Daphne saw the craniosacral therapy person yesterday, on the recommendation of my midwives and my gut feeling.  She was very nice, and Daphne was good for her, for the most part until she got tired and cranky.  The adjustments she makes are so incredibly subtle that you can’t see anything occurring at all, but having had craniosacral massage myself, I know that you feel a difference afterwards.

Our goals – mine, really – going in to it was to see if we could do anything about the breastfeeding, help her digestive system, and possibly help her nervous system allow her to sleep better.  The CST didn’t feel she had a particularly high palate (which, four weeks after the OT saw her, may simply be how it’s changed over time – it apparently forms very late in gestation, and is significantly modified when the head is compressed during the birthing process), but did think it was angled a bit oddly.  So, with very gentle pressure on the palate, and very gentle traction on the back of the head to provide more space for the two sides of the palate to return to a more natural position, she was able to work on our first goal. On the second goal, she didn’t notice a whole lot going on, digestively, but was able to free some restriction in her mid-back area (behind the stomach). On the third, it’s a lot of seeing how she integrates the adjustments over the next few days and weeks.  We’ll see the CST for a followup in about a month.

The breastfeeding has been going alright.  She had two or three days where she was doing it badly again, but has gotten back to a four on the pain scale, down from seven or eight.  With a four, I won’t cut her off from direct boob access at three months.  But, with a four, I may change my plans of breastfeeding as long as she wants, and consider making an effort at weaning around a year of age.  I’m a little sad about that, because I fully support “extended” breastfeeding (and find it ridiculous that we consider breastfeeding until 2 years terribly long and weird when that’s the WHO recommendation, and many cultures breastfeed much longer), and had hoped to have the opportunity.  But I am constantly reminded of, and thankful for, the advice my midwife gave us: “What gets the most needs met of the most people in the family is the right way to go.”

Sleeping is also improving.  Not certainly what I’d like just yet, but since we’re being relatively vigilant about trying to get her down when she starts getting sleepy, it is usually only taking 10 to 20 minutes to get her down (asleep enough to be put down in a bouncer to sleep – haven’t braved down bare in the cosleeper/playard yet).  Sometimes we miss a nap opportunity in the day, and it shows in her behavior.  But I try incredibly hard to not miss more than one, and not (again, when possible) have back to back days where she entirely misses a nap.

In milestone news, she still can’t really intentionally reach for anything, and you can just kind of tell that she’s trying.  But she has ridiculous head control – unless she’s tired, it stays still.  She loves sitting (holding on to her arms and she wavers in a sitting position), and loves trying to stand (which, I know, is ridiculous for a 10 week old, but it entertains her).  She can lift her head and shoulders off the ground from her tummy (but hates tummy time), but doesn’t recognize her own hands or feet yet. She’ll track some objects, but not all that often, and usually a face but not anything smaller.  She makes one syllable noises, and sometimes attempts two syllables, but doesn’t vocalize a whole lot. She is starting to laugh out loud occasionally (still rare), and definitely makes verbal responses to input.  She’s also trying to blow bubbles, on occasion.  She’s rolled from back to side once, but I haven’t seen that, or tummy to side, since that one time.  Totally normal development, as far as I can tell. 🙂