Francesca's story: the cranial osteopath helped our breastfeeding problems
When my son was born last December, I was so happy and really looked forward to being a new mum. I had no breastfeeding problems whilst I was in hospital. The nurses would help me latch my son on to me correctly.
When we arrived home, it was a different matter, I just could not get my son William to Latch on at all. I found I became very emotional and felt like a failure because I could not get him positioned correctly.
I called my sister and she came over to help and bought some nipple shields. I found these a life saver and with these I could get my son to latch on and take my milk. Gradually over time I managed to wean my son off from the nipple shields. He would happily latch on without the need of them. The nipple shields made breastfeeding in public difficult. I ended up hardly leaving the house for the first few months.
During this time I took my son to see a Cranium Osteopath as he would never settle by lying down. During the initial consultation, she noticed that as my son had been delivered my ventouse and had a trapped shoulder. This was the underlying cause for the breastfeeding problems I had with him latching on. After attending 4 sessions where she worked on a trapped nerve in his neck from delivery my son became a completely different baby.
He was now contented and would settle much easier, other people also noticed the changes in him. I just wish that I took him to see the Cranium Osteopath when he was only days old. I think this would have saved William and I a lot of stress and upset from the latching on issues.
William is now 11 months old, and I still breast feed him. I am so glad that I never gave up on trying to breast feed and feel this has helped the two of us share a close bond.
Please note: whilst nipple shields are an excellent way to protect sore and cracked nipples, if the symptoms persist we recommend that you consult your midwife or breastfeeding counselor as incorrect positioning and/or latch are often the cause of soreness. Using nipple shields for prolonged periods of time can interfere with your milk supply.
Created: November 23, 2009
