Crying babies
Babies cry for a reason!
Those that cry excessively may be divided broadly into three condition categories –
• Colic or gut pain
• Gastroesophageal reflux
• Over sensitised nervous system
Many babies will have more than one of these conditions together.
A crying baby is a significant problem for parents and siblings of new born babies and is implicated as one of the causes of post natal depression. Sleep deprivation, stress and self-blame sometimes results.
If you have a newly-born baby suffering, don’t wait until ‘they grow out of it’.
A baby can develop problems long before it is born. As it is growing in the uterus the baby’s head may grow in a distorted way if it is fixed in an awkward position such as held against the mother’s ribs or pubic bone.
At birth, not only its head, but also its whole body will go through a complex and very stressful process. The cranial bones have the ability to overlap and bend somewhat to accommodate this process.
However, in many cases the baby's head retains some of the compressive and twisting forces of the labour. This happens particularly when forceps or ventouse are used, or when the delivery has been long. A very short delivery also can create problems, as the head doesn't have time to accommodate. The baby may be shocked leading to an over stimulated nervous system.
Babies who have been born by caesarean sections can also have problems. The caesarean is often performed as an emergency because the baby is experiencing difficulties with its passage through the pelvis.
In very young babies these might include crying or irritability, windiness and colic, sleep difficulties, feeding difficulties or early developmental problems such as lack of head control.
As the baby grows the tissues become less pliable and any structural changes become more difficult to deal with. Therefore it is advisable for new-borns to be checked osteopathically.
