Birth Procedures and Rituals
Last month, we chatted about Traumatic Birth Syndrome (TBS) as well as In-Uterine Constraint that are the most significant cause of Vertebral Subluxations and nerve transmission damage in infants and children. All chiropractors are well aware of these two culprits.
However, as your doctor, I feel you should also be aware of well-accepted, recognized, and deeply rooted medical procedures and rituals, that may contribute to Traumatic Birth Syndrome, thereby affecting the health of your baby - even for life:
The first of these is Ultrasound. This procedure, many think, seems “safe” and innocuous. Current research, however, tells us that this is not so. First of all, ultrasound tends to cause an error in the way human cells function. Diagnostic ultrasound can cause genetic damage and alterations in growth and function. It can also play havoc with our cell genetic code. This means that it is possible to create errors in the very Code that make your baby a Human Being. That would not be Ok with me!
Ultrasound has also been associated with dyslexia, delayed speech, as well as demyelination (Myelin is the covering which protects nerves and prevents ‘short-circuits’) of the brain - not a good thing! This last effect was the result of a study done using rats but I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
I also want you to know that Swedish scientists have uncovered evidence suggesting that ultrasound scans on pregnant women can cause brain damage in their unborn babies. In the most comprehensive study yet on the effects of scanning, a team of doctors found that men born to mothers who underwent scanning were more likely to show signs of subtle brain damage.
During the 1990’s a number of studies hinted that ultrasound scanning affected unborn babies. Research has suggested that subtle brain damage can cause people who ought
genetically to be right-handed, to become left-handed. In addition, these people face a higher risk of conditions ranging from learning difficulties to epilepsy. The findings would mean that ultrasound scans are causing slight brain damage in thousands of babies each year.
Ultrasound scans, which were introduced in the 1960s, have long been regarded as a safe means of checking on the health of an unborn child. It uses high-frequency sound waves to give X-ray-like images of the inside of the womb. And according to Swedish researchers, the human brain undergoes critical development until relatively late in pregnancy, making it more susceptible to damage. In addition, the male brain is especially at risk, as it continues to develop later than the female brain.
Beverley Beech, Chairwoman of Britain's Association for Improvements in Maternity Services, criticized doctors for insisting, for years, that ultrasound was totally safe. "I am not sure at all that the benefits of ultrasound scans outweigh the downsides," Ms. Beech said. "We should be advising women to think very, very, carefully before they have scans at all."
Of greatest concern, however, is the fact that ultrasound affects the immature eggs of a female baby thus affecting her own children. Because this technology is relatively new, this last effect has not been investigated thoroughly, but parents everywhere should be cautious! I have to tell you one thing that really bothers me: Many couples want to see how their baby is developing and insist that a scan, in color and in 3-D, be done. Hmmm.......
Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM): This is used by most hospitals although there has been little testing done to determine its efficacy. Latest research does indicate that it increases parent panic and has increased C-sections by 400 percent. Listen....There is nothing more chilling for parents to hear during delivery than the words, “the baby’s heart rate is dropping.” This is the point where all logic leaves and panic takes over.
Most moms do not realize that it is quite normal for the heart rate of the baby to drop during each contraction. THIS IS NORMAL!!! However parent panic will ensure total compliance by parents to any and all hospital procedures and rituals. Wonderful for the hospital bottom line!
Epidurals: This has been shown to increase labour time and cause fever in the mother, which is then treated with antibiotics for both mom and baby. Brilliant! As well, it does not allow the mother to “feel” her labour, which then necessitates the use of forceps, vacuum extraction, and even C-section to deliver the baby.
Forceps and Vacuum extraction: These procedures can use up to 140 lbs. of force to literally pull the baby “out.” These are the main two that cause most of the health problems seen in children and even adults. The forces applied to the head and neck of the baby can not only cause Vertebral Subluxations, but also nerve and spinal cord injuries as well as. These subluxations affect the baby’s nervous system and are a great threat to health, not only immediately, but can affect the health of that child even into adulthood – perhaps even you!
As well, forceps-assisted childbirth significantly boosts a woman’s risk of fecal incontinence. Approximately 10% of moms report experiencing fecal incontinence during their first year following childbirth. Those moms whose deliveries involved forceps and who experienced tears in the anal sphincter, were at double the risk of fecal incontinence during the three months following delivery, compared with mothers whose deliveries did not involve forceps. So….the moral of this story is to give this much thought before allowing forceps to be used.
Caesarean sections: These have been increasingly popular with the advent of EFM, Amniocentesis, and Chorionic Villi sampling. It seems to be presented as a very simple procedure – much like a zipper on the abdomen that is opened and the baby is gently taken out. Many parents do not realize that it IS surgery.
As soon as the abdomen is cut, the uterus tends to contract to protect the baby. This often necessitates the use of steel retractors to open the uterus, then forceps and vacuum extraction to deliver the baby. Of course, the mother is anesthetized so she can’t feel pain. Many forget that the anaesthetic that mom is given, also crosses the placenta and affects the baby.
Definitely not the birth of choice!
