My Son's Living Situation & Immediate Post-Birth Needs

No Room to Move: Life in the Womb

When my son was living rent-free in my wife’s womb, he had the luxury of a steady food supply, warm shelter, loving tummy talks, and the soothing sounds of our voices. What he didn’t have was space.

Unlike other babies who toss and turn, giving their moms mini heart attacks by flipping into a breech position just weeks before delivery, my son was always in the same spot: one foot high-fiving under his mom's rib, one hand covering his face, and occasionally fist-pumping her bladder. His position made it difficult to see his face during ultrasounds, so we had no idea what he looked like until birth.

His delivery was anything but ordinary. If you’ve taken birthing classes, listened to all the podcasts, and created a detailed birth plan, let me give you some advice: always include a "your plan is not happening" plan. After 4 days, the only thing that went as planned was that he was delivered vaginally.

Despite a long labor and increasing interventions, we avoided a C-section because his heart rate remained stable. Even with that stability, the multiple interventions meant his birth was still considered a trauma, setting the stage for his post-birth needs.

Chilling or cramped? Our son looking cute, right before we realized he was actually locked in womb-mode.

The Domino Effects of Tight Living Space

After birth, he was described as "tight" from spending his entire third trimester stuck in the same position. That, combined with the birth trauma, contributed to his inability to latch effectively.

His constant curled-up state created tension from his shoulder up to his neck. As a result, his mouth was clenched. He struggled to open wide and engage the muscles properly for a strong latch. An inability to latch simply meant my healthy son wouldn’t get enough nutrition and his development would stall.

High Costs, Short Sessions, and Flatline Progress

Our first priority was to see a lactation consultant, learn how to "build a milk factory," and figure out what options we had to help our son. Yes, you would think that maternal instincts will instantly kick in and everything happens like in a National Geographic documentary, but that is far from the truth.

We did as instructed, but my wife was also proactive. She did extensive research and found supporting information for the best baby therapist for chiropractic adjustments. After two professional baby chiropractors yielded little results, she further researched other families with similar problems and found our son needed targeted craniosacral therapy. Craniosacral therapist would use a light touch from the base of the skull, along the spine, and down to the tailbone to release tension, promote self-regulation in the nervous system, and reduce the tendency to clench.

Negotiating with those tiny jaw muscles so he can finally open wide for dinner

Working out the kinks from his nine-month lease in the womb.

The cost for the craniosacral specialist was $300 for a 15-minute session. Quality matters to us, so we had no issues paying for it. But after waiting over an hour for the doctor, she spent less than four minutes with him. I was a bit uncertain she could get results. We figured maybe our son didn’t get the full 15 minutes because she spent the majority of the time explaining and assessing, only working for the last few minutes before she had to go.

We gave it a fair shot. During the next three sessions, she talked less, worked the same amount of time, and made very little progress. To top it off, she recommended 12 to 16 sessions once or twice a week.

Bringing "Michi Insight" Home: How I Bridged the Gap

Despite the frustrations, I was grateful for the insight I gathered from my observations and the reports given by the lactation specialist, chiropractors, and the craniosacral specialist. Watching them, I saw value in what they were trying to achieve, but I felt a different level of physical engagement and depth was needed to truly shift the muscle tension. I knew I could bridge that gap. We sat down and made a game plan; I would start my work as a massage therapist, and my wife would continue to research alternatives.

Why didn’t I work on our son from the start? Because I normally don't work on babies, and this wasn’t something we wanted to experiment with on our first child. But the lack of results continued to hinder our son's growth.

Once I took over, I had to adjust my approach. I usually rely on verbal feedback, but here I was working on a 7-pound infant who couldn’t tell me what he felt. Navigating his tiny body and applying my skills to a miniaturized version of human anatomy was both a challenge and a joy.

The sessions started slow. With each movement, I watched his response. Though he grimaced at times, it was never to the point of discomfort or tears. I won’t go into every technical detail, but I focused on his shoulder, hip mobility, erectors, neck, and jaw. He tolerated each session like a champ. We ended every session by bringing his arms above his head and saying "stretch" (which we still do after every bath), then celebrated with cuddles and kisses for every achievement.

In comparison to the four-minute sessions the specialist recommended, I worked on him twice daily for about 15 to 20 minutes over two weeks. I thought a baby wouldn’t be tight or have anything to stress about, but the difference before and after told another story. Before, when he slept, if you pulled his limbs straight, they would snap back in. After our work together, whenever you extended his arms or legs, they stayed relaxed. He went from being tightly balled up to lying like a starfish at ease. It made a real difference for him.

From a tightly bound burrito to a relaxed starfish, progress looks good on him.

The Solution We Already Had at Home: Trusting Your Instincts

Although our son is on his own unique growth curve, we are thrilled to see his development steadily progressing. He may be smaller than some kids his age, but he is growing, thriving, and happy, and that’s all that matters in the end.

Looking back, I am incredibly grateful we trusted our instincts and took matters into our own hands. As parents, it's easy to assume that the most expensive "specialist" in the room holds all the answers. But this journey taught us a valuable lesson: sometimes, the best solution isn’t the one you pay a premium for; it’s the skills, intuition, and love you already have right at home.