Why has the Birth Process become so Dangerous?
How might the newborn be injured at birth? Here are a couple of pictures that say a lot about birth stressors:
Observe the potential for neck injury. Most births proceed without complication, but some injuries may go unnoticed. Even in caesarian deliveries, the potential is still there because of small incisions requiring extraction by the head, and possibly also because it's not a natural delivery.
Things and Facts to Ponder
(I wish to acknowledge the work of Dr Jeanne Ohm DC and the www.ICPA4kids.com web site for inspiring this section)
1. Ultrasound basically does very little to affect morbidity and mortality. Unconvinced? See Americas infant mortality rate and here . Low risk? Why bother? So if they find Trisomy 2, are you going to terminate? If so, go for the ultrasound. Is it worth the stress of the possibility of a "maybe perhaps occuring slightly"?
2. Electronic Fetal Monitoring. Much can be said here in argument. All I will say is: use as needed, not as routine. The whole beautiful, natural process becomes a medical mayhem merry-go-round with machines that go "ping".
3. The First Medical Intervention, according to Dr Jeanne Ohm, is the due date. The focus on the due date creates potential anxiety and illuminates the way we take over the natural process for control purposes.
4. How natural and conducive to relaxation is our current method of birthing?
- you are on your back which presses on major nerves and arteries
- on your back closes up the spinal canal
- on your back makes it harder to push without gravity
- you are in a hospital for the ill and sick
- you are hooked up to machines that people look at more than you
- you could be given drugs that work against all instincts present in your body
- you will be subjected to often unnecessary procedure like cesarean...NO we are NOT against life saving C-section...but just look at this report here in the Sydney Morning Herald
- that is why birthing centers are now popular
5. Episiotomy used to be done routinely (cut the opening to make it bigger, please). There was even a paper in the British Medical Journal called "Is the Woman's Perineum Harmful to the Baby's Head?" ...for goodness' sake! One less cut now.
6. Midwives deliver babies safer at home. Don't believe? Click Here then!
7. Make informed choices. Outside of medical emergency, there's always a choice.
click here for information on Pregnancy and chiropractic
Link to Homebirth Networks of South Australia, for great information
Download our Poster Below:
birth injury poster
1. German doctors manipulate babies
In a German study of 1250 newborns, it was found that 211 had vomiting, hyperactivity, and sleeplessness. Of these, 95% were found to have neck strain when examined by medical doctors.
Chiropractic type techniques were used to correct the neck problem, frequently resulting in "immediate quieting, cessation of crying, muscular relaxation and sleepiness."
This was reported by Dr Gutmann, in Manuelle Medizin, 1987.
So many babies are unwell at birth...could it be that these injuries are missed?
Also see our booklist with an excellent book on a German doctor who does similar work on children
2. Low back pain begins in childhood?
From the above study it appears that spinal problems can occur from day one, and this is further supported by a very large study of 29000 young people from age 12-41,done by a medical doctor and chiropractor. They found a surge of low back pain occurrence at puberty.
They concluded that low back pain has an early onset, and is not necessarily a condition of old age. For this reason, studies should focus on the young, because patterns are established at an early age, and remain through adult years.
(Lebouf & Kyvik. Spine, 1998)
