During birth, a baby’s head engages into the bony pelvis most often with the back of the head facing toward the left side of the mother’s pelvis. As contractions continue and the head descends, the resistance of pelvic floor soft tissues initiates rotation of the head. When the head rotates, it starts the shoulders and, in turn, the rest of the body to move in kind. During this process, cranial molding occurs so the head can pass through the birth canal. With the first breath, or after breastfeeding, an expansion of the cranial bones occurs and the bones start to return to a symmetrical shape. Sometimes during birth the bones may “telescope” over each other to create an ease in the passage but they stay in a compressed position after birth which can cause dysfunction. Some signs of dysfunction are decreased appetite, difficulty drinking, nausea or vomiting, difficulty digesting, colic, hyperactivity or tension, and tiring easily. With cranial work, we are gently listening to where restrictions may have occurred during the birth process. This can be with a vaginal birth or a C-section birth. We listen in a 3D manner for lines of tension not only in the cranium, but throughout the body and very gently encourage a release.
Happy babies, happy mommas. That is our goal.