On a rare occasion, a provider can experience a dyad train wreck in the making.
A mother called requesting only a 30-minute exam and consultation visit for her son. Since most moms want the full hour, which includes a therapy session, that indicated she was unsure about proceeding with the work.
Her infant was now a one-year-old, which told me that his craniosacral fascial system was more entrenched in restriction and more difficult to correct.
His biggest issue was that he scooted on his butt with one leg turned in, indicating a severe pelvic twist. He has never been able to commando crawl and/or creep on his hands and knees.
His next biggest problems were that he has never been able to lie flat on his back and be comfortable in his car seat. Both factors indicated he was an archer, which mom confirmed in the intake.
The fourth issue was that he had a neck twist affecting all of his cranial structures. It was probably a continuation of his pelvic twist and arch that would eventually need a lot of therapy visits to resolve.
The biggest factor of all was that his pediatrician, the expert medical resource that all moms trust, said all of this was “normal" and he would "grow out of it." But her mommy instincts told her that something was very wrong and wanted my take on his situation.
In addition, he had a sleeping issue with a double red-flag history of a cord wrap and being stuck in the birth canal for two hours. As would be expected, he presented with a zero-second brain cycle—common for infants with difficulty sleeping.
Sometimes there is also a hidden money issue where mom and dad need to see marked improvement on the first visit to continue therapy. There was an open appointment time after his evaluation visit so she agreed to a therapy session.
If you have been in this predicament as a provider, you know that all of the potential disaster ducks were lined up in a row. Because of the severe twisting and arching, crying would definitely be the norm.
As much as you explain to mom that he needed to physically and emotionally work through these strains and would be OK at the end of the visit, the wailing can explode her mommy hormones. She became quiet at the end of therapy, did not make another appointment, and quickly left the office.
Hopefully, the parents will see some changes, and he will return for another visit. If not, I just hope that he got enough therapy on this visit to make his life a little better.
The solution would have been the work at birth with the following advantages: Therapy is done as soon as possible after the soft-tissue birth injuries, there is little or no crying as per newborn drama, all the therapy is conveniently completed at the hospital with no travel to an office as a newborn, all therapy is covered by insurance as part of the birth package, and most importantly, the parents only experience a happy baby, never knowing what would have been down the untreated road.
I continue to hold the vision for this future. Happy Baby = Happy Mom = Happy Family. Gillespie Approach Training is an important tool in every birth provider’s toolbox.
