“They’ll Grow Out of It”
When I speak with parents in Viridian or North Arlington who have babies with colic and/or reflux who are told by their kiddo’s pediatrician “they’ll grow out of it” it drives me absolutely bonkers.
WHY?
In my almost 20 years of experience, colic or reflux is almost always related to tension in baby’s body either from oral tethers, or from misalignments related to birth or in utero positioning. The discomfort in infancy looks very different than an adult in pain - arching back, screaming at the breast or troubled latch, painful gas, tight jaw, head or neck stuck in one direction, an arm or leg that can’t relax.
SOOO, if that nervous system stress goes uncorrected, baby is bound to grow INTO it.
The nervous system interference learns to compensate over time, and manifests into other issues because the neurological foundation is set in the first 1-2 years of life. (Brain volume increases 101% in the first year, reaching 80-90% of adult volume by age two! (Pfeffer-Baum))
By age 6, motor and sensory pathways and functions we use as adults are fully developed.
This is why symptoms “appear out of nowhere” when in fact, the stress on the brain and body has been piling up for years.
I was the baby with colic and reflux myself, and was the textbook example of growing INTO it:
Over time, the misalignments in my upper spine and lip and tongue tie led me to stages where I was:
A toddler with countless ear infections who took almost a dozen rounds of antibiotics as a child
A little dancer who could only spin turning to the right, because my vestibular system was off, so I felt ill or stumbled any time I turned left
A super picky young eater who hated most textures and wouldn’t eat vegetables
A teen with a destroyed gut after all the childhood antibiotics, giving me belly aches that would keep me up all night, and contributed toward significant anxiety
An adolescent with tons of head, jaw, neck, and shoulder pain and tension
An adult with scoliosis, which affected my joints and posture as well as the function of some of those areas (decreased lung function, painful periods, etc.). I took up to 7 medications by age 25!
Trust your Mama/parent gut! If you feel that something is off with your fussy infant, it probably is! We focus on healing the nervous system very gently. Text (612) 280-6596 to set up a complimentary phone consult to see if craniosacral therapy and gentle bodywork can help your baby.
