A six-month-old boy moved by going into upper body flexion and pressing forward. Mom said that it was also difficult to change his diaper.
He was stuck in the birth canal and needed a cesarean section to enter the world. Mom noted tension on the left side of his body with his torsioned left testicle surgically removed.
He was also circumcised and had breastfeeding and reflux issues. On examination, he had a nice 80-second brain cycle but deep pelvic strain that was pulling into his neck.
I checked that his groin, left testicle, and circumcision scar were not pulling into this deep strain. I explained to mom that he would not be happy in therapy when his body addressed this problem.
During the first session, that happy baby quickly went away, and we were not buddies anymore. The tradeoff was to help his body get unstuck now so he did not have to live with the birth trauma effects for the next 80 years.
The tissue released well, and we let him play with toys for a bit. Round two went much better, but the fascia was still pulling.
When I rechecked his neck at the end of the session, that strain had released significantly. We know this to be true as one part of the web can pull on another part. So often providers are looking for a “neck or head solution" when the root cause is in the lower body.
At the end of the session, his brain cycle opened to an amazing 200 seconds. Even more noteworthy was that, when mom put him on the office rug, he immediately got on his hands and knees to crawl. The fascial strain had apparently prohibited him from doing that normal activity.
I believe that every newborn must be checked on day one to prevent this scenario. Every baby needs to leave the birthing place fully functional and ready to be a happy baby.
Gillespie Approach Training is a necessity for all birth professionals.
