July 2006

Birth trauma -- Part 2 of a series

by Dr. Ogi Ressel

As a parent, you should be aware of information on 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:

1. The first of these is "ultrasound." This procedure, many think, seems safe and innocuous. Current research, however, tells us that this isn't so. First of all, ultrasound tends to cause an error in the way cells function. Diagnostic ultrasound causes genetic damage and alterations in cellular growth and function. It also plays havoc with the cell genetic code. This means that it's possible to create errors in the very code that makes your baby a human being. Not only that, but ultrasound has also been associated with dyslexia and delayed speech, as well as demyelination (myelin is the covering that protects nerves and prevents 'short‑circuits'of the brain) ‑‑ not a good thing!

An interesting story from The Sunday Telegraph, Dec. 10, 2001, stated that Swedish scientists uncovered evidence suggesting ultrasound scans on pregnant women can cause brain damage in their unborn babies. In the most comprehensive study yet on the effects of the scanning, a team of doctors found that men born to mothers who underwent scanning were more likely to show signs of brain damage.

During the 1990s, 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.

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 beware.

2. Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM). This is used by most hospitals although there's been little testing done to determine its efficacy. Latest research does indicate it adds to parent panic and has increased C‑sections by 400 percent. There's 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. Many mothers don't realize it's quite normal for the heart rate of the baby to drop slightly during each contraction. However, panic will ensure total compliance by parents with any and all hospital procedures and rituals. Wonderful for the hospital's bottom line!

3. Epidurals. This has been shown to increase labor time and cause fever in the mother, which is then treated with antibiotics for both mom and baby. It also doesn't allow the mother to "feel" her labor, which then necessitates the use of forceps, vacuum extraction, and even C‑section to deliver the baby.

4. Forceps and vacuum extraction. These procedures use up to 140 lbs. of force to literally "pull the baby out." These are the two main procedures that cause most of the health problems seen in children and even adults. The forces applied to the baby's head and neck often cause nerve and spinal cord injuries as well as vertebral subluxations. 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.

As well, forceps‑assisted childbirth significantly boosts a woman's risk of fecal incontinence. Approximately 10% of mothers report experiencing fecal incontinence during the year following childbirth. Those 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.

5. 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, yet many parents do not realize that it IS surgery.

As soon as the abdomen's 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's anesthetized so she can't feel pain. Many forget that the anesthetic mom is given also crosses the placenta and affects the baby. Definitely not the birth of choice! Still, this 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 prearranged time. No one is inconvenienced and no golf games are thus interrupted. What a wonderful thing!

(Dr. Ogi Ressel, author, researcher, and an x‑ray and pediatric specialist, teaches The Practice Evolution Program, the "fastest‑growing coaching program on the planet." Visit online at www.practiceevolution.com and take the Practice Health Mini‑Checkup. Dr. Ressel may be contacted by e‑mail at drogi@practiceevolution.com or by calling 800‑353‑3082. Interested in receiving his weekly THOTS "on seeing tons of children and families in your practice?" Send him an e‑mail and asked to be added to the list.)