Developing Child
Birth is a miracle but the real miracle is perhaps the rapid development of the first nine months in the womb. Before birth your baby is already full of intelligence and qualities that are unique to him or her. Because of this your baby will respond to birth in his own unique way regardless of the circumstances of birth.
There are however some common findings among the types of deliveries and the effects those deliveries have on newborns. These effects can be treated at any age but maximum benefit is derived from early treatment.
The foetus grows in a fluid environment. All nutrients are supplied by mum through the umbilical vessels via the placenta. In the womb the lungs are not used as they are full of fluid. A normal vaginal delivery with the stimulation of pressure and flood of circulating hormones prepares your baby for his first breath by reducing the fluid in the lungs. The quality of the first and subsequent breaths help to establish normal breathing patterns.
In a caesarian section this process is missed and babies born this way are more likely to be re-admitted to hospital in their first year with respiratory problems. This may be after an elective caesarian or emergency. The length of time in labour, very long or very quick, the use of forceps or ventouse (suction) all challenge you and your baby in life’s greatest transition.
Osteopathy can assist with the after effects of interventions in childbirth.
In utero, the immature cranial bones are soft and not fully developed. Moulding is the process of the cranial bones overlapping to reduce head circumference to allow the head to fit through the birth canal. When there has been a long labour, compression can be retained in the tissues of the whole body and cause many problems.
- Sucking
- Digestion and elimination
- head control
- irritation
The baby’s yawning, sucking and crying helps the process of unfolding the bones of the head to its normal size and shape. This three-dimensional shape change of the head has many Osteopathic considerations.
The development of spinal curves and normal posture.
The foetus develops from a c shaped curve in utero. In the newborn the first curve to form is the cervical curve, which develops as the baby lifts her head to gain head control. Babies need to spend lots of time on their tummy to develop strength in lifting the head up then pushing up onto their arms, which strengthens the back muscles and then eventually rocking back into a crouching position ready to crawl. The lower back curve will develop during the first few years of walking.
Factors which affect newborn posture are:
- Long term internal lay position in the womb
- Birth process
- Ability to turn head from side to side.
A parallelogram head shape may be of traumatic origin during delivery or may have developed in utero because of compression over a longer period of time. The head shape of traumatic origin is quicker to respond to treatment than one that has developed in utero. Muscle tensions, (such as occurs in a spasm of the neck muscle) may have the effect of pulling the head into an awkward position or a parallelogram head shape.
The occipital bone at the back of the head is in four parts at birth and can become distorted in shape causing compression of the cranial nerves. The cranial nerves leave the brain between the occipital and temporal bones. If the occipital bone remains distorted eventually it will mature into adult bone with that distorted shape and the vertebrae beneath it will compensate to that shape and develop curvature of the spine.
It has been observed that with very quick labours a newborn can be very cranky and irritable, have trouble sleeping and feeding and cry a lot. This condition of cerebral irritation may persist for months. As the baby grows older it adapts to the trauma but never really sleeps well, is a fussy eater and likes to be constantly stimulated. The older child is on the move from one thing to the next, because of this irritability.
Breech births often predispose the baby to “clicky hips” or congenital hip dysplasia. The strain is not just in the hips but also throughout the whole body. Often these babies will wear double nappies or may need to wear a brace for several weeks or months. Even with their hips realigned these babies may have trouble sitting because they have a side bending curve in the lumbar spine and they fall to one side until they develop improved muscle tone. Once sitting the side bending curve of the spine may not have straightened out and this will adapt to the whole spine with a compensating curve developing higher up in the thorax. Then attempts at walking later on may be troublesome with many falls as the toddler tries to walk with her spinal imbalances. This may also cause leg length differences.
