What is Craniosacral Therapy? Supporting Mom & Baby After Birth

An Interview with Craniosacral Therapist Mary Atkins with Aspen Grove Wellness

CranioSacral Therapy is a safe and gentle modality that offers a wide range of benefits to pregnant and postpartum mothers, as well as their newborn babies. Yet, many mothers don’t realize just how impactful it can be. This non-invasive therapy can support a mother’s entire being in her recovery after birth, helping to rebalance her muscular skeletal, digestive and immune system, while also alleviating ailments such as pain and postpartum depression. As for newborns, it can help correct feeding issues, colic, reflux and so much more! If you’re looking to learn more about what CranioSacral therapy is and how much support it can truly offer you and your baby, join me as I chat with CranioSacral therapist, Mary Atkins of Aspen Grove Wellness, PLLC.

Mary, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what led you to CranioSacral therapy?

Yes, I started out doing massage as a licensed massage therapist. I went to the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics in Albuquerque. It was a very comprehensive program and they gave us a one day introductory class to CranioSacral therapy. I found it to be really interesting, so when I finished the program and started my own practice in February of 1997, I hosted the Dean from my massage school to come teach a CranioSacral class. At that time I was just dipping my toe into the water of the CranioSacral world, but there was something about it that I found it to be really profound despite its gentle nature. When I was receiving CranioSacral Therapy myself, it felt like the first time that someone was really listening to my body as opposed to just doing something to my body. Even with massage, your manipulating the tissues. CranioSacral Therapy felt more like a dialogue between my body, the therapist and myself. It started waking me up to things going on in my body. I fell in love with it and began my training with the Upledger Institute in 1999. The Upledger Institute was founded by John Upledger, the osteopath who developed the technique. I have done all of my continuing CranioSacral education through them as well.

For someone who might be unfamiliar with CranioSacral therapy, can you explain what it is?

CranioSacral was developed by an osteopath named John Upledger in the 70’s. He was the one who coined the term “CranioSacral system.” So, just like we have a digestive system that is made up of different organs like the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and so on, your CranioSacral system is made up of:

- The membranes that surround your brain and spinal cord.
- The bones that attach to those membranes, which are the cranial bones, a couple of vertebrae in your neck, the sacrum and a little bit of the tailbone. - The cerebral spinal fluid.

CranioSacral therapists work with this system to release restrictions within the membranes or within the tissues that connect to the bones. An example of this would be if someone has an injury in their shoulder that is pulling on the fascia into the neck. That is going to have a ripple affect into the membranes. So, we work with the tissues that impact the CranioSacral system, or we are work directly with the CranioSacral system itself to release restrictions. We do this by using very soft touch. For adults and children over the age of 8 years old, we use 5 grams of pressure, which is roughly the weight of a nickle. For anyone under the age of 8 years old, it’s even less than 5 grams of pressure.

So you work with women while they are pregnant or are in postpartum, as well as with babies. Can you start by telling us how CranioSacral therapy is beneficial to women during pregnancy and postpartum?

Your nervous system governs every other system of your body, so when we are work with the CranioSacral system we are benefiting the endocrine, muscular skeletal, immune and digestive system. We’re optimizing the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and taking pressure off of nerves. This means that after CranioSacral therapy, people experience less pain, improved immune function, more mental/emotional stability and so on. But, specifically to pregnancy, CranioSacral therapy helps by:

- Lessening any pain that is present in the back, hip, pelvic girdle, rib cage and so on. - Helping to aid in a quicker recovery after delivery.
- Supporting overall integration for a mother’s entire being.
- Helping facilitate communication between mom and baby in utero.

And the benefits for a mother who has already given birth?

CranioSacral after birth is beneficial to a mother by:

• -  Helping to restore any musculoskeletal imbalances that may have occurred in pregnancy.

• -  Relieving discomforts, pains or traumas that may have occurred during labor and delivery.

