Cranial Sacral for suck issue? HELP! I'm out of options...

[marcib28]

My DS is almost 3 months old. We have had major issues with bfing since he was born. BFing has been the WORST experience of my life up to this point. I have been able to rule out any staph or yeast infections as well as any anatomical issues (tongue tie, high-arch palate, etc). I've simply been told DS has a "weak suck" but no one has offered any solutions to help that. He eats for 40 min every 2 hours still. He doesn't seem to even be sucking but more "chewing" on my nipples. My nipples are bruised and SUPER painful! I also have vasospasms that seem to only be a real problem when my nipples are really damaged. I'm at a loss for what else it could be that is causing this to be so painful. My last option that I can think of is cranial sacral therapy. DH is very skeptical of this though (he is SOO not crunchy!). He's read that it's not good for babies under the age of 2 and doesn't think it will be effective. Has anyone had experience with this? What exactly do they do? Maybe any other ideas on why BFing is so painful for me still?? PLEASE help!!
tia!

[CoBabyMaker]

We were not dealing with the same issues but I can tell you that Cranial Sacral totally changed our nursing relationship!
After the first appt. I didn't see a real change and was pretty discouraged. I was so frustrated with where we were at though that I went again. It was like nursing a different child after that! It also seemed to make a big difference in DDs reflux even though that wasn't why we went originally.
What do they do? They are basically applying a VERY light pressure to whatever areas they think may need adjustment. The therapist I went to said that most babies were sensitive enough that she mostly just used intention (maybe don't tell DH that if he's skeptical.). She also worked on me when she was sensing that DD was "done". It helped me and she said that often the mother-baby connection is enough that it will impact baby too. I am sure that every practitioner is a little different though. The woman I chose was previously an OB nurse who was now doing CST and massage therapy. I found her via www.upledger.com which was the link I found through LLL. Some chiros also do it as well as osteopaths. I would talk to them and see if they have experience working with infants.
Have you taken your DS to a chiropractor? Some chiropractors are also able to help and it is more likely to be covered by insurance. It wasn't enough for us but I know others that it has helped.

[momto4plus4]

I've been seeing a chiro for 6 years and have had her adjust all my kids. We've found that, as the last post said, newborns (at least mine) are super sensitive so she just uses finger pressure. Now, my newest son, she didn't do the sacral adjustment. He had had trouble latching on the left side from day 1 even though he was an excellent nurser. I had to hold him football style on the left but could cradle him on the right. The nurse thought that he had muscle strain from the cord being wrapped around his neck (ended up with a c-section because of the cord). So, on the way home from the hospital we stopped at my chiro. My son was 5 days old. She worked on just his neck and I was able to nurse him, cradle style, both sides while still in her office.

I'm not saying this is a sure fix. Chiro didn't work with my other son but he was sick-bleeding colon, etc. However, I do take my older son now and have seen changes in all my children, and myself and dh, after adjustments. Just make sure to go to someone reliable. Try to get a referral from a friend or a tribe on here if possible. I'm in Minneapolis so if you're here I can give you a referral.

Take care! You're doing a great job!

[rhiOrion]

If you haven't done chiro, you could start there. Your DH might be more on board with it, because it's more mainstream.

I took DD the other day for some of the issues you mention. She gnaws on my nipple instead of latching properly.

It was an immediately difference. The chiro mentioned that it might resovle and then go back to how it was, so we set up appts for next week, too. Sure enough, it was great for about 12-24 hours, and then has started to slip back.

I can't wait to see if there is a longer improvement after the next two appts.

[July09Mama]

We tried CST for my daughter for nursing issues. It was very gentle and honestly just looked like the therapist was holding and touching her. She said the pressure was no more than what you would feel from a nickel sitting on your skin. Unfortunately, she said that our DD didn't really have much wrong with her as far as what CST would help (I guess they can feel the way it moves and know if it's moving correctly), so it didn't do anything for her, but it certainly didn't hurt.
So sorry you're having so much trouble. Things were awful for us in the beginning for a few months, but now she's 9 months and I'm so glad I stuck it out. Good luck!

[kavamamakava]

Oh this definitely helped with my 2nd child. It involves very gentle manipulations while in hand. My midwife did it by holding my baby in her arms with her head in her hands and feet facing her. Then she gently moved her head and slightly helped her stretch her torso. My baby relaxed while she did it even though she was generally a red ball of screaming. We started the session by wrapping my baby in a towel and then immersing her in a warm bath with the towel on and then unwrapping her while in the water and gently massaging her in the water. She took her out and wrapped her in a dry towel and then unwrapped her for the adjustment. We did three sessions.

[sanguine_speed]

[Lirazel]

I had some similar issues to you early on and did CST. We started 2 days after his birth and had 4 sessions total by the time he was maybe a month. Definitely safe. I'm not sure how much they helped and how much it was just a time and adjustment thing, but we're doing great now at 4 months.