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Your Baby's Health


What can distress you more than an upset baby, a baby who is not well?


We have put together a list of common childhood illnesses.

To assist you to know how to best handle these illnesses from a natural medical point of view we have briefly explained how we would view the situation. We have in several cases suggested that you see your medical doctor first to make sure that the condition is not critical. We are happy to be contacted and talk with you about your concerns.

Homeopathy and Cranial Osteopathy are very gentle forms of treatment and in most cases our recommended first treatments for your baby.

New Borns
Crying
Colic
Not Feeding
Not gaining weight
Smelly Poos
Rashes
Irregular head shape
Eczema
Fever
Not Sleeping
Sleeping Too Much

Older babies and Toddlers
• Fever
• Ear infections
• Vomiting
Bruises
Chickenpox
Childhood diseases and their vaccinations
Constipation
Cradle cap
Dehydration
Diarrhoea
Eczema
Heat rash
Hives
Insect bites
Is it safe to immunise my child?
Jaundice
Nappy rash
Ringworm
Sunburn
Swimmer's ear (otitis externa)
Teething
Teething: How to ease the distress
Thrush in babies
Urinary tract infections
Reflux
What is wind

Crying

As parents of a child you will already know that there are several different cries your child has. You are able to tell whether your baby is:
hungry
tired
angry
something is wrong or
HELP!!!

We believe that the something is wrong cry is usually pain. And therefore to be taken seriously.

Why would a young baby have pain?

Colic
This is one of the most common problems babies seem to present with.
We have found that there are different situations which may be causing this.

Mum's Digestion and Diet
If mum suffers from wind in her digestive system, whether it be from digestive problems, allergies or just particular foods then the baby often will have wind.
There are differing lists of foods which can cause wind in a baby if the mother eats them. We would suggest that the biggest culprits are the sulphur containing foods
Onion and garlic, Brassica Family (cauliflower, broccoli), eggs
Many mother's get wind from too many grains particularly if they are a protein type person (more information on Metabolic Typing).
The highly spiced foods such as curries etc can also go through to the baby and cause distress as their liver is not mature enough to handle this, especially if it not a tradition cultural food.

Sometimes if a baby has been engaged in the birth canal for a prolonged period before birth or the birth was quite forceful the child takes a lot of pressure on the skull and can have a head that looks lopsided or slightly out of shape.

Some babies, particulary boys, are born with a tendency to jaundice. This is tested for by slight pressure on the baby's skin and if it is yellow and not white then the child is considered to possible be jaundice. Placing that child in natural sunlight each day for short periods of time up to say 10 minutes will assist the body to correct this. Please do not leave the child unattended or in the sun long enough to cause sunburn. There are mineral salts which are suitable for very young babies that can be used to assist the liver even further. Should the jaundice be severe, or you have any doubts, then it is important that the baby be checked by a medical practitioner. http://www.chw.edu.au/parents/factsheets/jaundice_in_babies.htm

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for education purposes only. Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to make sure this information is right for your child.

Digestive Problems in Babies

Liver
Intestinal lining
Feeding inappropriate Foods

Birth Trauma

Structural
Birth can create strains on a newborn's structure. The "bones" of the skull fold over each other to allow the head to pass through the birth canal. When the child is born then these soft ones have to unfold and there are occasions when this does not occur immediately or evenly. The pressure created in crying often assists this to occur.

Of major consideration in the baby's head is what is called the cranial base. This is the base of the skull and is where major nerves and blood vessels pass from the neck into the skull . There is a joint that exists between the occipital bone and the temporal bone and within this joint is a hole through which major vessels pass. Any twisting in the skull can cause pressure on these nerves and blood vessels. We have found in many cases that this joint, called the occipital-mastoid joint is compressed together on one side in particular and this causes many problems associated with digestion.
Why? Well the vagus nerve which passes through is responsible for taking nerve supply through to the digestive organs, the stomach, liver and intestines. By releasing this joint through very gentle cranial techniques babies find relief from the neck pain and the digestive problems.

Feeding from one side
We have treated many babies who are willing to feed from one breast but cry when put on the other breast. This is because it actually hurts them to turn their neck that way. Gentle finger pressure or cranial work is all it takes to correct the slightly incorrect rotation and then the baby is happy to feed from both breasts. It is important to try and get this as soon as possible to avoid upsetting the mothers milk supply.

Allergies

Food intolerances can show through in babies very early
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