Gentle Bodywork for Your Baby (and You!)
Located in Oak Brook, IL, serving families throughout the Chicagoland area
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Does this describe your baby?
• always feels so tight, “stiff as a board”
• has a head turning preference
• hates tummy time or being flat on their back
• struggling with feeding at breast or bottle
• prefers feeding on one side over the other
• struggles with pooping every day, reflux, gassy, fussy, crying all the time due to digestive symptoms
• have concerns about or diagnosed with lip and tongue ties
• another healthcare professional believes bodywork would be beneficial for your baby
Bodywork can help!
What Is Infant Bodywork?
The type of Infant bodywork that I do combines Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and specialized pediatric massage techniques to gently release tension in your baby’s fascia and craniosacral system. Using these gentle approaches, I help babies relax, improve feeding comfort and ability, and support the development of essential milestones.
Coming into this world is not easy! Factors such as birth interventions, like these examples, or tension from lip and tongue ties can contribute to restrictions that impact a baby’s comfort, feeding, and ease of movement. After birth, we should ideally see babies latching and feeding well, stretching out, extending their arms and legs, and moving their head freely. Some babies hold onto tension, which can make it difficult for them to feed well—whether breast or bottle—and move comfortably, impacting both their overall comfort and feeding success.
During sessions, I apply light, gentle touches—just 5 grams of pressure—along with pediatric massage techniques to help release these areas of tension. This soothing approach often leads babies to take deep breaths, yawn, stretch, or completely relax, it’s such a wonderful thing to see! Through this specialized bodywork, your baby can experience improvements in comfort, mobility, and overall well-being. Including feeding better!
How Can Bodywork Benefit Your Baby?
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Head Turning Preferences & Torticollis: Some babies are born with or develop a preference for turning or tilting their head to one side – their comfortable side, which is tension in the neck. By releasing that strain, your baby can use those muscles with ease and strength. Babies should be able to have all ranges of motion available in their body, including their neck, addressing this can even help them enjoy tummy time better!
Feeding Issues: Whether your baby is struggling with latching, sucking, or just doesn’t seem comfortable during feedings at breast OR bottle, bodywork can help address underlying oral disfunctions and body tension likely causing the problems.
Oral Ties Support: Bodywork before and after an oral ties release can help your baby’s body relax, easing tension in the jaw, neck, shoulders, and oral muscles. This gentle preparation can make the procedure go more smoothly and improve feeding outcomes. Even if you decide not to release the ties, I’m happy to work with you and your baby to ease body tension and support better oral function.
Digestive Issues: Bodywork for babies has been known to alleviate common digestive issues in babies, including constipation (baby should be pooping every day!), reflux, and excessive gassiness.
Head Shape: Head Shape Support: During birth, your baby’s head naturally adapts to fit through the birth canal. After birth, the bones usually settle back into a rounded shape, but sometimes a longer labor or use of tools like forceps can prevent this. If your baby has been diagnosed with head shape concerns like plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, or scaphocephaly, they may experience challenges with feeding, turning their head, or feeling comfortable on their back or tummy. Through gentle bodywork with CST, I can help the cranial bones relax and find their natural alignment.
Bodywork for You!
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You deserve bodywork, too! Whether you need relief from breastfeeding discomfort or just a chance to relax and recharge, I’m here for you!
Lactation Support: I offer Therapeutic Breast Massage, which utilizes specialized massage techniques and hot stones to help calm engorgement and release plugged ducts—especially stubborn and recurring ones! This massage promotes lymph fluid movement and reduces inflammation, allowing milk to flow more easily.
After your Therapeutic Breast Massage, it’s very beneficial to nurse your baby or pump. If you’d like, I can also apply Kinesio tape to the breast, ensuring that the placement is appropriate so it does not interfere with your baby’s latch or pump flange. This gentle lifting of the skin allows fluid to flow, which can continue to reduce edema and further improve milk flow after you leave your appointment. Many moms experience immediate relief and less pain and I will show you techniques to continue the healing at home. Generally 1 -2 sessions is all that’s needed.
Looking for a little pampering? Treat yourself to a full-body relaxation massage in a cozy, calm space. I offer 60-minute sessions designed to help you unwind, fill your cup, and enjoy a well-deserved break. Let’s work on those tight neck and shoulder muscles!
You’re welcome to bring your baby along with a helper (they can hang out in the waiting room right next door), so you can feed them right after your session. And if your baby needs you sooner, we can simply pause for a feeding and then pick up where we left off with the massage!
Let’s make time for you—whether it’s therapeutic breast care or a relaxation massage, I’m here to support your self-care journey!
I’m here for you and your baby
Conveniently located in Oak Brook, welcoming Chicagoland families for gentle bodywork and CST for both moms and babies
I’m a Licensed Massage Therapist and Infant Craniosacral Therapist, I love helping moms and babies feel their best. Your little one will receive gentle therapeutic bodywork, including CST, in a cozy, calming space.
You deserve care, too! Bodywork for yourself, whether for relaxation or for lactation support can really help you recharge. I look forward to supporting you both!