However, C-section seems to be used increasingly by most hospitals as the preferred method of delivery, for it provides a hospital with a definite date and time of delivery - the baby is born at a pre-arranged time. No one is inconvenienced and no golf games are thus interrupted.
What great discovery!
Another tid-bit that I’ll share with you is that natural childbirth may prevent a baby from developing Asthma later in life – a recent study followed 1,953 Finnish subjects from their birth in 1966 to their third decade in life in 1997. The 5.3 % of subjects who were delivered via Cesarean section were three times more likely to have developed asthma by age 31, compared with subjects delivered vaginally. Amazing!
And while I’m on the subject of birth, let’s talk about Pitocin, the synthetic hormone used in order to stimulate Labor. Are there problems with the use of Pitocin? Yes! How did you know?
Oxytocin, your body’s natural hormone used to promote labor, is secreted in bursts. However, when you, as a mom, are given Pitocin you are placed on a regulated intravenous pump, to regulate the amount of Pitocin to a steady flow. Therefore, Pitocin-induced contractions are entirely different from your body’s own natural contractions, in both strength and effect.
With Pitocin, the force of the contraction may decrease uterine blood flow (this also occurs during a natural contraction, but not for as long of a period and not as close together) therefore, reducing the oxygen to the baby. You will also receive continuous electronic fetal monitoring while on a Pitocin drip. This is because fetal distress is more common with Pitocin and needs to be detected as soon as it occurs. I’ll bet this makes you feel better already!
Pitocin can be the first domino in the domino effect. The IV, the infusion pump, and the continuous monitoring will confine most moms to bed, decreasing her ability to deal with her contractions naturally. And with more painful contractions, a mother is more likely to need pain medication, such as an epidural anaesthesia – I have already discussed this above.
Pitocin can present other hazards. For mom, these include: turbulent labor and contractions - which may cause early separation of the placenta (placenta previa), rupture of the uterus, lacerations of the cervix or post-birth haemorrhage. Fetal hazards include: fetal asphyxia and neonatal hypoxia (reduced oxygen to the baby) from too frequent and prolonged uterine contractions, physical injury, and premature delivery if the due date is not accurate.
You may not be aware of this but a class action lawsuit was filed in Tennessee a few years ago against the manufacturer of Pitocin.
The lawsuit alleged that it is “dangerously defective” and may be linked to the deaths of several mothers during childbirth and health problems with some babies. One doctor said he was “shocked” at the news of the lawsuit. “I’m sure someone has a legitimate concern, but this is really surprising to me,” Dr. Peter Mark said. “All the hospitals, obstetricians and gynecologists use it almost every day. I wouldn’t know how to practice without it, it’s useful.” Marks did say that the drug can sometimes be overused. The lawsuit alleged that the drug itself isn’t causing the problems; rather it is a preservative in the mixture called chlorobutanol which is said to cause these dangerous side effects. In addition to possibly causing deaths of mothers during childbirth, some suggest its use may be linked to autism in some babies and low oxygen levels in others. The manufacturer of the drug say there are some health risks for some women given the drug.
I’ll bet you are feeling better already.
The greatest difficulty we, as chiropractors, have with all these procedures is that they lead to the increased possibility of Vertebral Subluxations in the baby’s spine - not a good thing! And because these procedures and rituals are so commonly used, I am adamant about checking your children to make certain their spine is functioning optimally, their nervous system is allowed to control their body as was designed, and they have the best of health. That is my mission. So please, talk to me – let’s get your kids checked.
You are probably thinking; “So what is my alternative then?” Well, I have always been a proponent of Home Birth. Many moms may feel a bit uneasy about having their baby at home – relax you are not alone - nor will you be alone during your delivery. Amazingly knowledgeable and competent midwives will be assisting you.
This headline appeared on Web MD: “Home Births Safe for Most”. It reported on a recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In this study researchers compared the outcomes of 862 planned home births attended by midwives with those of planned hospital births attended by either midwives (571) or physicians (743).
The results of the study showed that women who gave birth at home attended by a midwife had fewer procedures during labor compared with women who gave birth in a hospital setting attended by a physician. The study also suggests that home births have a lower incidence of infection and use of drugs for pain. Additionally, women in the home birth group were less likely to have epidural analgesia, have their labor induced, or have an episiotomy.
And as far as the overall safety of home births, the researchers concluded that the number of deaths was similar to that found in other studies and the difference in death rate between the two groups was too small to be statistically important. The conclusions of the researchers as published in the journal were as follows: "There was no increased maternal or neonatal risk associated with planned home birth under the care of a regulated midwife. The rates of some adverse outcomes were too low for us to draw statistical comparisons, and ongoing evaluation of home birth is warranted.”
In a commentary article in the same issue, Régis Blais, MD, from the Université de Montréal, agrees that this study ”provides valuable information about the safety of home birth that should help expectant parents make their choice of place of birth and caregiver."
SOO…
If you are tired of being stuck in the traditional “health” care model and want another approach, contact us today! We can’t wait to welcome you into the Prime Chiropractic family!
And as always, if you have any questions, or would information on any health topic, it would be my pleasure to help you!