My eldest son had problems after he was born, and I didn’t even notice!
When I had my eldest son, and he was a very small baby, he had some really quite complex problems, they were neurological in nature. But I hadn’t picked up on these initially (no one had, they were not problems that were instantly detectable or ‘treatable’).
I would like to be clear on one thing, before I begin; I WORSHIP the NHS, I think our health system and dedication of staff is second to none. I am deeply proud to live in a country that has a healthcare system for all. A healthcare system that employs some of the bravest and most dedicated people out there, in a time none of us could have dreamt of. It was, for 6 years a very happy place for me to work too. I have ultimate respect for my colleagues, and the system as a whole. It’s worth getting that out there as this blog talks a little about health resources commonly found outside of the NHS, and I like to celebrate them too!
So back to my boy, Fynn! I’ve talked about this in a previous blog; https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-boy-has-autism-hes-amazing-ella-bains/?published=t so I won’t repeat myself (too much!) Fynn had quite a long, traumatic birth. it was actually something caused by a low lying placenta which you can read about here; https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/what-happens/placenta-complications/ This resulted in a lot of prolonged pressure through his cranium and neck. At the time I was clueless as to how this can affect babies (and why would I have knowledge in this area, how many of us know about these things?!). At 12 weeks Fynn was not making any eye contact, smiling or tracking us around the room with his eyes, there was very little baby communication from him. And I hadn’t noticed. I was caught up with the fact he was struggling to feed from me, it hadn’t even occurred to me he should be making eye contact.
Chiropractic adjustments? For BABIES?!
I took Fynn to see a very knowledgeable Chiropractor who addressed some fundamental neurological problems which had very likely occurred during his birth. The initial assessment asked a lot of birth related questions, she then worked with Fynn in a very gentle therapeutic way. Within 2 hours of his 1st adjustment (no bone crunching, we are talking very gentle specialist paediatric chiropractic work), he was making eye contact and tracking his mummy and daddy around the room. Speechless and tearful, I kept taking him to those sessions, he kept improving. It was possibly the best decision I ever made.
Part of the inspiration behind Eric Knows
But what does that mean? It made me question everything I knew about health and life. This life changing decision was something I couldn’t work out what to do with. Surely these things didn’t just affect us? And it occurred to me, why don’t more people know about this? And then after it occurred to me, it irked me! It sat with me and grew, like a seed. And over time it became part of the inspiration for Eric Knows. I started to think what could be done about this, what would help place ‘alternative’ health resources on the map. You see I have always been a tad idealistic in my thinking. It’s a big aim, but I can’t aim for the floor, or the table top. You go where you’re looking, and my head is facing the sky.
The NHS is an incredible resource, and I am moved at the memories and experience it has given me. There are also some incredible private therapists and practitioners out there, this world of ‘self help’ is vast and contains a myriad of sometimes life changing knowledge. We are looking forward to a time when Eric Knows houses many of these practitioners, so if you do find it a world you want to explore, we even have a keyword search button to make things that extra bit easier.
We are growing all the time, so if things are looking a bit sparse, then spread the word. We have space for physiotherapists, counsellors, coaches, osteopaths, chiropractors, reflexologists. If you are in any kind of quandary then get in touch, you can email me directly on ella@ericknows.co.uk. Or even if this story has inspired you, then feel free to drop me an email.
I’ll just leave you with one last nugget of information; if you are ever wondering how your private practitioner, therapist or coach is verified, each profession has their own professional body. You can do an online check, each profession has their own accreditation body, and these registers can be found online. If you would like a blog on how to do this then let me know, I’d be happy to put one together!
Do you have any experience with ‘complementary’ therapy, health, treatment that you feel comfortable sharing? If you do drop your comments below!
Disclaimer; any medical, psychological, physical, physiological condition should always be discussed with your Doctor or healthcare practitioner, talk to your GP about questions you may have. We are not recommending that you do not engage in assessments, investigations, treatments, advice and therapy available to you within the NHS. Always consult your Doctor in the first instance.
Thanks to Karolina Grabowska, Rodnae and Leah Kelley for the pictures
