CST for Mothers and Babies

Having a child is one of life’s most profound events. Craniosacral Therapy (CST) can help provide support to mothers, partners, and babies during this period of physical, emotional, and psychological change. Whether you are navigating pregnancy, birth, or the early weeks of parenthood, CST offers a gentle and supportive approach to help ease the transition for both mother and baby.

Ante-natal Treatments

As your body supports, holds, and nurtures your developing baby, CST provides a calm, welcoming, and accepting space where you, too, can be supported, held, and nurtured. Pregnancy is a time of immense change, not just physically but emotionally and hormonally as well. The body softens and shifts to accommodate new life, and the nervous system adapts in response to these changes.

Modern life is fast-paced and full of competing demands. Our autonomic nervous system - which controls functions like digestion, heart rate, and stress responses - can become overstimulated into a fight-or-flight state (sympathetic dominance). CST can help regulate this system, gently bringing the body into its rest-and-digest state (parasympathetic mode), which is essential for optimal fetal development and overall well-being during pregnancy. Studies suggest that heightened maternal stress during pregnancy can impact fetal development, making nervous system regulation an essential part of prenatal care.

As the body prepares for birth, CST can also help relieve minor ailments such as back, shoulder, and neck pain, which are common due to the shifting of posture and center of gravity. The gentle hands-on approach of CST can encourage better alignment, softening of tension, and increased mobility, helping expectant mothers feel more at ease as they approach labor. Treatments are carried out fully clothed, usually in a side-lying position on a treatment couch. Many clients describe feeling warmth, gentle tingling, and a sense of deep relaxation as their body releases tension and adapts.

Baby Treatments

Birth is a natural process, but it can be physically demanding for both mother and baby. Even under ideal circumstances, newborns experience significant pressure and compression as they move through the birth canal. In some cases, this can contribute to common postnatal challenges such as colic, reflux, constipation, poor latch for feeding, tongue tie, torticollis (a head-turning preference), and unsettled sleep patterns. Babies who have experienced long labors, very rapid births, assisted deliveries (forceps, ventouse), or cesarean sections may carry residual tension in their bodies that can affect their ability to settle and feed comfortably.

A study published in the Journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2019) (PubMed ID: 31780018) found that manual therapies, including Craniosacral Therapy, may improve infant colic and reduce crying duration. While further research is needed, this aligns with many parents’ experiences of CST providing noticeable improvements in their baby’s comfort and ability to settle.

Constrictions from birth can be held in the neck, skull, spine, shoulders, and hips, potentially affecting cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerves. This, in turn, can interfere with feeding, digestion, and sleep. CST offers an opportunity for newborns to release tension, integrate their birth experience, and settle into life outside the womb with greater ease.

Supporting the Whole Family

I always work with mothers and babies together, and partners are warmly welcome to join the session. Babies are deeply attuned to their caregivers’ nervous systems - if a parent is holding tension or processing their own birth experience, their baby will often pick up on this. By providing space for parents to release stress, process emotions, and recalibrate their own nervous systems, CST can positively impact the whole family dynamic. It is not uncommon for a baby to settle more easily once their mother has had the opportunity to relax and integrate her own birth experience.

Because CST is non-manipulative and extremely gentle, it is suitable for babies of all ages. I typically work with babies while they are being held, breastfed, or bottle-fed, ensuring they feel secure throughout the session. Some babies prefer to remain in a car seat or on a treatment couch with their mother, depending on what feels most comfortable for them.

A typical session lasts between 30 minutes and an hour. Many parents notice a difference after just one treatment, though several sessions may be beneficial, particularly if restrictions have been present for some time.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions about CST and whether it might be able to support you or your baby, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me by phone at 07989 590 181 or by email at info@andrewradley.com.

CST offers a deeply nurturing and restorative approach during this profound time of change - helping both you and your baby find more ease, comfort, and connection as you embark on this journey together.