Birth is one of the most stressful events a baby goes through. During birth a baby’s body is subjected to enormous forces as it makes its way down the birth canal and into the outside world. Squeezing through such a tight passageway can cause the baby’s head to absorb these stresses and in many cases, the baby can be born with an odd shaped head.

Although a baby’s head is built to reduce in size during birth by cleverly overlapping the soft bone in the skull, not all babies heads remould back correctly into shape, especially if the birth has been difficult As a result, some babies may have to live their life with some uncomfortable stresses within their body.

Many babies cope extremely well with the compression and retained moulding but for others it is a different story.

What effect does retained moulding have and what are the reasons?

•  Sickness, problems passing wind & colic - Bouts of prolonged crying due to trapped wind and colic. Regurgitation of milk between feeds. Symptoms tend to be worse during the evening.

The nerve to the stomach may be irritated which impairs the bodies ability to digest and furthermore, the baby’s diaphragm may be distorted or stressed which further influences the ability to digest and retain stomach contents.

• Irritable baby with frequent spells of crying- Prefer being carried and need to be rocked to sleep. 

The baby may be uncomfortable due to the constant feeling of pressures in the head, often made worse by lying down.

• Difficulties with feeding- May take a long time to feed and struggle with wind.

 The mechanical stresses through the baby’s head, face and throat make feeding difficult and tiring.

• Poor sleep pattern - baby is a light sleeping and only sleeps for short periods day or night. 

 The tension on the casing of the skull keep the baby’s nervous system in a persistent state of alert.

The effects of retailed moulding as a child grows

The effects of retained moulding can lead to other problems as a child matures including infections, headaches and dental and behavioural problems.

• Infections - A child with retained moulding may be more prone to all types of infections due to a depleted immune system. Retained birth compression around the bones of the ear can impede fluid drainage and lead to recurrent ear infections. In severe cases this can lead to ‘glue ear’, a condition where the middle ear fills with a glue like fluid instead of air leading to dulled hearing.
• Headaches - Regular headaches may occur from the age of 7 plus a vulnerability to sprains and aches.
• Dental & sinus problems - Constant runny nose and increased chance of dental overcrowding. This occurs as a result of impaired growth and drainage of the sinuses due to retained moulding compression.
• Tendency to asthma - Due to lower immunity level a child with retained moulding compression can have a vulnerability to chest infections. Regular chest infections can aggravate an asthmatic tendency. 

How Cranial Osteopathy Can Help

Cranial osteopathy is a gentle and extremely effective approach to treat babies and children to release the stresses and tensions in their body. The consultant applies gentle pressure around the head and neck area to restore the structure and function of the body to a state of balance and harmony. Cranial osteopathy is an extremely effective and safe way to treat humans from birth to old age and as very little pressure is applied, the patient should feel no discomfort or pain.

Young patients are often sleepy after treatment and will usually have a good nights sleep later that day.

Osteopaths undergo 4 years of training before qualifying to practice in the UK. At your first appointment your consultants will take a detailed case history prior to your first examination.