Osteopathic treatment offers a wonderfully gentle way of helping the body adapt to the changes which are taking place during pregnancy, helping to relieve aches and pains as the mother’s body tries to accommodate the growing baby.
Osteopathic treatment can help with low back pain, hip and pelvic pain, neck and shoulder pain, heartburn, indigestion, SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction), post-natal coccyx (base of the spine) pain, mid back pain due to breast feeding – to name just a few.
Osteopaths may also advise on posture and show some self-help techniques for the mother and her partner to do during labour.
The mother is usually advised to return from between 4 to 6 weeks after birth for a post-natal check-up to help the body recover from the stresses of childbirth.
Not all babies cope well with the powerful processes of birth as they pass down the birth canal. For example mechanical stresses affecting nerve supply from the neck and head can affect the tongue causing feeding problems, or to the gastric nerves causing colic. Tension in the skull can keep the baby in an alert state so the baby has difficulty sleeping.
Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle, safe and effective form of osteopathy, and is offered to babies to help them overcome these difficulties. Often the baby is relaxed after the treatment and sleeps well. Others become more energetic for a while but sleep well that night, whilst others may take a few days to settle after a treatment.