How to spot birth strain in your baby
Help is here! Your baby has been crying constantly for hours, you’re exhausted, your house looks like a hurricane hit and no one has eaten properly for about three days. This is a very familiar scenario for lots of parents of new-borns.
We all know that babies cry. But some cry more than others. Crying is the only way a baby can communicate and parents often struggle to work out what’s causing it. Sometimes soothing methods work and it will stop but a baby who is crying and can’t be comforted is definitely the downside of parenting.
Entering the world’s sensory-rich atmosphere is a challenge for a baby after being so warm and comfortable in utero but labour and delivery can have a profound effect on how this transition takes place. Birth strains or foetal distress due to peristent pressure during birth or in utero and sedation of the mother or lack of contact between mother and baby can all affect this transition into the world.
This can cause sleeping, feeding and digestive problems and so it’s no wonder that so many mothers and fathers come to us for help!
Lets consider all the above in more detail:
Sleeping
Babies should sleep for between 16 and 18 hours per day. But if you have a baby that is awake more, takes a long time to settle, is overtired and fractious, startles easily when falling asleep and then awakening quickly or waking with normal household noise, then you probably have a baby with sleeping difficulties possibly due to foetal distress, birth strains or colic.
At home, babies should sleep in a dark, quiet room. They should be fed on demand and be given a great deal of love, care and reassurance but carrying them around for hours, lying with them all night or changing nappies unnecessarily every time they wake can exacerbate sleep problems. Too much stimuli from friends and family in the early days may cause them to be overstimulated leading to irritability in the evenings.
Feeding and digestive problems
Colic can affect infants up to 3 to 4 months. This can be due to birth strains, stress, lactose intolerance, allergy or genetics. Spotting colic isn’t easy but here are a few tips.
These babies often cry frequently and for long periods of time. They’re often difficult to soothe and it’s often at its peak between 6-8 weeks, usually in the evenings. They often stiffen and bring their legs up over their tummy and they appear in pain. Defecation and passing wind improves their symptoms. Symptoms generally start 30 + minutes post feed and the stomach is often noisy. They often cry for at least 3 hours a day, 3 x per week!
At home, remember, keep calm. Calmer atmosphere, calmer baby. Don’t leave the baby to cry. Pick the baby up and if you’re happy to you can try a pacifier. Maybe try eating a low allergen diet and some children are allergic to cow’s milk which can be removed from the mother’s diet if breast feeding. Formula fed babies can be prescribed allergen free formula by the GP.
Many osteopaths feel that twists, strains and compressions of the body during the birth process can affect the function of the diaphragm which in turn affects the sphincter between the oesophagus and stomach (the lower oesophageal sphincter muscle). This sphincter in babies often does not close fully after the milk enters the stomach causing it to travel back up the oesophagus. This can cause reflux.
Reflux symptoms begin during or immediately after a feed. I’m sure that many of you have been out with your baby and then got home and realised you’ve got regurgitated milk on your shoulder. I know I certainly did. Occasional regurgitation is nothing to worry about but when should we start worrying?
Persistent vomiting, weight loss or lack of weight gain are red flags. The first obvious cause is over feeding. This is especially common in bottle fed babies where the teat is too big or when they take in too much air.
Allergy is another common cause and signs of allergy are a family history of allergy, a rash, cradle cap, excess mucous production and patchy dry skin. Keep your baby upright after a feed and burp your baby regularly during and after feeds. It is helpful to give formula fed babies smaller more regular feeds.
We all love cranial osteopathy here because we get so many comments from parents that their baby’s symptoms have improved after they’ve visited the clinic for treatment.
If you want any information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. I’m very happy to help!
Nicola Rist (Registered Osteopath)
BSc (Hons) Ost. Dip Sports Massage
Nicola (pictured with baby in accompanying image) is at Stockbridge Osteopathic Practice on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings.