I haven't, but Adrian has. Twice now.
Remember how I mentioned several months ago that he was a super sleeper that slept so much, he needed to be jostled awake just to feed? Well, that was a different baby. The Adrian we have now is very.....challenging with his sleep patterns. I'm not going to say its a problem because so far, I have not complained about it and I'm holding on tight to the notion that if I don't acknowledge it as a problem, then it really isn't a real problem.
Nevertheless, after a particularly difficult week, I took him to the osteopath last Friday. I never knew what osteopaths did and when a friend of mine mentioned (nearly a month ago) that she took her daughter to one to help with her sleep, I was intrigued but didn't act on it because I felt that I could get things under control. Until I lost too many sleep battles.
So what exactly do they do? The center we went to specializes in osteopathy in the Cranial Field, a very gentle approach that is suitable for babies. It aims at "restoring the structure and function of the body to a state of balance and health using drug free, manual therapy. The treatment process involves a subtle manipulation to the small rhythmic motions in the tissues and organs of the body." Their brochure and the posters on the center's walls indicate that they can help with everything from ear infections and colds to ADHD and even mastitis. They're magic doctors that help with EVERYTHING! So, I gather that its not that they fix sleep issues in babies but instead, they help to align the body so that everything is working as it should and this in turn may translate into the baby sleeping like the proverbial baby.
Honestly, I can't tell if the osteopath is actually doing anything or is just resting her hands on Adrian's back. But, whatever it is that she's doing, it is having some effect on him. I still have the dark circles under my eyes and am as grouchy as last week but, there has been a change. Adrian is sleeping a lot more peacefully. He even nearly fell asleep on the way to his session today instead of screaming the whole way. I like how things have been progressing so far.
Now that I have put this down in black and white, he'll probably keep me up all night again. Should I actually click "Publish Post"? If I have a good night, you'll hear from me tomorrow morning.
5 comments:
I was going to write a comment, but I thought I'd better ... uh ... sleep on it first.
I'm all for what ever works! Hope it helps.
Hopefully by posting you didn't unosteopize him.
Well, posting might have been a dangerous thing. He seems half 'unosteopized'. I'm still hopefull :)
An osteopathic physician (DO) has had 4 years of medical school, just like an allopathic physician (MD)- but have additionally been trained in osteopathic manipulation. Osteopaths practice in all specialties, but some choose to specialize in osteopathic manipulation by completing a fellowship that focuses solely on this practice.
I hope his treatment helps and you are both able to get some rest!
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