

He wont be put down. I know about 4th trimester so may be nothing.

Grunts and writhes most of the night.

Has nightmares which wake him up (or atleast he cries/screams in sleep)

Wont nap much in day

Hates being on back.

He had 3 day labour, failed forceps and emergency c section.

Hv thinks he may be stressed

I dunno if its just something else to throw money at. Weve already brought new side cot and sleepyhead!

We took my lo. She was a crash c section after a long labour. I was very sceptical and didn't really believe there would be any benefit. But I really do think that it helped her. She was very colicy baby and didn't sleep very well. We had 3 sessions within a week of her finishing she was sleeping through the night and no longer seemed to be suffering from colic. This all could be coincide though! She was so relaxed and happy during the sessions.

Well, I would go for one session then. And buy a sling.

Last night he didnt last more than 45mins so im pretty tired but people telling me its just normal

Its a bit like homeopathy, no evidence it works in a physical/scientific way but it might make you feel better. Depends if you can afford it or not.

Will your baby sleep on you or next to you? Many newborns just won't be put down.

Jelly, mumsnet is costing you a fortune.

I just don't know, and I don't think we ever know why certain babies are so miserable. My most difficult third baby was just like you describe, but was my third so it passed in a blur of chaos with two other toddlers to mind. If she'd been my first (who also wasn't great but not as bad) I think I'd have been worrying and stressing daily.

Time passes quickly and that constant wriggling and squirming and sudden jerks like they've a pain just stops. If you can rule out an allergy or reflux then it's just the elusive 'colic'.

It's horrible at the time but they will never remember being so miserable. So if you can find a way to write off the nights and wake ups, and not stress about it all, it will pass.

It's something I wish I'd tried with my first. if you can afford it give it a try. What have you got to loose

I used to work on the reception in a clinic with a variety of practitioners, and cranial osteopathy for babies was one of the things that parents used to come back with really really positive accounts of after a treatment - when they'd often been a bit cynical/ just trying it because they were at the end of their tether beforehand. It did seem to work for a lot of babies, quite quickly.

My DGS has it for a few months after a complicated delivery and ventouse left him preferring one side. From time to time he would seem to carry his head to one side. He went once a fortnight or so I think until he was 1 and there is no sign of lop-sided Head now he is 3 so I think it worked.

One doctor wanted to give him MRI to check for a brain tumour which would have been traumatic but the paediatrician said in view of the birth story and lack of any other symptoms to try the cranial osteopath first and for him that worked.

My first was born before cranial osteopathy for newborns was 'a thing' but found that a bath and an all over massage with warm oil (google for technique) for a few minutes three times a day worked wonders. To save all the bending and stretching I used to wash her in the sink and massage on a thickly folded soft towel on the draining board. May be something else to try if the osteopathy proves to expensive/doesn't work.

Ds was a forceps birth after he got stuck, and I swear cranial osteopathy was like a magic wand for him. He slept for 6 hours after his first session (previous the most was 90 minutes) and did the most glorious farts too

It stopped being as effective after a few sessions (maybe 2 months worth?) but it definitely did somwthing worthwhile in the the beginning!

Reflux?

Grunts and writhes most of the night.
he cries/screams in sleep
Wont nap much in day
Hates being on back.

FWIW I took my non-sleeping baby to a CO who examined him and said that there was nothing wrong and that 'treating' him would not resolve the problem. I think she was right, and that it was a bad sleeping habit.

I recently had CO myself, for a back problem. I've had plenty of other manipulation therapies for this problem in the past, and I was deeply sceptical while the therapist was at work, purely because he didn't seem to be doing anything much. But I climbed onto the couch in pain and walking crookedly, and I when I climbed down the pain was greatly reduced and I was walking straight.

Yup I’ll second that - my DC was also a forceps delivery. She was born with giant bruises on her poor little cheek and hated being out down on her back - turns out she had tension/bruising on the back of her head. After first few sessions she slept really well too.

FWIW I took my non-sleeping baby to a CO who examined him and said that there was nothing wrong and that 'treating' him would not resolve the problem. I think she was right this was my experience except the and that it was a bad sleeping habit part I don’t see how a newborn could have bad sleeping habits.

OP have you tried the swaddling and dummy suggestion - what happens with this? or have you looked into safe cosleeping at all? Have you read up on it?

Ds wasn't a newborn, but he was still a refluxing non-sleeper.

My point was that the CO was honest about whether treatment would help.

My eldest DD was born by ventouse, she was always difficult to settle, when she was unwell her fevers were really high. CO was suggested to us and we had three sessions. During the sessions she would become very hot but afterwards she was definately more relaxed and almost serene. In my opinion it worked for us, could see a definate difference on completion of treatment. It is pretty expensive but I think we got to a point where we would have tried anything and we were fortunate that CO happened to be the right thing for her.

I took my children to an osteopath when they were babies. I think that the treatment was effective.

My anecdotes about osteopathy are:
DS1 was three years old suffering with croup, he couldn't speak when he went in and was fine when he came out.

DD was grumpy, had a low level unexplained fever and hadn't smiled in days, osteopath treated her, found some tension in her upper spine, she laughed half way through the treatment and fever stopped.
DS2 had allergy triggered asthma and had terrifying reactions to ventolin but symptoms are relieved by osteopathy.

I'd say it's worth a try. My DD had a few sessions after having her to give tie snipped. I was really skeptical but she fell asleep in his arms while he was doing it, she was so content. She hated the car seat and he said she had some tension in one hip, and she was fine in the car after his session.

That should be tongue tie!