Torticollis and Breastfeeding
Jody Krause
Rochester MN USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 20 No. 2, March-April 2003, p. 55
My story begins with a surprise
pregnancy. My husband and I found out we were going to be starting a
family earlier than we had planned. In nursing school, I had learned
that human milk was superior to infant formula, so we knew I would be
breastfeeding our baby. I found myself anticipating nursing my baby,
and had several dreams during my pregnancy in which I nursed a baby
boy.
I really wasn't worried about
being able to breastfeed. After all, women have been doing it for thousands
of years. I would roll my eyes behind the back of mothers who said,
"I tried to nurse my baby but I just couldn't do it." I thought
to myself, "What on earth did they mean? What's so difficult about
breastfeeding? Your body produces the milk, you put your nipple near
your baby's mouth and he drinks."
My sister- and mother-in-law
encouraged me to attend La Leche League Group meetings prior to the
birth of our baby. I eventually went to a meeting when I was eight months
pregnant. I thought LLL was a breastfeeding support group, kind of like
Alcoholics Anonymous or something. I thought it was a place to go where
mothers who suffer social persecution because they breastfed go for
support from other breastfeeding mothers who have great tactics for
dealing with society. I didn't realize that LLL was so much more until
after our baby was born.
On May 22, 2001, our son,
Andrew, was born. I had a very detailed birth plan, thanks to my wonderful
sister-in-law. The birth plan stated, among other things, that nothing
was to go into my baby's mouth except my nipple, including a bottle
or pacifier.
Andrew came into the world
after 11 hours of intense back labor (is there any other kind of back
labor?), resulting from his face-up position. After he was born, he
cried for almost two hours straight. We started having problems nursing
immediately.
I couldn't get Andrew to
latch on. When I held him in my arms, he would arch away from my nipple.
Only with the wonderful help of the postpartum staff nurses was I able
to latch him on and nurse him. He never nursed for more than five minutes
at a time.
By the next day, my nipples
were cracked and bleeding. I sent my husband out to buy Lansinoh, which
helped. Still, each time he latched on I cried out in pain. I actually
didn't want to leave the hospital because I felt as though I couldn't
nurse my baby. My husband was so incredibly supportive and encouraging
through all this. Every new nursing mother deserves a wonderful husband
like the one I have.
My mother- and sister-in-law
asked if I wanted them to come to our home the day after I was discharged
from the hospital. With tears in my voice, I explained to my sister-in-law,
Maria, the difficulties that Andrew and I were having, including the
state of my nipples. Maria, who had a new baby herself, and my mother-in-law
were on the way! Maria came armed with her Breastfeeding Answer Book
and a pair of nipple protecting cups, which prevent nipples from rubbing
against material between nursings. The cups brought almost instant relief.
She taught me how to express a little milk and leave it on my nipples
because of its wonderful healing properties. She spent a lot of time
troubleshooting possible nursing problems with me and offered me great
comfort as I cried and worried. I'll never forget her patting my arm
and saying, "You're a good mother, Jody." Boy, did I ever
need to hear that! But poor Maria! I must have called her 10 times that
first month and once at 3 am. She was always there to offer support,
information, and encouragement.
I found that the only way
I could nurse Andrew was in the football hold, which was not as cuddly
as I'd imagined. Nursing lying down together was a challenge. Soon my
milk came in and, once again, we were having problems with latching
on. I had a very hungry baby who couldn't nurse. At Maria's advice,
I went back to the postpartum unit at the hospital and sought the help
of those wonderful nurses. They determined that I was engorged, which
made it nearly impossible for Andrew to latch on. The nurse introduced
me to an electric breast pump and assured me it would become my best
friend. Thus began the adventure of pumping.
For the next four weeks I
had to either nurse my baby or pump my breasts every two hours or else
I became painfully engorged. When I pumped, I pumped just enough to
soften my breast to enable Andrew to latch on. After eight weeks, my
milk supply reached a supply and demand state and engorgement was no
longer a problem. But Andrew and I were not out of the woods yet.
Andrew was still only nursing
in the football hold position, and he was getting so long his feet were
hitting the back of the couch. We nursed lying down, but he could only
nurse with his head turned to the left. My husband and I noticed that
he was never turning his head to the right to follow an object that
interested him. His head would turn just a little and then he'd follow
with his eyes. Maria suggested chiropractic care for a possible neck
or spinal misalignment. Favoring a non-invasive approach to a possible
medical problem, we took him to a chiropractor who specialized in children.
After three weeks of treatment, it was quite evident that Andrew's body
was not holding the chiropractic adjustments. There was no improvement
in his range of motion and Andrew screamed with each adjustment, so
we decided to stop the chiropractic treatment.
We then took him to see his
pediatrician. "Torticollis" was the diagnosis which was made.
Torticollis occurs when a muscle is twisted on one or both sides of
the neck, and is considered a symptom of an underlying condition. We
had x-rays taken of Andrew's neck. He saw many different specialists
including a neurologist and a physical medicine doctor. It was a very
frightening time for my husband and me, not to mention that Andrew has
developed a profound fear of any stranger touching him. However, we
were very grateful to find out that his torticollis was not related
to a neurological problem and that his condition had the potential to
improve with therapy.
The problem was that physical
therapy caused him great pain. We were referred to a craniosacral therapist
for a much more gentle approach to his problem. After hearing of Andrew's
symptoms over the phone, the therapist immediately concluded that he
had torticollis. She had successfully treated many children in this
condition, and although she was a two-hour drive away through traffic-laden
Minneapolis, we were desperate and hopeful that she could help.
After three months of various
craniosacral therapy sessions, Andrew had improved tremendously. This
therapy enabled Andrew's body to hold chiropractic adjustments. And
I could now nurse my baby in the cradle hold position when his occasionally
stubborn disposition allowed. We will never know for certain what caused
Andrew's torticollis. I firmly believe that the birthing process in
our ultra-interventional, modern medical community very often results
in a baby experiencing trauma in many ways including cranial and spinal
misalignment. I will definitely take each of our future children to
both a craniosacral therapist and a chiropractor soon after birth to
prevent them from possibly suffering the painful muscle contractions
and spasms my Andrew endured.
In hindsight, were it not
for breastfeeding my son, I may not have seen his compromised neck range
of motion as a real problem that needed attention. As it was, I kept
telling myself our nursing problems were something he'd simply outgrow.
I have a lot of people to thank for helping and supporting me as I breastfed
Andrew in those early days. My husband never doubted I could do it and
never considered formula as an option. My sister-in-law, Maria, serves
as a wonderful role model to me. I must also thank our craniosacral
therapist for helping Andrew's body toward healing. I can also thank
myself for never giving up despite these obstacles.
Andrew is now a healthy,
chubby 14-month-old. I just know he will be nursing for a very long
time. We've made it this far, why stop now?
Editor's Note: This article
has been edited from its publication in NEW BEGINNINGS to correct the
spelling of the condition from "torticlosis" to "torticollis."
Last updated Wednesday, October 11, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:03 UTC 2007.
