Basic Rules to Optimize Your Baby's Health- Part 1
Feb 02, 2018 | Shmuel (Stuart) Berger, PT
Every expectant parent wishes and prays for a healthy baby. While I cannot promise that your child will be totally free from illness,
Part 1: From Pre-Conception to Birth
Every expectant parent wishes and prays for a healthy baby. While I cannot promise that your child will be totally free from illness, sleep soundly 10 hours a night, begin to walk at 10 months, and speak in sentences by the time he/she is two, I guarantee that if you follow my 12 Basic Rules to Optimize Your Baby’s Health, your child will develop and thrive in the best way possible.
1) Healthy Parents Make Healthier Babies
Sounds so simple, but it is so overlooked when prospective parents wish to bring a child in the world. As a Physical Therapist at a school for special needs children, which includes children with Autism, severe learning disabilities, Down’s syndrome, etc., I noticed that an overwhelming number of parents seemed unhealthy themselves. They were either very frail, overweight, and generally looked out of shape and sickly. Remember, the foundation of the child’s health is based in the vitality and strength of the parent’s sperm and ovum and the DNA which is contained with them. For example, a high fat diet has been shown to decrease sperm quality.
Medical News: Sperm Quality Linked to Dietary Fat – in Urology, General Urology from MedPage Today
Click here for the full story.
In general, if the parents exercise regularly, eat a healthy balanced diet, do not smoke or take recreational drugs, and avoid pollutants as much as possible, the chances are significantly increased that they will have a healthy baby.
2) Make the Womb an Optimal Environment for the Embryo’s Development
In addition to the above advice, the expectant mother needs to be aware that she not only passes on physical nutrients to her developing baby, but also her emotional state and level of stress are passed on either energetically or through the umbilical cord with stress hormones. Aside from low impact cardiovascular exercise (such as swimming or TaiChi), try to spend time in quiet meditation and relaxation. For example, take a few minutes listening to your breath rate by placing your hands on your ribs and feeling the ebb and flow of the breath patterns.
Furthermore, avoid areas of high electromagnetic frequencies such as computer terminals, flights in airplanes, or near high voltage electric wires. This is especially true during the first trimester. In contrast, playing soft soothing music such as classical and new age has been shown not only to calm the mother but also positively affect the embryo’s vital signs and growth.
3) Prepare Yourself for the Birth Physically, Emotionally , and Spiritually
Two of the best ways to prepare yourself for the birth are 1) to meet with a birthing coach (Doula) and discuss with her the various options, techniques for relaxation, and methods for the delivery, and 2) to receive regular CranioBalance sessions. For a normal pregnancy I recommend once a month until the 8th month and once a week between the weeks 36-40. Over the past 15 years, I have worked with tens if not hundreds of pregnant women, and I can say that every one of them had a successful vaginal birth with a minimum of medical intervention. The babies, that we fondly call, “our cranial babies”, sleep, nurse, and develop better and seem to be calmer and more content.
4) Mother’s Milk- The Perfect Food for your Baby
Even if you are planning to go back to work and cannot possibly continue to breast feed, it is vital for the newborn’s immune system and growth to receive at least the first mother’s supply. For an overview of the benefits of breast milk see here.
This research shows that breastfeeding your baby reduces the chances of the child developing ADD/ADHD later in life.
In addition, the sucking of the mother’s nipple stimulates the entire cranial system affecting brain function and development and helps strengthen the muscles of the oral cavity.
5) Immediately Following Birth –A CranioBalance Session
The passageway from the womb to the outer world can be difficult and traumatic. In a perfect world, the birth process should serve as a type of cranial massage as the baby works his way safely through the vaginal canal. Unfortunately there are a myriad number of factors (cord wrapped around the neck, breech, non-progressing labor, etc.) that complicate the birth process and may cause stress and tension in the body. These stresses, although they may be minor, can cause colic, torticollis, sleeplessness, irritability, allergies, ear infections, breathing difficulties in infancy, and ADD/ADHD, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities into childhood.
A gentle five to ten minute post-partum cranial session can balance out the infant’s body and release any held in trauma from his birth and delivery, as described in this post. I recall the case of an infant born with a vacuum delivery due to a non-progressing delivery. The child was placed in the incubator with a large black and blue welt on the top of his head. He was lethargic and breathing quite shallowly with an initial Apgar of 7. I treated him 10 minutes after birth, and the shape of his skull shifted under my hands as his breath deepened, and the welt on his head seemed to melt away. The next day, the infant was nursing successfully and sleeping for 4-5 hours at a time. The child is 8 years old now, and has not had an ear infection, no allergies, and is a well-adjusted healthy boy.
One of my dreams is to bring a CranioBalance Therapist to every Neonatal ward in Israel and eventually the world. I am convinced that this is the best and most effective way to prevent many childhood illnesses and diseases and will help to form a healthier generation of children.
In Part 2, I will write continue with more rules from infancy to childhood. Stay Posted!
Written by Shmuel (Stuart) Berger, PT, founder of CranioBalance
