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Does your baby have tension?

Writer's picture: Shaina RafkinShaina Rafkin

Tension can often disguise itself as strength, but in reality, it’s usually a compensation for weakness. For example, think about a newborn holding their head up during tummy time. It might seem like the baby has great neck strength, but what you’re seeing is actually tension.


We frequently hear about tension in babies and how it can negatively impact feeding, movement, and head shape. While bodywork aimed at reducing tension and tightness is super important and beneficial, it’s also crucial to understand why the tension exists and what role it’s playing for the baby.


For instance, if a tight jaw helps a baby feed because their tongue isn’t moving optimally, releasing that tension can sometimes make things worse initially. After a tongue-tie release, some babies may seem less efficient or more disorganized while feeding. This happens because they were relying on a tight lip or jaw to compensate for inadequate muscle movement. Once that tension is reduced, they lose that stability, leading to disorganization.


This is where therapy becomes essential—providing neuromuscular training to build the strength, coordination, and stability needed for optimal function.


Reducing tension is super valuable, but it’s equally important to replace it with strength and proper muscle function. If you're working on improving feeding skills with your baby, get yourself a team of providers who can support you in all these three areas---> decreasing tension, increasing oral function, and assessing the structure if necessary.


As always, feed free to reach out for help!



If your baby had difficulty feeding, who was on your team?



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