This gentle healing practice proves to be beneficial to young babies as well as older infants. Osteopathy is also helpful for other situations too.
I refer my clients to her for a variety of reasons. Please contact her for more information.
Tongue tie, lip tie and other suckling issues:
Tongue-tie (ankyloglossia) happens when the string of tissue under your baby's tongue is too short.
Lip adhesion occurs when there is a string of tissue connecting the upper lip and gum.
If your baby has tongue-tie, her tongue can't move freely, and this can cause problems with suckling.
When the tongue is too short your baby can’t use it to ‘milk’ the nipple while suckling. A short tongue and/or lip adhesion prevents an effective seal while nursing which means that your baby will take in air and have uncomfortable gas as a result.
Not being able to nurse properly also reduces weight gain. A frustrated and hungry baby means an unhappy baby and mom!
Also moms find that their nipples get very sore because the baby can’t latch on properly.
I treat babies who have or have had tongue tie or lip adhesion. Depending on how long before it was treated these conditions can affect the baby’s jaw and its function. Not being able to open the mouth properly can strain the muscles in the area and pull the jaw and face out of alignment.
Using the very gentle technique of cranial osteopathy I align the jaw and make sure that both sides are working together. I also release any tight muscles in the jaw, face, neck and throat to ensure that suckling is optimized. The same technique is used to ensure that the upper lip can move properly after a lip adhesion is removed.
Other causes of difficulty latching on include how the baby lay in the womb and the birth itself. If forceps were used this can impact the ability of the jaw to open as well as its alignment. Gentle, hands-on treatment releases any tension in the jaw as well as making sure it’s in the correct position.
The youngest baby I’ve treated was 7 hours old and was having problems nursing. His lower jaw had become misaligned from his intra-uterine position. Only a short treatment was needed to correct the jaw alignment. When he was next put to the breast he was able to open his mouth wide and latch on perfectly.
Cranial osteopathy is a very gentle and effective way of treating tongue tie and lip adhesion both before and after removal.
Carolyne Abrams, 778-229-4532
Osteopathic Practitioner
lighthealing.ca/helping-mothers-babies/