| Birth
Trauma - the Importance of Checking Newborn Babies
The nature of your birth determines the nature
of your cranium and consequently influences the way you develop
(personality, intelligence, memory etc). Birth trauma
is central to Craniosacral therapy and it is an area not effectively
treated by other therapies. Birth trauma can be treated all
through life but the sooner it is treated, the faster and
more complete the response.
Normal Birth
A normal birth pushes and twists the head
through a narrow birth canal. The head is like a soft,
pliable, membranous balloon. The head has an inherent
tendency to self-correct which is usually adequate but rarely
perfect. Ideally all babies should be checked soon after
birth. The self-correcting mechanism runs out of steam
after about 10 days so that would be the best time to check
a baby who had no serious problems.
Caesarean
A Caesarean section causes problems for
other reasons: the sudden change in pressure caused by the
incision tends to shock the baby and the lack of squeezing
stimulation often results in a cranium which feels very symmetrical
but passive, as if the system hasn't really got going.
It seems that the normal birth process acts like a stimulating,
whole-body massage. |
Forceps
Delivery
When forceps are used to assist the delivery
it is not unusual for the cranium to be squeezed when they
are applied. The occiput is particularly susceptible,
the jugular foramen may be compressed and affect the nerves
and vein passing through it. If the (internal jugular)
vein is restricted there will be reduced venous drainage from
the brain causing stagnation of that side of the brain and
a reduction in function. One of those nerves (the vagus)
supplies most of the thoracic and abdominal organs: heart,
lungs, liver, pancreas, spleen, stomach, small intestine and
part of large intestine. Another of the nerves (spinal
accessory) supplies the large muscles at the front and sides
of the neck. Pressure on one side may create an imbalance
in muscle tone leading to torticollis (wry-neck) or idiopathic
scoliosis (twisted spine).
Neck Trauma
During birth the baby's neck may be bent
strongly backwards, compressing the soft bones at the top
of the neck and base of the skull. If the self correcting
mechanism is unable to release this compression the baby will
be left with a neck which is only comfortable when the head
is bent back. Such a baby will not enjoy lying on its
back or being in any position which bends the head forward.
Uncorrected birth traumas to the cranium
can affect brain development. Cerebral palsy is an extreme
example. Less extreme problems e.g. autism, learning
difficulties, squints, headaches, asthma can very often be
traced to cranial restrictions and are treatable at an early
age. Frequently such problems go unrecognised or are
dismissed as individual peculiarities.
Possible After Effects
Sometimes the baby will sleep for a long
period, especially after the first treatment.
With slow, passive "floppy" babies
the opposite may occur and they may become very alert. |