24/10/2026
Did you know that gentle hands-on therapies for newborn babies are much more integrated into maternity care in some parts of Europe?
I find this fascinating.
In France, several maternity hospitals offer osteopathy for newborn babies. At some hospitals, consultations can even be suggested by the maternity team following birth.
In Germany, one of the major statutory health insurers, AOK Hessen, provides additional reimbursement specifically for osteopathy for babies during their first year of life.
And in Switzerland, complementary health insurance can include both osteopathy and craniosacral therapy. One Swiss hospital also offers perinatal osteopathy as part of a multidisciplinary approach alongside paediatricians, midwives and other maternity professionals.
Craniosacral therapy and osteopathy are different therapies, but they share some common roots and both use gentle hands-on approaches.
Having spent 25 years working with newborn babies as a midwife, neonatal nurse and breastfeeding supporter, I have always been fascinated by how much a baby goes through during pregnancy and birth.
It is interesting to see how other countries are incorporating these gentle approaches into the wider support available to babies and their parents after birth.
Perhaps one day we will see more of this here in the UK too.
