What Every Mother Needs to Know About Birth Trauma

What Every Mother Needs to Know About Birth Trauma

As a whole, people tend to overlook the severity of birth trauma, attributing it instead to the inevitable compression and difficulty of passing through the birth canal—something that we would all prefer not to have to go through. Contrary to popular belief, the stresses of childbirth and the necessary interactions between mother and child during delivery are essential for the mother's and child's well-being. The birthing process helps the baby's skull develop, and the baby also learns how to work together with mom to celebrate life by winning the race.

Naturally, there are cases where compressive barriers during delivery are not beneficial, leading to complications or even harm. Avoidable birth trauma is just one of many possible definitions. Birth trauma does not always have to occur. Unfortunately, many modern hospitals have established norms for the delivery room that might lead to needless birth trauma.

For infants who have just emerged from a warm, fluid environment where their mothers' bodies act as a protective barrier, the sudden appearance of bright lights, loud noises, strange voices, and chilly temperatures can be terrifying. During those nine months, the developing baby has learned to identify Mom. The worst kind of birth trauma is being taken away from mom. This letdown goes beyond what is normally thought of as trauma and is more properly described as shock.

Traumatizing complications can also arise from severing the umbilical cord before it stops pulsating. "What should we do during these critical few minutes of the transition of the blood from the old route through the placenta to the newly working lungs?" asks Dr. Frederick Leboyer, author of Birth Without Violence, in his new 25th edition of the book. The natural world moves at its own pace and does not perform in a jiffy. In order to facilitate this transition from one realm to another, she has reserved this time for these final moments.

What happens before birth might also cause trauma. "We are nine months old at birth," explains Tony Lipson, a consultant in pediatrics. Our prenatal memories are physically present in our bodies from the moment of our conception. The unrecognized personal experiences that shape a person's prenatal history have a profound impact on their overall health. Birth is a heroic saga of overcoming adversity, triumphing over adversity, and gaining invaluable lessons.

Movement and the senses of sight and sound experienced by the developing embryo while still inside the mother's body are the primary means of information acquisition. Results from long-term studies done in the US, Canada, and Europe confirm that fetal behavior is carried over into the newborn stage. Play, sickness, sleep habits, dreams, and relationships are all ways these memories manifest. What the prenate and neonate learn now clearly influences whether they bond and attach later in life.

Like the intricate filigree of a beautiful necklace, the embryonic nervous system develops slowly but surely throughout gestation. A person's exact time of birth is determined by this intricate neurological system. The last round of decision-making begins three weeks before labor begins. Through its hormonal sense, the fetus determines the best time to start life after birth. In order to make this crucial choice, it needs to determine how much it has matured physiologically. Birth trauma is exacerbated when this decision is disregarded.

When a baby is born, it's like waking up from a long winter and seeing a brand-new world for the first time. Surprisingly, the infant really benefits from the adrenaline that is released during birth since it helps to stabilize and soothe the newborn. The infant is shielded from harm for hours following birth by this rush of catecholamines. Unless there is an immediate danger to human life, there is no reason to mess with Mother Nature's brilliantly perfect design.

Research has shown that the development of post-gestational neurology is dependent on the parent-infant connection that occurs during the hormone surge that occurs during childbirth. Disrupting this process without cause causes birth traumas that manifest in health and learning difficulties throughout a person's life. The biggest and most recent development in the brain, the prefrontal cortex (also known as the prefrontal lobes), is located just behind the arch of the eyebrow. It interacts with the temporal lobes, which are situated on each side of the neocortex, and it plays a role in language development. The first of the prefrontal cortex's two phases of development occurs immediately after birth. Stage two occurs about the time a person reaches puberty, around the age of fifteen.

The neonate's ability to gradually absorb the profound drama of birth is facilitated by these lobes' integrative role during the early prefrontal development phase. This sets the stage for the maturation of the prefrontal cortex in the future. Nurturing, in the form of loving touch and constant eye contact with a main caregiver, is essential for additional evolution to occur during delivery. Otherwise, it is considered a birth trauma.

Opportunities for growth arise at specific points in a person's life. If a woman's life during pregnancy is a house of windows, then giving birth is a portal to the outside world. A precise pattern of neurological maturation is ensured by these windows opening on a predetermined schedule. These windows do not shut entirely in the event of fetal or neonatal damage. Instead, they stay slightly open, if not entirely so. But if you leave them alone, these windows will get incredibly sticky and impossible to open.

Such openings can only be made possible by the type of stimulation that ought to have happened initially. An awakening of possibility can be achieved by touch, awareness, and constant, unwavering attention. In order for love to permeate the brain, it must first pass through a network of connective tissues that, after receiving a signal from the spinal cord, will send that information to the basal ganglia. Brain structures undergo modifications as a result of responses.

When it comes to birth trauma, the best time to start treatment is right after the event happens. The time it takes to get well is directly proportional to how long you have to wait. Infants, children, and adults can all benefit from the TARA Approach's tailored protocols for addressing postpartum trauma, which are based on subtle energy medicine. Careful consideration of the nervous system and the developing embryo informs TARA's treatment plans, which also make use of gentle touch and other non-invasive techniques. Prioritizing self-care is key. 

A non-pharmaceutical healing technique focused on self-pacing, the TARA Approach is founded on empowerment. In many cases, it may be incredibly therapeutic, and it is one of the few treatment regimens that specifically addresses birth trauma.