So I got to work on 2 newborns this week, and did some awesome mouth and pelvis work on both! On Tuesday, I got to see the baby girl again that was born the morning of the first day of class in Missoula. I saw her at 3 days old, but hadn’t done baby day yet, so all I was able to do for her was check her craniosacral cycles which both presented with mild strains and could tell she might have some nursing/latch issues, so I suggested mom start doing some swooping under her tongue with her finger before nursing sessions to help release any potential strains of her tongue and frenulum, until we could set up our next visit after the class finished. I finally got a chance to see her on Tuesday (4 wks old), after multiple conversations by phone coaching her through some nursing difficulties (we had to postpone 2 appts due to colds). She had a nice cranio cycle which was over 100, but had some strain in her pelvis with only about a 20 cycle.
Mom had mentioned that the nursing was better, and was spitting up less than that first couple of weeks, but was noticing a little more gassy and fussy at times. I started by doing some nice cranial, neck and shoulder releases. She was pretty fussy and vocal through most of the treatments, but the shoulder releases pulled me all the way down to her pelvis, where she had a lot of tension and strain all the way down her spine into her left hip which I felt was affecting her descending colon. She cried quite a bit, but we actually got her soothed with a pacifier and holding mom’s hands while I held her body through the releases. The last of 4 treatment cycles, we did an awesome mouth treatment where her hard pallet was pulled a little forward causing a sensitive gag reflex which corrected within seconds and was pulled right into her soft pallet. There was a huge amount of strain on both sides of the soft palate, but they both released beautifully. She had a small amount of tension still under her tongue and frenulum also which released nicely. I showed mom how to continue the tongue frenulum releases as well as the the pelvis and leg/hip releases until I can see her again. This treatment was another powerful reminder of how much easier this work is in the first days/week of life! Even a 4 week old is more aware, and even a little resistant to treatments at first. She was happy and content after it all and was ready to finally take a nap (which she had been fighting all day apparently).
The very next day I got to see the baby boy who was born 2 weeks ago who was extremely tongue tied. She was still pumping and bottle feeding, along with practicing nursing while still using the nipple shields. She said is sucking was getting much stronger and was actually starting to wake up on his own more often for feedings which were becoming more frequent at every 1 1/2-2 hrs during the day. They did go ahead and see the Dr. who would do the frenulum clipping if necessary, and he actually told her he wasn’t a good candidate in that his strain was pretty minor! I can guarantee that if she had seen him the week before, he would have had the procedure done with what I felt in his little mouth! He suggested that if he wasn’t gaining weight, that he may want to come by in to have it clipped. I told her to hold tight in that what we could do that day will continue to help his feeding, and I referred her to my lactation consultant to help her get rid of the nipple shields so he can get more milk when he does nurse. I reassured her that with his feedings getting closer together, that he was waking on his own to feed, along with the increased strength of his sucking/latch that we was doing well, and not to worry. I went into rechecking his cranial rhythms and was surprised to fell that he was actually in lock down 0 cycle! This wasn’t a total surprise as I knew his circumcision the week before had to have an impact on his nervous system. I did the basic release position with my hands at his occiput (he was sleeping in mom’s arms) and he released immediately and got him open and flowing again.
We did another session of mouth release and it felt like a different mouth! He still had some strain on both sides of his hard and soft pallet, and bit left under his tongue and frenulum, all of which released quickly. I assured her that things were dramatically different in his mouth and that this was making all the difference for him and his success in feeding. She said she had noticed that he was opening his mouth wider than before the treatments, and her main concern now was his weight and making sure he was getting enough milk. I assured her that the lactation specialist I was referring her to was going to help her with that by getting her off the nipple shield which will get him more milk! I then went on to his pelvis and from there he just started unwinding like crazy. His pelvis twisted and extended, and his head started really leaning further and further back into an arch. I took his head in one hand and his pelvis in the other and he started arching so hard that he was bent almost in half all while staying fast asleep!! I got huge releases from his right SI joint all the way up to his right shoulder, and then mom felt it was time to get him fed, so we called it a day. I am hoping to talk to her again tomorrow to hear how the appointment went with the lactation specialist and see what his weight was, so we can get her to relax a bit more and focus on mastering his feedings while continuing weekly treatments until he a nursing pro! More to come as it develops!
**The NEWBORN WORK is SO where its at folks! They LOVE it, the releases are so quick, and they tend to sleep through the whole thing which is way more relaxed for everyone involved. Please inform your family and friends who are having babies to have someone lined up to see their newborn at least 3-4 times in the first couple of weeks!
I have 2 INCREDIBLE prenatal stories that I will post tmrw!!
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