Charona Heylen is a baby osteopath under the name MamaBaby, in Lommel. A few months after her baby was born, she got in touch with Babypraktijk Ilse, for a baby language and baby massage course. There was a click both personally and professionally Today, Charona likes to tell you how she supports Babypraktijk Ilse, and vice versa.
With hands
Charona had problems with her knee at a young age. “I tried all kinds of things, but even the physiotherapist couldn’t get it fixed,” she says. “Until I came to an osteopath, and my problem was remedied. Then I knew for sure: I wanted to be able to do the same for others!” Charona always cared about the welfare of children around her; as the eldest sister, she took care of her sister and brother, as well as nephews and nieces.
So Charona became an osteopath. But what exactly is that? “Osteopathy focuses on the mobility of joints and the interrelationship of tissues in the body,” says Charona. This treatment method is characterised by using hands only; not equipment or drugs.”
Targeted treatments.”
Charona did not focus specifically on babies as an osteopath, but she noticed more and more parents coming to her for help with their babies. “With adults, you have to take all kinds of things into account when you treat them,” she knows. “They have already been through all kinds of things and you have to pay attention to that. It’s not like that with babies, so you can treat them more purposefully and without restrictions in that respect.”
Since 2020, she has been working for herself from MamaBaby. It was also in that year that she first came into contact with Babypraktijk Ilse. “We both found it interesting what the other was doing,” Charona says of her contact with Ilse. “When I told her what I did, it soon became clear that we could do more for each other. So now we sometimes refer parents to the other. Here in Belgium, baby language is still hardly known, so many parents find it interesting when I talk about it. Conversely, Ilse sometimes forwards parents if their child has overstretching, a flattened skull, reflux or cramps. Or if the mother had a difficult delivery, e.g. in a multiple pregnancy, pressure on the abdomen, a suction cup, baby being stuck etc.
Pleasant and understanding
Charona talks about a trade-off. “The work Ilse and I do complements each other,” she believes. “What I do with baby osteopathy is to mobilise the joints loose, massage muscles loose and relax tissue tension according to the pattern of symptoms. : I also often give advice and tips to the parents so they can help remedy the symptoms. Ilse says I am a very good baby osteopath, which is why she specifically sends people to me and not to other osteopaths. That’s how our collaboration started. Ilse’s added value is that she explains in an understandable way, and because of her knowledge of baby language and body language, she knows perfectly what the baby means. As a result, she teaches parents to respond more adequately to the baby’s needs and requirements.”
Would you like to meet Charona? You can schedule an appointment via her website or WhatsApp.