PTSD From Childbirth and the Doula

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Studies are showing 25%-35% of women within the United States are reporting that their births were traumatic. This indicates that approximately 1 in 4 women report their birth as traumatic. That is 1,400,000 women a year in the United States are suffering with trauma symptoms after childbirth. Between 1.5% and 9% of those women develop the full blown symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. That is somewhere between 60,000 -360,000 American women who develop PTSD after childbirth. Between 1.5% and 3% of women who experienced a ‘normal’ ‘non-traumatic looking’ birth develop Post Traumatic Stress Affects which a milder form of PTSD.  3.2% women who get PTSD symptoms after childbirth that do not have any history of mental health and do not fall into any high risk categories for developing PTSD.  To differentiate even further, there is a real difference between PTSD and Postpartum Depression. Treatments are different. PTSD is an extreme form of anxiety disorder and treatments for Postpartum Depression are not successful for PTSD. <?

 

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Reflections on Natural Childbirth at the Hospital

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Dr Cynthia Gabriel PHD and doula from Michigan comes from a rich background in anthropology studying the cultures of birth in Canada, Russia and the United States as a doula. I once hear her speak about her experience of supporting 65 births in a Russian hospital where all the births were completely natural with absolutely no intervention except 1 which was a C-section due failure to progress. This kind of statistic is unheard of in the United States! Her assessment is that the outcomes of birth and the use of medical intervention are largely cultural. In the United States birth has become highly medical-ized fundamentally, due the mass commercialization from pharmaceutical companies, allopathic medicine and mass media that have molded an idea that only external applications can assist in healing. Were as in Russian, the culture has a general belief that the body was designed to have a more natural healing ability.

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Keys to Natural Childbirth when Delivering at the Hospital

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Childbirth is an experience that many women wish to undergo without medication and chemical interference. This desire is not without good reason. Much research proves that all the medications offered for labor and delivery interfere with both mom and babies brain chemistry thus creating unnecessary stress that can take away the feelings of joy and accomplishment that accompany natural childbirth. Some research coming out of pre and perinatal psychology is pointing to how chemicals used during birth can indicate drug addiction later on in adult life. Chemical births can make labor and delivery more painful (for both mom and babies) and longer recovery time.

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The Journey of Living in Balance

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Very few healing systems have such as complete impact on the nervous system as Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. The main purpose of craniosacral therapy is to release deep tensions centered around the central nervous system. It is only when we are free of pain cycles, chronic tensions and holding both in the body and the emotional system that we can be free to re-acquaint ourselves with our true nature.

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Doulas Are For Women Who Want Epidurals Too!

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It is a common miss-conception that doulas are only for women who plan to have a drug free, natural or un-medicated birth. While many women go into labor with a ‘birth plan’ and specific wished to how things will go, Birth is full of surprises. It is important to me that parents know I do not judge their decisions in the labor room and I will continue to support throughout their birth – no matter the outcome. My support is un-conditional. Choosing an epidural is not a decision made lightly. And there are situations in which I feel an epidural is the wisest choice, especially in situations where the labor is very long or un-usually painful due to the use of induction drugs. In fact, having a doula in the room can greatly increase the success rate of an epidural by encouraging massage and movement techniques to keep labor progressing along. One of the risks of an epidural is that is can greatly stall labor but having a doula that understands how to work with an epidural can work wonders. Below are some ways a doula can offer support around the use of an epidural:

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Clinical Situations Craniosacral Therapy has Shown Effective

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Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy can help:

  • Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Anxiety and panic attacks
  • Appendectomy
  • Arachnoiditis
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Osteoarthritis (OA)
  • Asthma
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) including Asberger Syndrome
  • Bells Palsy
  • Blackouts and fainting spells
  • Breast cancer (post mastectomy)
  • Bruxism
  • Cancer
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Cauda Equina Syndrome
  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Cesarean birth
  • Childbirth
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
  • Chronic infections
  • Coccygeal pain
  • Compressed vertebrae
  • Cranial bone and meningeal membrane lesions
  • Degenerative brain disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and senile dementia)
  • Depression (and endogenous idiopathic depression)
  • Digestive issues and bloating
  • Dyslexia (can be of occulomotor or nervous etiology)
  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Earache
  • Edema
  • Emphysema
  • Endometriosis
  • Fibroids
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Forceps birth
  • Headaches (and migraines)
  • Head injury
  • Heart disease (HBP, and atrial fibrillation)
  • Herniated vertebral discs
  • Hip replacement surgery
  • Hysterectomy
  • Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD, acid reflux, heartburn)
  • Infant colic and feeding problems
  • Kyphosis
  • Limb length differences
  • Lordosis
  • Lymphatic stagnation
  • Memory loss
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Neck pain
  • Nerve Entrapment (including sciatica) and irritation (including carpal tunnel syndrome)
  • Neuralgia
  • Neuresthesia (including paresthesia such as in TOS)
  • Occlusion (bite) issues
  • Osteoporosis
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Paralysis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Post surgical recovery
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Pregnancy (can be used in all phases)
  • Prostate problems and repairs
  • Rotator cuff injury (and other shoulder and arm soft tissue dysfunction)
  • Sacral concussion
  • Sciatica
  • Seatbelt injury
  • Seizures
  • Seizures
  • Sleep disorders (including apnea and insomnia)
  • Spasticity
  • Speech problems
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Spondylolisthesis
  • Spondylosis
  • Strabismus
  • Strains and sprains and dislocations (recovery)
  • Stress
  • Stroke (post-stroke syndromes)
  • Subluxations (can be used by a chiropractor to normalize soft tissue)
  • Sympathetic nervous system hypertonus (reticular alarm system)
  • Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD)
  • Tendonitis
  • Tenosynovitis
  • Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS)
  • Thyroid problems
  • Tinnitus
  • Torticollis (and cervical muscle dysfunction)
  • Trauma and traumatic stress
  • Tumors
  • Urogential issues
  • Vacuum extraction birth
  • Vertigo
  • Vertebral fusion or vertebral implantation surgery
  • Whiplash injury

Attunement and Brain Health

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Neuro-biology has come a huge distance in the past 10 years. They are finding that the very beginning of our ‘life’s journey’ has a tremendous effect on how we relate to ourselves and others in adulthood. Trauma anywhere from in the womb, during birth and the first 5 years especially effect which genetics (in terms of: long term brain health, cardio, metabolism, glucose, organ function) will turn on later on in life (adulthood). This has been the major finding in the Genome project. They uncovered something called Epi-genetics. Epi-genetics are what can be described as: how life experiences turn on and off certain genes. *Bruce Lipton was a major researcher in the Genome project and is well published

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Mama is Not the Only One Working Hard During Labor and Delivery

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Babies are very active during the labor process. This is an aspect of Labor and Delivery that is often overlooking by both the caregivers and the parents. It seems to be the standard view point that the physiology of the mother alone and her efforts alone are the only determining factor throughout the weeks leading up to delivery (as her body gets primed for the event of birth) and during the actual labor and the delivery process. I find my clients are very surprised when I tell them how the baby is also working very hard and that the discomfort the mother is experiencing the baby is also experiencing. After all, the baby is the one trying to wiggle through the birth canal.

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Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and its Relation to Trauma Resolution

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As a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist I am trained to work with trauma. However, I am not a talk therapist. The way I am trained to work with trauma is to track what is happening in the nervous system through the felt sense via : my hands and palpatory skills, my observations of eye movements, facial expressions and body movement, the facial dynamics and motility holding patterns around organs, how the whole body fluid is orientating to the original fluid dynamics that we went through as an embryo, the articulation of brain through the pumping of cerebral spinal fluid and the movement of the cranial bones, and with my whole body through the resonance field.

I am essential listening to the whole physiology in the body and how it is interacting with the Breath of Life which is the driver and organizer of the whole system. I also listen with my ears to what and how clients tell me stories, to pick up ques’ as to how the experience in life in being manifested in the body. I also listen with my hands and my whole body which will mirror the clients wiring of the nervous system.

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Migraines and Craniosacral Therapy

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The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine just came out with documented evidence Jan of 2013 stating that Craniosacral Therapy is effective for preventing migraine headaches. Of course, this comes as no surprise to me. In fact, it was my own experience as a migraine suffer that lead me to become a Craniosacral Therapist. 

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