How our Birth Affects Our Health
No one thinks much about their birth. After all it was a long time ago. But those few hours during which you made your way into the world can have a significant impact on the rest of your life.
Nature has designed the birth process in order to maximize the healthy functioning of the newborn body. As the baby descends through the birth canal, the bones of the skull actually overlap each other in order to facilitate an easy passage. This also frees the babies head from the shape that it was molded into in utero. The transit through the birth canal also serves to kick start the digestion and breathing processes due to the massaging effects of the contractions. Once the baby is born, the bones of the skull gradually move back into their proper position.
But what happens when this process is not able to occur or is interrupted? Sometimes, due to a long labor, complications, instruments used, necessary cesarean, or other interventions, the baby’s skull bones become stuck in the restricted or overlapped position. When this occurs, the brain has less room to grow and expand and is therefore compromised to a greater or lesser extent. This can lead to a host of problems such as ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, breastfeeding issues, digestive issues, sleeplessness, excessive crying and ear infections. As the child grows, these issues can show up as problems at school or in their overall health. But no one thinks to look at the child’s birth for the original cause of the problem.
Craniosacral Therapy can address these restrictions right at the beginning of a child’s life so they don’t become a problem down the road. Laura Moorehead has been practicing bodywork for over 20 years, specializing in craniosacral for the last 7. With very gentle touch, she feels for restrictions and supports the baby’s system in returning to a state of health and relaxation. Babies can be treated while nursing or playing in mom’s arms. Toddlers and older children can also benefit, as can anyone at any age. It is never too late.
Josh was 8 when he first came to see Laura. He was having trouble with reading and writing, doing both right to left. He had difficulty with working memory, often forgetting why he started to do something. The whole left side of his body was less efficient than the right with gross motor skills, like hopping. His mom revealed that when he was born, he had a large dent on the left side of his head due to lying with his head pressed against her pelvic bones in utero for an extended time. The dent had faded over time, but was still discernable. He missed many milestones along the way - never crawled, didn’t talk until he was nearly 4 and walked at 16 months. A few days after the first session, mom called to say that his teachers were amazed at his reading and writing progress that week, and that he was focusing much better in school. After a couple of weeks, his parents noticed that he was performing gross motor skills better on his left side and also that he was able to do two things at once, like speak and draw, which had not been possible before. As the weeks went by, the reading and writing continued to improve as did balance and coordination.
Craniosacral can have profound effects at any age, but is particularly helpful when applied during the early years, often, preventing problems that can be emotionally traumatic for a school age child. Please call Laura at 808-889-0777 for more information or to make an appointment.
