Colic and Osteopathy
Colic
When a baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, 3 days per week for 3 weeks straight, it is classified as a colicky baby. However the exact cause of colic remains unknown. Therefore many parents try anything they get recommended that is supposed to help. But what if none of it makes a difference? What is the reason behind your baby’s constant crying?
What is it?
Colic can be influenced by a variety of different things and therefore there are many theories as to what the underlying cause is. What is thought to be a big influencer is food. Some babies are lactose intolerant, which is usually seen by the presence of white flecks in your baby’s stools. When breastfed, a baby can also be sensitive to certain foods the mother eats. The best way to find out if that is the case is to get tested by a naturopath, who will look at what types of food your baby might be reacting to.
The osteopathic view on this is a possible irritation of the vagus nerve at birth. This nerve controls all the processes to do with digestion and is therefore very important. Tightness around the upper neck of your baby is usually found in this case.
Another theory talks about the immaturity of a baby’s central nervous system. This means that the baby is not able to dampen down the stimuli it’s picking up. Adults don’t normally realize they are wearing socks every second of the day, because they are able to screen out this sensation. A baby is not necessarily able to do this. It is also more difficult for them to tell the difference between sleeping and waking states.
Other reasons might be a traumatic birth, anything from the use of instruments, a very short or long birth or even having the umbilical cord wrapped around a baby’s neck may play a role in your baby’s colic.
How do I recognize it?
If your baby’s colic is caused by a food sensitivity or tension through the bottom of the skull or neck you will most likely notice your baby has digestive issues as well. A more in depth article on this can be found within this series (Read more about Digestive Issues and Babies here).
If the problem lies more with your baby’s central nervous system getting over stimulated you might realize that the crying is particularly bad at the end of the day, or when more members of the family are home at the same time. You will notice they are fussier and are difficult to settle down mostly during the same time of day.
Traumatic births may lead to the baby having had anything from a misshapen head to a disrupted first breath. In osteopathy the first breath in a baby is very important because it kick-starts every other process in the body. If this has not happened it might mean your baby has issues breathing or the diaphragm does not pump as much as it should do.
What can osteopathy do to help?
An osteopathic manual practitioner can look at any physical problems your baby may have that underlie the colicky cries. They will look at anything from head to toe to find out what is causing the crying. They will then try to find balance within the body by looking at any strain patterns or tension found. Only very gentle treatment is used in the treatment of baby’s and it will not hurt them.
Once the balance has been found your baby can be more comfortable and therefore will not cry as much. They will most likely sleep better through the night as well.
Osteopathy doesn’t treat any condition in itself; it aims to find balance in within the body so your baby will be more comfortable and happy.