The question is what qualifies as birth trauma and what can it look like? According to a journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives, 8 out of 10 births today are augmented in some fashion. This may consist of:
Rupturing membranes
Cervical ripening
Mechanical dilators
Induction with Pitocin
Utilization of Epidural
Cesarean section births
Use of forceps/vacuum
To guess why these are even used during birth may be for comfort preference or may be doctor's preference, but we do encourage you to speak to your doctor to share with them your preference of birth and find a doctor who respect your wishes when it's not an emergency issue or endangerment to either person at birth.
Due to the risks of these "routine" interventions, the potential outcomes due to induction with Pitocin may show up as:
Decreased fetal heart rate
2x more likely to end in C-section
Reduced rate of infant breastfeeding
While the effects of epidurals may look like:
Longer labor times and difficulty
4x chance of posterior presentation
Increased risk of pelvic problems
Despite how difficult labor can be, the goal is to minimize the trauma on the baby and the mom as they are literally working together physically, emotionally, and spiritually for this marathon of birth. Yet, what can we do to minimize this type of trauma and lay out the best foundation for the least amount of stress possible during this growth?
"You can't be in growth and protection at the same time." -Dr. Bruce Lipton
Here are some actionable to things to plan, consider and implement into your preconception through labor journey:
Schaefer Protocol for preconception (both spouses)
Webster Technique throughout pregnancy
Birth team who can support you through labor and postpartum recovery
Pediatric Neurologically-based chiropractor to check on your newborn and you after the birth marathon
Have more questions or want to learn what you can do?
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References:
Sheiner, Eyal, Amalia Levy, Uri Feinstein, Mordechai Hallak, and Moshe Mazor. "Risk Factors and Outcome of Failure to Progress during the First Stage of Labor: A Population-based Study." Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica 81.3 (2002): 222-26. Web.
"Women's Health Care Physicians." Study Finds Adverse Effects of Pitocin in Newborns - ACOG. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Antonakou, Angeliki, and Dimitrios Papoutsis. "The Effect of Epidural Analgesia on the Delivery Outcome of Induced Labour: A Retrospective Case Series." Obstetrics and Gynecology International 2016 (2016): 1-5. Web.
Anim-Somuah, Millicent, Rebecca Md Smyth, and Charlotte J. Howell. "Epidural versus Non-epidural or No Analgesia in Labour." Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2005): n. pag. Web.
Hincz, Piotr, Lech Podciechowski, Mariusz Grzesiak, Wojciech Horzelski, and Jan WilczyÅski. "Epidural Analgesia during Labour: A Retrospective Cohort Study on Its Effects on Labour, Delivery and Neonatal Outcome." Polish Gynaecology 85.12 (2014): 923-28. Web.
Lieberman E, Davidson K, Lee-Parritz A, Shearer E. Changes in fetal position during labor and their association with epidural analgesia. Obstet Gynecol 105(5):974–82. 2005.
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