Interesting idea. I worry about the germ factor for babies in a community pool though. Or harsh chemicals needed to keep it bacteria free- but otherwise, I like the idea. would like more info on what cranial therapy is. Maybe you could put it in a comment.

Hi hoverone, Thanks for the comment. Actually, the pool I intend to use is chemical-free - it is a 92 degree, warm-water, therapeutic salt-water pool. They use salt-water and UV treatment to clean the pool with no chemicals, and it is solar-powered. It is cleaner than regular pools, and they have baby swims 5 days a week. It is a popular community pool for infants, the elderly, and those who are alter-abled, as well as regular families and aquatic exercisers. It's the most eco-friendly pool in the state of Oregon. Be well, Kara

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, non-invasive, and effective bodywork modality that is beneficial for whole body health, treats a multitude of conditions, and is effective for infants, children, and adults. Craniosacral Therapy can be deeply healing physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. The CranioSacral System (CSS) consists of the brain and spinal cord, the meninges which completely surround it, the CranioSacral fluid within the membranes, and the cranium, spine, and sacrum. The dura mater is the tough outer meninge that connects to the cranium and sacrum. The CSS is a closed hydraulic system with a slow gentle rhythm that resonates throughout the entire body. Through gentle soft-tissue release the practitioner works with the CranioSacral Rhythm to release tension…more in the fascia and balance the ligaments, muscles, and bones. The CranioSacral Rhythm can be felt through subtle palpation through contact with the cranium, spine, and sacrum - as well as throughout all the muscles, bones, and cells of the body. If there is not movement or expression of the CranioSacral rhythm and tide throughout the body’s tissues, then restriction, dysfunction, and pain settles into the body. The CST therapist assesses the body for restrictions and uses a very light touch to encourage expansion, mobility, and healing. CranioSacral effectively creates deep change through gentle touch by addressing issues at the core of the body’s health. Also, see more info about CST for babies at my website: www.maiahealingarts.com Thanks!

I think this is a brilliant idea and I would love to see something like this implemented in all communities.

sounds amazing, kara! i know that often the birth process is equivelent to a 75 mile an hour car crash to an adult. it is so important to begin the healing process early in life to avoid later issues such as ADD, ear infections, colic, SIDS, bedwetting, anxiety, behavioral issues, chronic illness, etc.. i REALLY hope you succeed! Love, Amy

With a 30% Ceasrean rate here in the USA we need ways mothers and babies can heal from trauma. Providing opportunities for people to experience alternative therapies is important. While western medicine is great emergency or acute care medicine, alternative therapies offer more towards keeping well and addressing the emotional or spiritual causes of disease. The pool sounds heavenly!

This is a very new to me,do you have a web-site?I think this would benefit families and I hope this becomes reality.

this sounds like a fabulous idea, kara. i am so grateful you are working in the (greater) community for the health of moms and babies. blessings, sarah

Hi scdoula - I do have a website at www.maiahealingarts.com which has information on CranioSacral Therapy for Infants, Children, Pregnancy, and Adults - I would love for you to explore and look around. With this grant I would pursue advanced training in AquaCranial at www.aquacranial.com - Be well, Kara

This looks great, and sounds like it would be very helpful!!

What a wonderful way to help the world! I think that this approach is sound preventative health care. Gwen McConnell

This is wonderful! Kara is a true healer and warm water such a wonderful medium for healing.

The only thing that might have improved my incredible homebirths would have been having my babies in water! even with amazing birth experiences, there were definitely times/issues that we could have used something like this (one child was born with cord around neck, another had such a fast birth she could have used this as a way of more slowly integrating that experience). I hope you get the support you need to make this happen--good luck!

good luck on a great idea! take a look at my idea when you have the chance - huyuno.com. Hopefully you can be one of our site's first members! cheers :)

what a wonderful plan and passion! much luck and fiscal support :) love t

While I admire Kara's enthusiasm, I want to be sure there is clarity. I created Aquacranial Therapy and it is copyrighted. Kara has had a treatment but never trained in the therapy. We have been giving free prenatal, postnatal and pediatric treatments for nearly 2 decades. Several therapists have been inspired after taking Aquacranial to give free clinics as well. The training includes doing a free clinic. We have had amazing results and have given more than 10,000 free treatments around the world. Nearly 400 therapists have taken Aquacranial training. Unfortunately, Kara is not one of them. She has contacted me that she would like to take an advanced training if she wins this contest and I wish her luck. She is not trained in the basic Aquacranial yet however. More information about Aquac…moreranial is available in my book, "Kissing Whales Healing Dolphins" by Rebecca Goff or at www.aquacranial.com. To be sure your therapist is actually trained in Aquacranial, you can contact us through the website. The Upledger Institute also teaches a cranio class that is water based, BioAquatics. Upledger works with captive dolphins, Aquacranial works only with free/wild dolphins and whales. The modalities are different. Aquacranial has been prescribed by doctors, paid for by insurance companies. It is a very specific treatment, not simply cranial sacral therapy done in the water. Hope this is helpful and clarifies a bit. Aloha, Rebecca Goff