• -  Helping to balance emotions which can help with postpartum depression. (Certain types of

  depressions are linked to compression of specific cranial bones, the sacrum and L5 or the occiput and first cervical vertebrae. And those places tend to get compressed more during traditional, western births, when women are giving birth on their backs.)

I understand that you work with a lot of babies. How can this modality support newborns?

Yes, I love to work with babies!

Moving through the birth canal is our first CranioSacral treatment, as well as our first spinal manipulation. However, the natural function of the CranioSacral system is inhibited anytime there is a cesarean, or if a vacuum or forceps are used. Even in the case of an at home birth or birth where there was little intervention, it can still be a physical trauma for babies. The benefits of CranioSacral therapy for babies are:

• -  Restoring musculoskeletal imbalances.

• -  Correcting any misalignments or releasing any compressions that may have happened

  during birth.

• -  Helping to relieve colic. (This can be done through releasing tight hip flexors that often

  happen when a baby is in utero and are in fetal position for as long as they are.)

• -  Helping with sensory issues.

• -  Improving latch, sucking reflex and tongue thrust.

• -  Helping with reflux.

• -  Helping to resolve feeding issues (tongue or lip tie, difficulty latching, difficulty sucking, sore

  nipples, unwillingness to nurse, etc.)

  Overall, CranioSacral therapy helps rebalance tissues in the body of a baby after undergoing the pressures and stresses of being born.

So, it seems like there are a lot of ways that CranioSacral can support issues that arise with breastfeeding. Do you find that it is helpful for women who are experiencing breastfeeding challenges to work with both a CranioSacral Therapist and a Lactation Counselor?

Very helpful. Most of the babies I work with for feeding issues are referred to me by lactation consultants. I like to work with a baby that is also working with a lactation consultant because lactation is not my area of expertise. It can be very helpful for the mother and father if they are working with someone that specializes specifically in lactation and has that language.

You have shared with us why CranioSacral therapy is helpful throughout pregnancy but is there a window of time that a mother should come in for a session after birth, and when is an ideal time for her to bring her newborn in for a session?

Typically, people don’t bring their baby to me in the first week of life. They are usually coming for a session because their baby has started to develop some problems and they haven’t been able to resolve them in other ways. However, bringing a baby in for a session, ideally within those early days after birth, can really help prevent issues that might develop overtime. This applies to the mother as well. Even, when the mother and baby aren’t exhibiting any issues, it can be helpful to come in to address any compressions or misalignments that are in the tissues, spine and CranioSacral system from pregnancy and birth. To give an example, I’ve seen babies for reflux due to a pelvic twist that extends into their stomach. If they are just put on reflux medication and that twist never gets corrected, then in their adult life they might start experiencing things like back pain or need a hip replacement. Even sensory issues can be slowed or prevented by being addressed early on.

It’s great preventative work for both the mother and the baby. I recommend coming in:

- At any point during pregnancy to support the mother’s overall being. (There may be some issues that would necessitate waiting until a later stage of the pregnancy which can be discussed when someone calls for an appointment).

- After birth, ideally within those first 6 weeks postpartum, even if you and baby feel okay, to help prevent issues from surfacing overtime.

- Earlier, within the first few days if needed, when experiencing colic, failure to thrive, reflux or breastfeeding issues.

Obviously there is a lot going on the first several weeks after birth, so it needs to be realistic and doable for mothers. We don’t want to add another thing to her plate if she’s already feeling overwhelmed. However, I would say the sooner the better and coming in for a session anytime is better than not coming in at all.

Any thing else you would like to share about CranioSacral therapy?

As a CranioSacral therapist, I am simply supporting a person in specific ways so that their self- corrective mechanisms can engage. That is how the healing takes place. Their body has it’s own wisdom and intelligence. I am just there to partner with these innate self-correcting mechanisms.

Connect with Mary to Book a Session

You can read more about Mary on her website https://aspengrovewellness.life/ or reach her at 217-544-4450.