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Infants

The arrival of your new baby is such an exciting time, and also a time of great change.  You and your infant are adjusting to novel tasks such as breastfeeding, finding a comfortable position to feed your infant, learning how to find rest while nourishing yourself and your baby, changing diapers, and discovering how to soothe a crying baby.  All of this can feel overwhelming, even when everything is going well. Feeding your baby can be a challenging journey for you and your little one. There are a variety of reasons that feeding your baby, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding, can be extra challenging.

 

Why feeding can be challenging:

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Physical/structural barriers:

  • Head turning preference  

  • Tension in the head, neck, jaw and thorax

  • Disorganized suck making the transfer of milk inefficient

  • Plagiocephaly or mis shaped head

  • Tongue tie 

Birth-related challenges:

  • Shoulder dystocia

  • Vacuum delivery

  • Breech delivery

  • Quick birth

  • Prolonged time in the birth canal

  • C-section

  • Birth trauma

 

How can physical therapy help? (What to expect at the evaluation):

Physical therapy, in combination with CranioSacral therapy, can be very supportive for any of these conditions. At your baby’s evaluation, I will look at their strength, range of motion in all their joints, assess their reflexes and development, assess their suck, and watch them feed.  This assessment will allow me to determine the causative factors that could be contributing to your struggles with feeding, the ability to calm your infant, and the ability to reach their developmental milestones. If we find that there are tension patterns that could be contributing to the area of concern, I will use a combination of CranioSacral, myofascial release, and gentle movement to help them release these patterns. At the end of the session we will typically re-assess their feeding, recheck their mobility and tension, and give you some activities/exercises to do at home. These home activities ensure consistent progress and empower you to continue supporting your baby’s development between sessions. 

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