Craniosacral Therapy For Babies
"I strongly recommend Ellen to moms and babies who could not achieve an optimal latch even after frenectomy."
– Sandhya and Neha
Gentle Tension Reduction
CST is a gentle hands-on technique that uses very light touch for assessment and treatment of tensions we might hold in our bodies. I learned Craniosacral Therapy from Carol Gray, who is a pioneer in the integration of CST with prenatal, postpartum, and birth care.
In my practice, I work at the intersection of lactation consulting and CST. If you are coming to Teaching Babies to Nurse for CST, I will probably ask to see a feeding, or at least part of a feeding. Likewise, each lactation consult is sprinkled with assessments and treatments from CST.
Craniosacral Therapy FAQ
Why would my baby benefit from CST?
Breastfeeding is hard work. Especially when babies are having difficulty with nursing. They can develop areas of muscle tension or overuse that can be addressed with CST. It can work the other way too. Sometimes babies have habitual muscle patterning from the pregnancy or birth that can get in the way of effective nursing. Some of the things that CST can be especially useful for include:
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Asymmetries from pregnancy and birth (similar to torticollis and/or plagiocephaly)
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Babies with a tight frenulum (before or after having a frenotomy or frenectomy)
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Babies who are having difficulty transferring milk
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Babies being weaned off triple feeding
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Painful nursing, especially pain that lasts beyond the early weeks
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Babies who prefer one breast
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Babies who are managing overproduction or overactive letdown
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Babies who are refusing the breast
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Babies who are very fussy at the breast or after feeding
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Colic or reflux
How is a CST visit different from a Lactation Consult?
The difference will be in the area of focus. If you are coming in specifically for CST, that is what most of the visit will focus on, even if breastfeeding is a part of what we do.