Redlands CranioSacral Therapy for pregnancy
Original Article information by Daniel S. Tarlow and Upledger UK.
Is very safe with very few
contraindictions, for this reason it can be used at all stages of pregnancy.
Redlands CranioSacral Therapy for pregnancy has been found by many mothers and babies to be highly effective at helping them through the birth process and beyond. Many women have found Craniosacral Therapy helps their body adjust to the changes created by pregnancy and prepare them for labor in a fully resourced condition.
The weight of the growing baby can put strain on the spine. Lower back pain and symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) are common problems due to changes in posture and ligament laxity. Often the pelvis is poorly aligned and the sacrum stuck. Redlands Craniosacral Therapy encourages symmetry and free movement to the sacrum, hence allowing delivery to be much easier and less traumatic; therefore benefiting both mother and baby.
Treatment may also help with hormonal balance improve energy levels, ease stress and tension, helping prepare the mother for an easier birth.
At the time of birth, the mother’s pelvis responds to the emerging baby by expanding and in turn the shape of the baby’s head changes so that it can negotiate its way into the world. Certain physiological changes need to occur. At birth, the baby gets more compressed in order to pass down the birth canal. In the majority of deliveries, the distortions correct within a few hours to days, through breathing, yawning, sucking and crying. When the baby suckles the palate and tongue work to mobilize all the tissues as far as the sacrum and coccyx at the base of the spine.
After birth the mother may also benefit from a short course of treatment to aid postnatal recovery and help realign the body. Often Mother and child both receive treatments together, which is beneficial as they are energetically so closely connected and involved in attachment and bonding.
Redlands Craniosacral Therapy for Pregnancy
Many mother and baby have found Redlands Craniosacral Therapy for pregnancy helps them to recover from the rigors of labor and childbirth. The sooner the treatment is given the better, especially if it has been a difficult and complex labor. Most babies experience some degree of shock, whether mild or severe, at some stage during the birth process. Some newborn babies have clenched muscles as if to protect themselves, the physical birth process may have had a direct contrast to its nurturing time in the womb. Some babies may enter a state of panic, for example if they become stuck for a time in the birth canal, their capacity to cope can be overwhelmed. They can be frightened, frustrated or even angry following their birth (hyper arousal).
Another effect of shock imprinting during the birth process is for the baby to withdraw and appear to sleep a lot (hypo arousal). Despite parents thinking their babies are doing so well because they are sleeping all the time, actually they are suffering the effects of shock. If it has been a difficult birth, the newborn can be in a state of shock, and then it can be as if they haven’t been able to fully arrive. Shock is a major cause of incomplete unfolding. The tissues can often feel frozen, the newborn is often subdued or irritable, will not settle, wakeful and over stimulated. Once released, the tissues can expand and open more freely.
If the mother and infant are not able to make deep eye contact with each other, it may be an indicator of shock. They are metabolically linked emotionally. Mothers and babies can find the process of birth overwhelming and it is recommended that both come for treatment as soon as the mother feels able to after the birth, dealing with symptoms at their onset and resolving before becoming established.
Here are 6 reasons why people recommend Redlands CranioSacral therapy for pregnancy treatment.
1. Ease the pain and discomfort of pregnancy
Many times women complain of tightness and stomach problems, feeling squashed by the baby growing inside them. As the body changes to accommodate the growing foetus inside the womb your body deals with new stresses and strains on both the muscles and bones.
General pain and discomfort can arise as a result and because you may want to be avoiding taking drugs to ease or deal with the pain women often find they have few options other than just living with the discomfort.
The gentle techniques used in Craniosacral therapy help to reduce these stresses and pains and helps a pregnant mother enjoy the wonderful process of pregnancy in a more relaxed and happier mood.
2. Helps the body deal with the physical changes and challenges of a growing baby.
As your new baby grows as much as the skin and womb can expand outwards there is still a lack of room in the abdomen for the rest of your organs. The stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines and other organs are fighting for space to function and move or slide around as they usually do, and this lack of space can impair the function of these organs.
Regular Redlands Craniosacral therapy for pregnancy treatment helps the organs of your abdomen to adapt to their new reality, maintain good blood flow, allow organs to move correctly within the body and release fascial tensions which may develop between neighboring organs.
This will leave a woman feeling more relaxed, less tightness, increased freedom of movement within her body and the feeling of more space inside her abdomen.
3. Treats back and other pains
Often women complain of back pain or back ache during the second half of their pregnancy as their baby gains weight. This extra pressure on the back muscles can lead to sciatic pain down the legs or severe lower back pain. Some times pain also develops in the legs and feet as a result of pregnancy.
Redlands Craniosacral therapy for pregnancy will help support the muscles ability to function properly, increasing blood and oxygen to them and reduce tensions in the muscles. With improved muscle tone in the lower and upper half of the back, tensions to the nerves are reduced and back and sciatic pains are relieved. Similarly, increased blood circulation in the hips and legs helps relieve pains felt in the legs and feet.
4. Helps prepare the mother’s body for the process of birth
Either regular treatment of Craniosacral therapy during pregnancy or some intensive treatment during the last couple of months, can help prepare the mother’s body for the birth.
By reducing tensions in the muscles of the pelvic floor, the uterus and the stomach child birth becomes an easier less physically stressful event for the mother.
5. Improves Blood flow in your body
Treatment reduces the tensions in muscles – the diaphragm and pelvic floor in particular when treating pregnant women – which can often have been placing pressure on the major arteries or veins of the body, the aorta and the vena cava. These muscle restrictions can reduce and slightly constrict the arteries reducing blood flow in the torso or legs. When the diaphragm techniques are applied to these areas, muscle tone decreases and allows for improved blood flow around the body, especially to the digestive tract and the womb. So as well feeling more energised and relaxed from CST treatment, you will be benefiting your growing baby by allowing improved blood, nutrient and oxygen flow. And a growing baby needs all the food he/she can get.
6. Supports the immune system
An amazing part of the pregnancy process is the unlimited love and giving the mother’s body gives over to it’s growing child. During pregnancy the mother’s body diverts all of it’s surplass energy and biological processes to protecting and providing the most optimal conditions for this growing baby. So much so that often the mother’s immune system (which protects us from and fights disease and illness) can become less effective. CST treatment enhances and maintains a high level of energy and effectiveness for the body’s defensive systems. This helps the mother deal better with the winter time, when colds, fevers and other (seasonal) illnesses are more likely to affect her.
Craniosacral Therapy for pregnancy is not only an excellent treatment for mothers during their pregnancy, but it is also an excellent way to help couples who are having trouble getting pregnant! Many cases of unexplained infertility in both males and females have been successfully treated using Craniosacral therapy for pregnancy.
The gentle techniques have helped to balance hormonal problems, improve blood flow to the reproductive organs, and help to enhance the womb’s ability to support the development of the embryo.
All in all Craniosacral therapy for pregnancy makes for a healthier and more relaxed pregnancy and an easier birth.
For more information on how Craniosacral therapy can help you or to book an appointment
