Osteopathy for Women & Pregnancy
Pregnancy
Osteopathic treatment offers a very gentle way of helping the mothers body adapt to the changes which are take place during pregnancy, helping to relieve aches and pains as the mother's body tries to accommodate the growing baby and her changing posture.
What can Osteopathy help?
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 and neck pain– 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 and gentle exercise to keep the mother to be fit and well.
The mother is usually advised to return from between 4 to 6 weeks after birth for a post-natal check-up to restore diaphragm, pelvic, bladder and joint function.
Babies
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 and body can keep the baby in an alert or irritated state so the baby has difficulty sleeping and may become 'fussy'
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 becoming much more comfortable.
Others become more energetic for a while but sleep well that night, whilst others may take a few days to settle after a treatment.
A baby is never too young to be treated and cranial osteopathy is also effective when dealing with toddlers who may have ear infections, sinus and dental problems, asthma & headaches. Often the best results are achieved before the age of five.