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Cranial Osteopathy: Does it Work?

17/4/2015

17 Comments

 
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Sorry last week's blog was a bit of a downer. I didn't mean to start a pity party. All right, maybe I did a bit, because you don't write 650 words about sleep deprivation and put it on the internet without expecting at least one person to go, "Poor you."

Anyway, if I sound different (jollier) and more like my old self (bitchier) this week, it's because I am, because I have HAD SOME SLEEP!

Here's the thing: cranial osteopathy WORKS. At least, it's working for us. Last week I took Joe to see Jo Mitchell at the Sunflower Centre in Brockley. We had a long chat about his birth (two months early, emergency Caesarean, head stuck for ten minutes.) I might have cried a bit.

Then Jo put her hands on various parts of my baby's body and... Did whatever it is cranial osteopaths do. I'm still not totally sure, to be honest.

Joe seemed to like it and eventually passed out. But he started screaming as we left the centre, and didn't really stop till we put him down in his Moses basket a few hours later.

'Oh well,' I thought, 'It was worth a try.'

He slept for five hours straight. The longest stretch he had ever managed.

I say "had", because the next night he slept for seven hours. SEVEN. Thus I achieved my goal of sleeping for more hours than there are members of One Direction (which recently became more attainable obvs.)

I felt amazing the next day. It was as if I'd been underwater for months, submerged beneath waves of tiredness, but I had broken the surface and taken a huge gulp of fresh air. I felt like I could swim an ocean or climb a mountain. I settled for loading the dishwasher and returning the library books we borrowed the week before Joe was born, which is basically the same.   

It didn't last, of course: Joe switched to a two-hourly wake-up cycle that night, and by the end of the week he was back to pulling all-nighters. I emailed Jo, trying to sound positive ("Sorry to bother, just wondering, is this normal?") rather than desperate ("Oh God please help you fixed my baby and now I think I've broken him again please help me argh.")

Yes, said Jo, it's normal, and we've made a good start. So we returned to the centre for a second session - and that night, Joe slept for five hours. And the night after that. And the night after that.

Last night... Not so much. But now a bad night means waking up every two hours, instead of never going to sleep at all. And I'm optimistic that next week's appointment with Jo will put us back on track.

It's changed everything. I don't worry about crashing our new car because I'm so tired. I'm not afraid to agree to meet people for coffee in case I'm too exhausted to make it on the day. Some nights, I don't even go to bed until half-past eight.

So now, based on nothing more than my own anecdotal experience (I'd love to hear others), I am a huge fan of cranial osteopathy. I think everyone should have it. Not just babies but tired mums, creaky old people, perfectly well people, small dogs that won't stop yapping, Nigel Farage.

And I think it should be available on the NHS. That's the kicker - it isn't, and it's not cheap. I estimate I'll probably end up spending the equivalent of a family weekend away on Joe's treatment. Frankly, I'd give up two weeks in the Bahamas in exchange for a year of decent sleep.

But I know that isn't an option for everyone. So thanks to the reader who told me about the Osteopathic Centre for Children, which operates on a pay-what-you-can basis.

I'm sticking with Jo, though, because she is amazing and wonderful and has kind eyes the colour of the Aegean that make me feel like everything's going to be alright. Basically, she's turned my baby off and on again. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but whatever she does is working. Now I can sleep and breathe and smile, and best of all, my baby can too.

Happy Friday! 


17 Comments
Catherine Rose
16/4/2015 08:48:46 pm

So glad to read your news, Ellie. Bit worried about the idea of giving Nigel Farage cranial osteopathy - his head might cave in like an empty eggshell...

Reply
Ellie
21/4/2015 08:38:07 pm

Haha! Yes, good point...

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Marianne
16/4/2015 09:35:08 pm

I'm a big believer in the baby fixing power of cranial osteopathy. One of my kids had a really awful gunky eye, from birth. Nothing made any difference, cool boiled water, breast milk in the eye etc. I visited the health visitor who suggested that when he was one they could look at him having an op on his tear duct, obviously I wasn't so keen on that . A friend suggested cranial osteopathy and it worked almost immediately. We had a few sessions with the loveliest osteopath who seemed to just lay her hands on his head really gently and ta dah! no further problems.
My middle son has hearing loss (hopefully only temporarily) due to glue ear and I'm going to give CO a whirl for that too.

Reply
Ellie
21/4/2015 08:39:12 pm

Glad it worked for you too.

I had glue ear as a kid, grommets, hearing aids, the lot. All fine now though!

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Clare
17/4/2015 04:30:17 am

We used CO with our baby who had what was called compression from his very quick birth. Apparently it's common in babies from fast or very slow labours as they get forced through or stuck in odd positions. Anyway, several musculoskeletal manipulation sessions later he was much improved, would sit in his car seat without screaming the place down and stopped conducting orchestras in his sleep. Didn't help with his reflux of course so remained a tummy sleeper, but that's a different story.
I think all babies should get a cranial check after birth, just like all the other routine checks

Reply
Ellie
21/4/2015 08:39:57 pm

Yes! If I were to have another child I'd book an appointment for straight after the birth.

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Claire Whatley
17/4/2015 05:24:53 am

Hi Ellie, I totally agree, I finally engaged a cranial osteopath when my eldest son was 10 months old and hadn't for more than a couple of hours in a row since birth. I was breastfeeding and often sat up all night feeding him until he slept then holding him until he woke again and so on and so on. My husband would take him in the car (he slept best in his car seat!) to give me a few hours rest. After the first visit to the CO, he slept 6 hours straight! I couldn't believe it! We took our second son when he was two days old, just as a preventative measure. At that time (2000) Leeds Maternity hospital recognised the importance of CO and had a resident CO who routinely treated all new born babies. It's a shame that 15 years on this therapy still hasn't been widely adopted. I'm delighted you have found success and wish you all the best with your new baby. Love the podcast by the way, even though I am now many years away from the young baby years... Maybe you should do a scummie mummies of teenagers special! Believe me ... It's a rich seam of comedy!

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Ellie
21/4/2015 08:41:46 pm

Oh yes, we expect our topics of conversation and confessions to change as our kids do... But maybe we should get someone who has teenagers already to tell us what we've got to look forward to!

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Claire Whatley
21/4/2015 09:38:28 pm

I've got two teenage sons.... Believe me "handbag surprise" has nothing on the opportunities presented by Waste bin surprise or laundry bin surprise !

Alex
17/4/2015 06:03:13 am

I value sleep above all things and have remained childless in part to protect my addiction. I will happily donate to ensure a funny woman who has made me laugh until I cried can continue to do so with her mental and physical health intact. Utter selfishness on my part, but a genuine offer nonetheless. Paypal or Crowdfund the life out of this and sleep well xxxx

Reply
Ellie
21/4/2015 08:43:48 pm

This means a lot! We really want the podcast to be funny for everyone - we never want it to feel like an exclusive club for parents only. So it makes us really happy to hear things like this! Thank you xxx

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