Craniosacral Therapy for Helping Unsettled Babies
Blog post by Linda White, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist
Babies can have stressed nervous systems, just like the rest of us.
My first grandchild looked into my eyes the day after she was born…and I was smitten! My second grandchild didn’t make eye contact with me until he was 6 months old. I now wonder if he had experienced stress sometime in his gestation or birth that had been overwhelming for his nervous system – if he was stuck in a fight/flight state. The state of activation commonly known as fight/flight is a healthy reaction to danger, fear and stress. The difficulty occurs when we cannot return to a state of ease and calm. Craniosacral therapy helps regulate the nervous system.
Some signs that an infant’s nervous systems may have unresolved stress:
excessive or inconsolable crying
body tension or shakiness
sleep issues
exaggerated startle reflex
avoidance of eye contact
feeding difficulties
As a parent, you can sense your baby’s crying is trying to express a need: hunger, overstimulation, tiredness, gassiness. These issues you can address, and yet if the crying doesn’t subside, it can be frustrating. You may begin to wonder if there’s something else, some emotion or stress behind the crying. Perhaps he or she sounds very sad. Often in our culture, we don’t even acknowledge that a baby is sentient before and during birth. It is more widely recognized now that babies remember their experiences somatically, in their tissues.
I have seen a baby of 3 months old re-create her birth experience (caesarean) and show how she had wanted to be born! Craniosacral touch is light, gentle and supportive. Both parents and infants can benefit from this therapy.
As craniosacral therapists, we have learned how to listen to nervous system activation with our hands. We support the body’s innate ability to heal and resolve tension, strains, compression and imbalances. If you have an unsettled baby and suspect your infant is showing signs of stress, and want them to find ease in their bodies and emotions, craniosacral therapy could help them.
Click the link to reach Linda and see if craniosacral therapy can help with your unsettled baby.
