When your newborn takes his first breath and his heart starts beating at twelve minutes, you will be deep in prayer.
A four-month old boy presented with his main problem as inability to swallow. He also had reflux, delayed motor skills, fast breathing, a weak suck, gagging, hiccups, sneezing, congestion, distorted legs and feet, secretions pooling in his throat, and oral skill difficulty requiring a G-tube insertion.
His heartbeat and oxygen intake were delayed twelve minutes after birth resulting in an HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy) diagnosis. Sadly, a doctor sat down with his parents and went through a list of functions that the child would never do.
What a way to welcome a new member of your family! In working with hundreds of brain-injured children in my career, I have found that many times the doctors were wrong where children were able to do many functions.
This baby was very tight. His feet were turned out, his legs were crooked, and his pelvic area to his head was very restricted. He also had a zero-second brain cycle.
I told the parents that their child’s fascial web was especially tight. I explained to them that I could not say what my therapy could or could not correct. The goal would be for me to help get their infant as strain-free as possible, and we would see how he would respond.
After the parents agreed to this plan, I got into his pelvic floor, and it released beautifully. His body continued to respond quite well to therapy.
I spent some time listening to one leg. When his ankle and foot fascia released, something amazing happened. Mom was watching me work and literally saw his foot position become near-normal in real time.
She said: “Look at his foot! He has never done that in his life.” Her eyes swelled up, and the tears started. After 63 days in the NICU and many disheartening medical messages, mom saw the possibility of authentic healing.
Hope is a beautiful thing.
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