Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for your note last week. I totally agree with you that
fetuses are "highly adapted to thrive in the environment of the
mother's body." You raise an important question about CST that I
would like to respond to.
About 20% of babies who cry and fuss for more than 2 h/day. In my
book ( p72-75) I describe my logic for understanding why misalignment
or subluxation (gas, maternal anxiety, etc) cannot be the basis for
the vast majority of these kids: e.g. persistent crying in infancy
has a delayed onset in preemies, gets better with car rides and hair
driers, disappears in most kids by 3 mo, is totally absent in some
aboriginal cultures...and these babies dramatically improve with the
5 S's.
And, they don't just quiet with the 5 S's and shut down...they are
not "forced into a semblance of organization"...they often quiet and
go immediately into a quiet alert state - clearly calmed and highly
receptive to their mothers and fathers (as demonstrated on The
Happiest Baby DVD...which I recommend as the main teaching tool for
parents along with a CD of white noise and a large swaddling blanket).
I have worked with CS therapists (chiropractors and osteopaths) for
decades. I have sent many patients to them and my wife and I have
gone to them ourselves. In fact, I had many of them as parents in my
practice. So I have an open mind...heart...and experience to
manipulative therapy. I am so glad you have seen such stellar
response of colic to CST in your practice, but the evidence for CST
as a treatment for colic is weak at best.
All best wishes,
Harvey
Subject: "soothing techniques"
From: "Jennifer Tow, IBCLC" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 17:39:54 -0500
I tend to agree with Pam with regards to Harvey Karp's book and
methodology. In my experience, babies who are misearble need us to tend
to what is making them miserable. I understand the concept of the
"high-need" baby (thought I had one once, now I know I was missing his
cues), but I think this is, as Gonneke said, a cultural construct. It
makes no sense from a biological perspective that some babies are "just
colicky" or have such a temperament. What does make sense is that
something is very wrong. I think that in general (not necessarily
across the board), stressful pregnancy and medicalized (or even intense
normal) birth are the underlying condiitons that create such behavior.
Human infants are highly adapted to thrive in the environment of the
mother's body. When the infant does not thrive here, then there is
something amiss in the wiring or in the interface. Babies are designed
to seek organization, not to be forced into some semblance of
organization. I think that any infant who cannot organize, cannot
seamlessy shift from a sympathetic state to a parasympathetic state
needs to be supported in remembering how to do so and that it is safe
to do so. Healing pregnancy or birth trauma is doen through
reconnection--first with simple techniques such as co-bathing, STS and
Bach Flower Remedies. Bodywork, inlcuding CST, chiropractic, IMT or
massage should be used if these are not sufficient (I would use them
anyway--babies love bodywork).
I have seen the most distressing cases of colic--another common western
malady--resolve easily with bodywork. IMO, swaddling techniques do not
generally communicate to the baby that we trust his cues. And, in truth
as a culture we do not. Maybe this message "works" in that the baby
gives up those cues, but I have to wonder what aspect of the adpative
process is sacrificed along the way.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network LLC
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