Lucy was taken to see an osteopath at 8 weeks old as a last resort. She had been screaming from about 6pm till 11pm daily since birth, so was an unsettled baby. This had recently become worse and she was now screaming through the night. She was also constipated and only emptying her bowels every two or three days. She had had a fairly traumatic birth by emergency caesarean section. Her parents had no experience of osteopathic treatment let alone cranial osteopathy for babies and were very sceptical. They had been given the osteopath's details by the health visitor.

On examination, although Lucy was an unsettled baby, she appeared a normal, pretty baby. On examination, there was some tension at the top of her neck and also in her left hip and groin. This had probably been causing tummy aches, colic and headaches. Most babies stop crying immediately a release of tension following treatment is felt, however some resume crying through sensations of hunger stimulated by treatment or just from routine!

Lucy was brought back after a week with reports of having settled down and sleeping through the night. The osteopath now sees Lucy once or twice a year and she has been doing very well.

For more information on colic, please refer to the link below:

Unsettled Baby