Babies cry. But when do you speak of prolonged crying? For this, you can use the 3 times 3 rule of thumb. The baby cries for 3 weeks or more, at least 3 days a week for 3 hours or more. As a parent, you often intuitively feel that something is not right. The tone of crying is reminiscent of screeching. This may be a sign of pain or agitation. A very different tone from, say, the “I’m hungry” cry.
The cause of crying: childbirth
Childbirth is a beautiful, but also a stressful and in some ways traumatic event, not only for the mother, but also for the baby. From a warm, quiet, relatively dark and familiar environment, the baby suddenly finds himself in an environment full of stimuli.
The passage in the birth canal is only just big enough for the head and shoulders to pass through, the baby’s skull comes under considerable pressure. There is great pressure from the uterus, pushing the baby through the birth canal. In the process, the child also makes a (pivotal) turn. The forces exerted on the neck and shoulders are considerable.
By nature, the child’s head is designed to adapt to the passage. It can (de)form to the narrow passage through the bony pelvis. The deformations normally disappear shortly after delivery. Especially in very fast deliveries (great pressure in a short time) or in prolonged deliveries (pressure over a long time), great forces are applied to the head and neck from the uterus.
An assisted delivery uses a vacuum pump or forceps to extract the baby. This also creates considerable forces on the head and neck. In case of a cesarean section you often see a prolonged labor where a complication occurs along the way leading to a cesarean section being the only remaining option. When the baby gets pulled out of the uterus during the cesarean section, this again may lead to considerable forces to be exerted on the body.
In all these situations, there may be such an impact on the head or twisting of the neck and shoulders that the head or neck and shoulders cannot recover properly from themselves. All of this can lead to discomfort and, as a result, prolonged crying. A difficult situation for all concerned. An osteopath can then offer a helping hand.
Osteopathy for prolonged crying
What can an osteopath do for prolonged crying? By examining the baby’s body with the hands, the osteopath is able to detect loss of motion or tension in the head, neck, shoulders and the rest of the body. Then, using gentle techniques, the osteopath can reduce or completely eliminate the tensions and movement losses found. Generally, the baby experiences the treatment as pleasant, often surrendering to it, so to speak, after some time.
By releasing the tension in the abdomen, spine and head-neck-shoulder area, the areas of discomfort are taken away and the baby will be able to feel more comfortable again.
No manipulations (“bone cracking”) or so-called “holding techniques,” a technique in which a baby is completely folded up, as it were, are used with babies. The latter can in fact lead to compression of the windpipe and cause breathing problems.
Babys who sffer from prolonged crying often respond very well to treatment. But there is no one therapy that can solve all problems and that is also true for osteopathy. In order not to treat endlessly without any result, there should be a significant improvement within a maximum of 3 treatments. This does not mean that the problems will have to be completely vanished after 3 treatments, but there should really be a significant improvement.
After treatment
After the osteopathic treatment, the baby is often tired. It is therefore wise to allow the baby to rest after the treatment. When he or she falls asleep, it is better not to wake him or her for a feeding. Let your little one sleep soundly. This will allow the baby to get maximum benefit from the treatment. It is also possible that the child shows restlessness in the day(s) after the treatment. Sometimes there is a temporary worsening of symptoms. In most cases this does not last longer than 1 or 2 days.
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