Realities on Newborn Sleep:

A skilled NCS can establish effective routines for the baby, aiming for them to sleep through the night by around 12 weeks of age.

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Newborn sleep often doesn't align with the natural rhythms of day and night. However, we can help babies develop mature circadian rhythms by exposing them to the right environmental cues.

Sleep training is developmentally inappropriate before 4-6 months of adjusted age. An NCS practices responsive care, ensuring that a newborn is never left to fuss or cry without support, which encourages self-soothing. Responsive care involves observing a baby’s cues, assessing their physical and mental needs, and responding accordingly.

This approach builds trust and fosters healthy attachment.

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These practices involve things like:

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• Developing a care plan for your newborn baby.

• Assessing the needs of newborns who may be at risk and refer to parents as appropriate.  

• Helping parents decide on age-appropriate goals and methods.

• Counseling and educating families with evidence-based information.

• Educating parents on developmentally normal infant sleep patterns.

• Creating a sleep environment conducive to infant sleep.

• Using sleep tools, like white sound machines and sleep sacks.

The act of creating these healthy building blocks to newborn sleep, often referred to as sleep conditioning or sleep shaping, is encouraged while always responding to a newborn’s physical and emotional needs. 

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Consider:

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Compressive forces during birth can exert pressure on the nervous system, particularly the cranial nerves that control sucking, swallowing, jaw mobility, and digestion. This can lead to areas of discomfort, muscular tension, or bone misalignment in the baby which would be seen as on/off fussing.

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The possibility of misalignment can create nursing /latching challenges, restricted jaw opening, jaw clamping, weak suck action, difficulty swallowing, excessive spit-ups (reflux), one-sided feeding challenges (head turns more easily in one direction), crossed or wandering eyes and asymmetrical head shape.

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Craniosacral therapy can be especially beneficial for newborns and infants with difficulties that can arise from tensions and restrictions in the baby’s head, spine, or body. These issues may be caused by pressures experienced during late pregnancy and the forces of birth, which are exacerbated by fast, prolonged, or induced labor, as well as cesarean section, forceps, and vacuum-assisted deliveries.

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Other modalities to consider are Infant Massage, and Infant Chiropractic care, which are helpful when babies struggle to feel comfortable in their bodies due to tightness and those babies who experience muscular or fascial issues during birth.

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These modalities of Infant Bodywork can provide significant relief and support. However, it's important to understand that while these therapies are helpful, they don't eliminate a baby’s instinctual need to be held, as it's natural state for the last few months has been in the curled-up fetal position, snug and cradled.

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