A very common problem parents tell me about when they visit me for help with their baby is that they won’t lay down happily on their back and often they can’t be put down at all.

This makes even changing their nappy a mission and parents find themselves having to continuously hold their baby all day, shuushing them and bouncing around with them up on their shoulder.

These babies also like being in their car seat as this holds them in a slightly curled position which they prefer. When you do put them on their back they bring their knees right up and sometimes they drop over to the side as if they actually want to lay on their side.

After seeing many babies like this they often have a common birth scenario, which is a planned C-section or a very quick birth. It usually comes as quite a surprise to the parents that these two types of deliveries can give a fractious baby that won’t lay on their back. I call these "Little Frog BirthType" babies.

What your baby is doing here is tending to want to stay in the same shape as they were inside you, curled up in the ball of the foetal position.

When a baby is born through the vaginal canal they get stretched out so they don’t remain curled in a ball so much.

Planned C-section babies don't have this at all as they simply come out still curled in a ball.

The quick delivery babies have the stretch through the birth canal to some extent but not for long.

C-section and quick deliveries babies also have the characteristic of being more towards irritable and not sleeping rather than colicky. I put this down to the surprise of being born so fast, as if being born isn’t hard enough already!

Cranial osteopathy is really amazing at unwinding these curled-up-in-a-ball patterns that are common in C-section and quick delivery babies.

By very gently working on the baby’s head, spine and low back they will lengthen out and find laying on their back easier.

Mothers always mention that after the treatment their baby is happier just laying by themselves, not crying, under their play gym on in their cot or on a blanket. This can give you some much need time to get a few personal things done or even get to the loo or have shower without a crying baby in the background!

If you have any questions feel free to email them to me at christian@theperrymount.com