Our Story
As a self-learner and type-A personality, I felt very prepared and well-researched for the pregnancy and birth of my first child. For some reason, it never crossed my mind to prepare for postpartum or breastfeeding. I was in for quite the surprise.
My daughter was born unable to latch on my left side. I was told it was due to my nipple being inverted. I was given a nipple shield that allowed my daughter to latch on that side. Eventually, she couldn’t latch on the right side without the shield either. Little did I know at the time, this was only the beginning of our breastfeeding struggles.
After the first week or so, my husband and I started to wonder if maybe our baby’s increasing fussiness wasn’t normal newborn behavior. She always needed to be bounced high up on our shoulders while we paced back and forth (anyone who’s had a colicky baby knows - sitting down is not an option). If we dared to sit down or move her from her perch, the screams would intensify. No bouncer, swing, carrier or stroller could soothe her. If she was buckled into her car-seat, she screamed until she was blue in the face. We went NOWHERE for the first few months of her life.
We Tried Everything
Other challenges started popping up. She didn’t sleep well (taking naps for 30 minutes max) and it took an exhaustive amount of effort to get her comfortable enough to finally doze off. Laying her down flat would cause her to wake immediately. Then there was the spit up. Rivers of it - to the point where I was carrying a towel around the house with me. She was incredibly gassy - not pooping for days at a time - and her poor little tummy was always bloated with air. We tried all the top tips: Gripe water, Probiotics, Elimination Diets, “I Love You Massage”, Bicycle Kicks, Swaddle, Pacifier… No Relief.
When I finally researched Oral Ties, I started to think that this might be the missing piece (even though we had been told by one provider that there was no tongue-tie).
I took her into a local pediatrician who specialized in Oral Ties. They found 3 - a tongue-tie, upper lip-tie, and a buccal tie. I was filled with hope that this was the answer to our problems. I took her in to release them the next day.
Weeks went on after the release, we noticed no change. I was religious with the after-care stretches, but thought that maybe the ties had grown back. I took her in to get reassessed. They said everything looked great and the ties hadn’t grown back.
I felt so defeated. Everything I read online made it sound like getting ties released was the answer. It was back to Square One.
Not Quite Everything…
When my daughter was about 4 months old, my sister-in-law was visiting and mentioned how she had been seeing a Bowen Therapist. She explained some of the benefits she had personally experienced and suggested that it might be worth checking to see if they treat babies.
I called and made an appointment.
I was blown away by the gentle care and attention they gave. They listened to our struggles and validated what we were experiencing. They asked for consent to touch my baby. They talked directly to her and explained what they were going to do before they even started the session. We felt safe there. Unhurried. Listened to.
We walked out of there not even 20 minutes later with my daughter in her infant car-seat. No crying. No screaming. She had the biggest poop of her life before we even left the parking lot!
That night, when we laid her down on the bed to change her, we noticed something. She was relaxed. Her body wasn’t clenched in a ball with fists tight. She was moving with ease, smiling and cooing at us. Our jaws were on the floor. Even picking her up felt different. She wasn’t stiff as a board (As a first-time mom, I didn’t know that babies don’t normally feel like that). She was a soft, squishy, cuddly little baby!
Relief at Last
Over the next several months, I dove down the rabbit hole of body tension and fascia. I took to her to see a Myofascial Therapist a couple of times over the next year. In between those appointments, I learned easy bodywork movements and oral exercises to do with her at home. We did some form of bodywork exercise every day.
From then on, it was steady, positive, progress. No more hours of crying and bouncing, no more intense gassiness, and car-rides were peaceful, She slept so much better, and most excitedly, we weaned off the nipple shield and she was able to have a comfortable, deep latch! We had a great breastfeeding journey from then on until we weaned at 18 months.
My passion comes from seeing the spectacular change in my daughter. I know it’s possible to have a happy baby who thrives despite a challenging start to life. Now I want to share that with you. There is hope. There is healing.