Not all births are easy. Sometimes, while still in the birth canal, the baby can feel the steely grip of forceps pulling it into the world before it is ready, or a suction cap dragging the soft head forward.
The umbilical cord can be wrapped around the neck, choking and tightening with the baby stuck and unable to do anything. Babies can strain for hours, head locked into the pelvis but unable to go any further, before their world is punctured by the Caesarean scalpel, causing sudden depressurisation, like a deep sea diver catapulted to the surface.
The body has a great capacity to absorb trauma and adjust as needed. A baby’s body is soft and pliable, giving it the best chance to withstand the rigours of birth. Once the baby is born the membranes of the cranium must reshape themselves after being pushed and compressed.
Restrictions and misalignment of cranial bones can remain throughout life. The full impact may not be evident until many years later at school, as a learning disability or a behavioural condition. Many childhood difficulties can be attributed to restrictions in the Cranio Sacral system as a result of birth.
Sometimes the restrictions that lead to behavioural disorders can come from the baby being stuck in an awkward position in the womb or from umbilical shock, the trauma caused by premature cutting of the umbilical cord. Umbilical shock can also manifest as a fearful or fretful state in the child.
A difficult birth or a fall on the head may cause a restriction in the skull or sacrum area leading to sleeping difficulties. Babies who cry for abnormally long periods can often have ‘headaches’ they are unable to tell us about. Similarly, children who repeatedly bang their heads against walls are often trying to realign the bones in their cranium.
Compression of the temporal bones can result in poor drainage of blood from the head which can lead to dyslexia or learning difficulties. Tantrums, hyperactivity and behavioural disorders, can all result from cranial bone misalignment. Trauma from accidents and emotionally disruptive events, can all become locked in the body as patterns of restriction.
RESTRICTED DRAINAGE
Blood is pumped into the head by the heart but it relies on clear channels of drainage to leave the head freely. If the channels of drainage are restricted, the head is continually overfull. This leads to a build up of pressure in the head which, in turn, puts pressure on the brain. Many conditions can be alleviated by releasing the drainage channels for blood and cerebro spinal fluid from the head.
HEAD INJURIES
The after-effects of head injury can be diverse and subtle, including prolonged confusion, depression, personality changes or simply a feeling of being not quite right. These symptoms often have their origin in restriction patterns caused by the accident and can be helped greatly by Cranio Sacral treatment.
