A new mother visited her pediatrician for her baby’s first visit. The mom expressed her concerns about the following issues:
- The newborn was breastfeeding well only on one side.
- The latch was not good, necessitating the use of a nipple shield.
- The baby did a lot of arching.
- The baby had a lot of gas.
- The baby had a very weak cry.
- The baby had an unusual breathing sound.
The pediatrician acknowledged these issues and told mom that her baby was completely healthy. When will this thinking end?
In my mind, the baby was not totally healthy and needed our work. He had a zero-second brain cycle and had strain in his pelvis running into his neck, throat, and left TMJ.
After the second visit, with no improvement in his throat area, I was especially concerned with the weak cry and “stridor” sound with possible laryngomalacia. As a massage therapist, I cannot make any diagnosis, but I can alert mom to different possibilities.
But if the pediatrician never saw it, what do you do as a mom—go to another pediatrician who may miss it, too, and not understand our approach? Even more concerning was the possibility of laryngomalacia and the need for surgery.
My answer is that the newborn should have been evaluated for tightness right at birth. A provider would have seen the problem and instituted therapy on day one. I believe this scenario could have been avoided where mom would have left the hospital with a truly healthy and happy baby.
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