i love this idea! good luck! i hope you get your funding to offer free CRANIAL SACRAL clinic in water, and with your training.

Kara you are amazing! You have my support 100%! Your work as an advance Cranial Sacral therapist and bringing your work into water with moms and their babes is brilliant! This idea has to win! Love & Blessings to you Kara! - Anastacia

good luck, Kara!

I love the idea, and Good Luck to you!

Kara is an amazing therapist. Her community is Blessed to have her working on thier children. I look forward to sending many new children to her waterbaby clinics. Good Luck Kara!

I think this is a fabulous idea! I have had migraines for years (on a weekly basis). The only thing that helped me was cranial sacral therapy and water therapy, unfortunately they were not performed together. I attempted to have a water birth; however, my daughter was in distress and I had to get out of the water for the delivery. She screamed for the first 6 months of her life, colic I was told. There were other things going on. My point here is that I finally found someone in my area that had experience doing Cranial Sacral on infants. Her spine straightened out and she slept for 14 hours after the session. I have taken her many times, and later found out that she has Cerebral Palsy. CS works wonders for her, I only wish we had someone in our area working with children, and in t…morehe water would be wonderful. Best of Luck to you

Kara is amazing woman, as well as an amazing healer. I am again impressed with Kara's desire to continue her education. Her goal of providing care to the children of our community is quite inpirational. I know that she will use this $10,000 for to do much good. Good Luck Kara. XOXO

Brilliant Idea! I Am also inspired by you with all you do for mothers and babies!Your goal of providing care to the children of your community is inpirational. Best of luck Kara!

We would be blessed to have this service in our community. I am really excited to have our clients with Doulas Supporting Teens involved when this is up and running. We love you Kara and are behind you 100%. Shea www.doulassupportingteens.org

Kara, This sounds like a great idea. I was lucky to have a friend offer me and raina cranio when she was about one week old. It really helped us alot and I might not have sought it out on my own. Also I recieved Watsu when I was pregnant and that was also amazing and helpful. This sounds like a combo of the two. Good luck getting this idea to fly, it would be a great service to the community of moms. love donna

Good luck with your efforts. This is a great idea!

Greetings Fellow Oregon Duck! Though I now live on the opposite side of the states, I still stay true to my inner crunchy granola-ness... and I miss the rain. :) As a DC, I too practice CST on pregnant women and babies. I am also a LLL Leader. I have had phenomenal results on babies with latch difficulties. I live in an area where the total cesarean rate at our local hospital is 60%. There is a definate need for the work that you do. You go girl!!

My daughter's birth trauma due to deep suctioning (meconium staining) was healed by CST, and I will be forever grateful for that. I now go for sessions myself, and have done an incredible amount of physical and emotional healing. I am constantly amazed by CST, and am so pleased that I stumbled across it. I have considered becoming a doula and pursuing training in CST, so I can offer it prenatally, during birth and also post-partum to mom and baby. I think you are doing fabulous work, and I hope you win!!

Wonderful idea!!! Hope that yopu win.

This is a wonderful idea! Your support for the beautiful bond between mother and child will bring peace to the world. Good luck!

I could have used this treatment during the last part of my pregnancy...probably still could use it eight months later. I can't afford much in the way of CST due to not working right now (staying home with baby for as long as possible), so a free clinic would have been a godsend. In the past CST was one of the things that was very effective at relieving my migraines. Best of luck to you

How wonderful. 100% support. Would give anything for something like that where I live!!

This seems like like a fantastic idea - best of luck - I hope you win.

Hey Karamayia, have you seen this article?: http://www.massageandbodywork.com/Articles/OctNov2005/Dolphin.html I'm a massage student right now in Port Townsend, and i'm lovin' it. I look forward to getting into CST, reiki, and structural integration/alignment (among other things) when i'm outta school. Hope you win this one!