Osteopathic Treatment of Newborns, Infants, and Young Children

Imagine going on a road trip crammed in the back seat with a pile of suitcases. When you got out of that tight space, it would take your body some time to loosen up and straighten out. Newborns have a similar experience when they leave the womb. When you include the force of contractions, the dramatic change in environment, and the complete lack of voluntary muscle control, it’s no wonder that babies often need some extra support.

I provide gentle hands-on bodywork, listening closely to and following the lead of the child’s body to help them into a position of comfort and ease. From that place, their nervous system can reboot shortened muscles, improve blood flow and hydration of tissues, and release held tension to improve motion and function. 

Some indications your child could benefit from osteopathic treatment:

  • Torticollis (head tilting or looking to one side more than the other)
  • Plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head)
  • Latching/feeding issues
  • Reflux
  • Constipation
  • Colic or inconsolable crying
  • Showing frequent signs of discomfort
  • Long or complicated labor
    • especially if forceps or vacuum were used to assist delivery
  • Post-delivery interventions
    • Respiratory support
    • NICU admissions
  • Delayed or asymmetrical milestones
    • rolls to one side only
    • crawls favoring one leg
    • butt scoots instead of crawling
  • Diagnoses relating to muscle tone and function
    • Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, hypotonia, etc
There’s a growing body of research to support the use of osteopathy in treating some of the most common and vexing issues of early childhood: colic, plagiocephaly, feeding disorders, excessive crying, and sleep disorders as well as its safety and effectiveness for medically fragile children in the NICU.
As a result, in my residency training, we treated every newborn and their parent in the 2-3 days before they left the hospital as a matter of standard post-partum care. After seeing hundreds such patients, I’m inclined to believe that everyone, birther and baby, benefits from physical support during this major physical transition, 
Request an appointment

If the next available appointment feels a long way off, please contact me.

Have a pregnant or post-partum person, or baby in your life who could benefit from the gift of osteopathy?

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Two treatments in one appointment!

We are profoundly blessed by the presence and collaboration of Susan Blum, PT, C/TMR a world-renowned pediatric physical therapist. Between April and October, she provides consultation at initial pediatric visits to develop an at-home treatment plan that caregivers  can implement to accelerate the potency of our work together. 

For more information on this incredible resource, see our Providers page. 

When my second baby was born with the same tongue tie as my first, I dreaded the laser revision surgery I expected us to get. However after receiving  precise, expert and intuitive treatment from Dr. Blum, my baby achieved full oral mobility. At 10 weeks they began exclusively and effectively nursing with no surgical intervention needed. Dr. Blum is a dynamic educator for families and is a wizard with newborns — calm, grounded, and caring: she put our whole family at ease during treatment. I can’t recommend Dr. Blum enough!

– Jenna, parent of a newborn with latch issues

Wanted to thank you so much. The baby pooped 3 times the night after we saw you and has had soft poops daily since. He had never pooped this much in his life! I think that maybe as a parent of a newborn you will understand that this basically feels like a total miracle. I truly truly cannot thank you enough.

– Parent of a severely constipated infant

Beth has been a calming and supportive presence in our lives since our son was about 5 weeks old. Beth has been clear but flexible with expectations around supporting his torticollis journey, and we leave the sessions feeling encouraged. It has been wonderful to have someone do hands-on work for our son.

– Parent of a newborn with torticollis