Who gives traditional bodywork treatment to breastfed babies and why?
Many breastfed babies are referred to traditional bodyworkers for help
"Bodywork (noun): therapeutic touching or manipulation of the body using specialized techniques." Merriam-Webster Dictionary
When I talk about traditional bodywork therapy, I'm referring to chiropractic, osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, and myofunctional therapy. I respectfully acknowledge the long traditions of practice out of which these therapies have arisen. I use the term 'traditional bodywork therapy' to distinguish between the dominant bodywork therapies which are being applied to babies at the moment, from what I call 'evolutionary bodywork' in the Possums or NDC programs.
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You can find out about how I have benefited from traditional bodywork practices both personally and professionally throughout the whole of my life here.
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You can find out why my own (medical) profession and Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs) have much to learn from each other here.
Once it became established that babies were being overtreated with frenotomies, International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) and other breastfeeding support professionals started to refer babies for bodywork interventions when breastfeeding problems emerged, referring the babies on for frenotomy once treatment with their own particular approach to fit and hold, combined with some weeks of manual therapy and exercises, didn't help.
It's true that some breastfeeding problems resolve with the passage of time alone. However, I'm definitely not proposing that 'letting time pass' is for the most part a helpful response from breastfeeding support professionals (although there may be occasions when it is helpful to let some time pass)! There is typically so much to do to help breastfeeding women when problems arise, which is why I've created Possums Breastfeeding & Lactation.
But it's worth knowing that when things seem to improve over a period of time, the improvement may not be due to the traditional bodywork therapy and exercises you have been applying to your baby. Instead, it may be because you and your baby have been experimenting your way through, at the same time as your baby matures.
You can find out what the science tells us about use of traditional bodywork for breastfeeding problems here.
This is why the most convincing scientific studies randomise participants into a placebo and an intervention group, for a comparison which takes into account the effects of the passage of time, to show what really does help (over and above the passage of time).
What is a course of traditional bodywork?
Traditional bodyworkers typically recommend that babies have between two and ten sessions of bodywork, each lasting 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the severity of the tongue and jaw restriction which is diagnosed by the bodyworker.
You are also likely to be given exercises to do inside and outside your baby's mouth and to your baby's body. You may be asked to do these exercises multiple times a day for a number of weeks.
What training or background do traditional bodywork therapists have?
A bodyworker who treats breastfed babies may be an
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Orofacial myologist
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Oromyofunctional therapist
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An osteopath
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A craniosacral therapist
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A chiropractor
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A massage therapist.
A bodyworker who treats breastfed babies may also be an upskilled
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International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
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Occupational therapist
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Speech pathologist
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Registered nurse
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Midwife.
What are the knowledge frameworks upon which traditional bodywork therapy is built?
An appreciation of the significance of connective tissues and fascia and their interconnection throughout the whole of the body has become mainstreamed in recent years. Like many advances, this knowledge came first from CAM therapies.
In adults, and also in older children and adolescents, traditional bodywork therapy teaches that injury or dysfunctional patterns of movement set up muscular, connective tissue and fascial restrictions. Recently, fascia has been demonstrated in the research to be very slightly contractile, contributing to the 'stuckness' of tissues. Dysfunctional patterns of movement can impact upon the joints and bony skeleton over time, too, narrowing or tightening the joints, often referred to as joint compressions or subluxations.
Manual therapies and exercises have been developed to support the release of contracted tissues, the release of joint compressions, and the re-wiring of neural pathways to relieve pain and promote healthy, pain-free and aligned function.
You can find out how I have benefited from traditional bodywork therapy in both my personal and professional lives here.
But in Possums Breastfeeding & Lactation, I show you why extrapolating traditional bodywork practices for adults and older children back to treatments of babies with breastfeeding problems conflicts with what evolutionary biology and neurodevelopmental science tells us about _Homo sapiens _infant tissues and function. You can find out about this conflict here and here.
For many breastfeeding support professionals, breastfeeding difficulties are now predominantly viewed through the lens of fascial and connective tissue restriction, extending on earlier interest in infant ankyloglossia or tongue-tie.
You can find out about what you might hear from a traditional bodywork therapist about your baby's body, orofacial structures, and sucking in detail here, alongside an analysis of these beliefs from an evolutionary bodywork perspective.
Today, IBCLCsand other breastfeeding support professionals who don't refer to traditional bodywork therapists (or apply their own bodywork treatments to babies) are considered stuck in an outdated biomedical paradigm, and behind the game.
But in Possums Breastfeeding and Lactation, I show you why evolutionary bodywork is actually ahead of the game, and why traditional bodywork therapy is, paradoxically and confusingly, stuck in an outdated biomedical paradigm. It's all confused because market forces and financial incentives play such a big part in determining the kind of training your health professional receives and the kind of healthcare your baby receives.
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You can find out what the science says about traditional bodywork therapy for babies with breastfeeding problems here.
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You can find out about evolutionary bodywork here.
Recommended resources
Who gives traditional bodywork therapy to breastfed babies and why?
Breastfeeding, orofacial development and traditional bodywork therapy
Nine reasons why traditional bodywork therapy makes life with your baby harder than it needs to be