7 Simple Baby Body Work Movements
Doing rhythmic movements before breastfeeding for just a few minutes can make a big difference in your baby’s feeding experience. These gentle exercises help release tension, calm the nervous system, and integrate reflexes, which can often lead to improved latch, better milk transfer, and a more relaxed feeding session. Adding these movements to your daily routine can support both you and your baby on your breastfeeding journey.
Signs Your Baby May Benefit from Bodywork:
✔ Difficulty latching or feeding
✔ Favoring one side while nursing or turning their head
✔ Torticollis or a flat spot on the head (plagiocephaly)
✔ Tightness throughout body due to tongue tie
✔ Calming post tongue/lip tie release
✔ Fussiness, colic, or trouble settling
Suck Training Exercises
These suck training exercises help strengthen your baby’s tongue, release tension, and improve oral function, making breastfeeding more effective and comfortable. For the best results, try doing these exercises a few times a day for about five minutes. Consistently practicing them can support better latch, improved milk transfer, and overall oral development, setting your baby up for breastfeeding success.
How Craniosacral Therapy Can Help Babies Struggling to Breastfeed
If your baby is having trouble latching, seems fussy at the breast, or has tension in their body, Craniosacral Therapy (CST) may be able to help.
Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on technique that helps release tension and restore balance in the body. It focuses on the nervous system, soft tissues, and fascia, which play a big role in your baby’s ability to move their mouth, suck effectively, and breastfeed comfortably.
How Can CST Help Breastfeeding Babies?
Many babies are born with tightness or restrictions in their body from birth, whether due to positioning in the womb, a fast or difficult labor, or interventions like forceps, vacuum, or C-sections. These restrictions can affect:
• Latching and milk transfer (leading to poor weight gain or frustration at the breast)
• Tongue, lip, and jaw movement (especially in babies with tongue ties)
• Colic, reflux, and excessive fussiness
• Neck tension or head preference (only turning one way)
• Overall comfort and ability to relax during feedings
By using gentle touch, Craniosacral Therapy helps release these restrictions, relax the nervous system, and support better feeding function. When babies feel more comfortable in their bodies, they can breastfeed more effectively and with less frustration.
I combine my skills as an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and Craniosacral Therapist to offer a holistic approach to breastfeeding support. If you’re struggling with feeding challenges, I’d love to help you explore how Craniosacral Therapy in Boise could benefit your baby.
My training includes: Infant Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, Craniofascial Therapy, Myofascial Therapy. I combine all my skills to help calm your infant and release tension and by doing this it often increases breastfeeding success.
Schedule a consultation today with Melanie Henstrom, IBCLC, to see if CST is right for your little one!