Maternity & Infant Care

MATERNITY

MATERNITY AND INFANT CARE

We really love treating pregnant women and their children. We provide a range of treatments that allow us to support women during their pregnancies, labour and after birth – we also love to treat their babies and children as they grow older.

Pregnancy is a unique and powerful experience. Enormous physical, hormonal and emotional changes take place over a relatively short period of time. The body has to adapt to carrying up to 20lb of baby, waters and placenta, which can impose physical strain on all the organs and tissues. Is it any wonder that aches and pains develop during the later stages of pregnancy and in the post-natal period once you are constantly feeding, lifting and changing your new bundle of joy in a chronically sleep deprived state?

But so worth it as every mother knows! We also offer treatments for your wee ones to help you and them settle into the difficult newborn period. Enjoy them fully as they grow up by giving them the best possible start in life with cranial osteopathy and baby massage. To learn more, click on the headings below:

Cranial Osteopathy for Babies and Children

It is a common belief that babies and children should have no structural stresses or strains in their bodies, because they are ‘so young’. The reality is very different. Birth is one of the most stressful events of our lives. The baby is subjected to enormous forces, as the uterus pushes to expel the baby against the natural resistance of the birth canal and bony pelvis.

The baby’s head has a remarkable ability to absorb these stresses in a normal delivery. In order to reduce the size of the head, the soft bones overlap, bend and warp as the baby descends. Many babies are born with odd shaped heads as a result. In the first few days, the head usually loses the extreme moulded shape, as the baby suckles, cries and yawns. However, this unmoulding process is often incomplete, especially if the birth has been difficult. As a result, the baby may have to live with some very uncomfortable stresses within its head and body.

Some babies cope extremely well with quite severe retained moulding and compression, and are contented and happy. For others it is a different story, and they can display a variety of problems. Osteopathic treatment using the cranial approach is gentle and safe. Very specific, skilled, light touch is applied where necessary to assist the natural ability of the body to release stresses and tensions.

There is no age limit to treatment. We have experience working with newborns from a few days old, to children with a wide range of different structural problems. Please call to discuss your case with an osteopath if you would like more specific information.

An osteopathic check-up following the birth can help pin-point potential problems and helps to ease the dramatic transition from life inside the womb to the outside world. This initial adjustment involves many bodily systems such as breathing and digestion. Stresses and strains from the labour or pregnancy can lead to unsettled behaviour and difficulties with feeding, winding, bowel movements and sleeping. Relieving any physical strains with gentle osteopathic treatment can be very helpful and relaxing. The care of the entire family unit is of the utmost concern for an osteopath.

Pre and Post Natal Massage

This is a gentle holistic massage that takes the special needs of the pregnant woman into consideration. It is firm but also relaxing and can help ease the general aches and pains of pregnancy, improve circulation, sleep and reduced stress levels.

Osteopathy and Pregnancy

Osteopathic treatment during and after pregnancy can be beneficial in a number of ways:
Easing some of the physical discomforts of pregnancy. Preparing for the demands of labour. Helping the mother to recover after delivery.

Very effective with structural pelvic imbalances that can come to the fore during pregnancy like sciatica, low back pain, hip pain, aching joints and rib pain. Six weekly check-ups help maintain a good pelvic balance that increases the chance of a natural vaginal delivery with no complications.

Post-natally, it can help with ‘breastfeeding neck and shoulders’ that typically develop in the post-partum period and can help make breastfeeding easier by improving the mother’s posture as she nurses