Similar patient visits are happening globally every day. My hope is that someday everyone will "get it."
A five-year-old presented as a toe-walker. He also has focus, concentration, and speech issues. His occupational therapist said he was "too tight" and referred him to me.
Mom pushed for five hours in natural childbirth, and doctors needed to break his clavicle during the delivery due to shoulder dystocia. Since he could not latch, mom used a nipple shield for months. He had gas, digestive issues, and was an archer.
He presented clinically with a zero-second brain cycle. His fascial web was still holding the arching and toe-walking strains from fetal trauma. What happens during those 40 weeks can matter healthwise.
This distress is all needless. We now understand the cause of the problem and how therapy can help with correction at birth. A child and family do not have to suffer for five years or even a lifetime.
I am assuming that if a therapist had seen him minutes after birth, those fresh wounds creating fascial strain could have released before leaving the hospital. Now, five years later, his body has compensated and adapted where more visits are needed to help clear the layers of his traumatic onion.
I am hoping the day will come when these stories are history. I believe that Gillespie Approach Training for infants and newborns is a must for all neonatal providers.
Our Lancaster infant research from 2006–12 revealed many of nature's subtle secrets. Now in my 70s, I continue to experience joy in sharing what is possible for newborns. Practicality is not my strong point; I am a romantic, believing in my vision even if it seems unrealistic. I am just waiting for the world to see its promise.
