One unique aspect of Biodynamic Midwifery’s is that it provides a model-of-care that is unique in the facilitation of Health within the client. In fact, Health (made intentional with a capital H) is unique to each individual. One of the main goals of this type of midwifery is to help the woman to achieve optimal nervous system balance and to attain the fetal ejection reflex during their birthing time. It is only thru the fetal ejection reflex that the neurobiological mechanism between mothers and babies is at its most heightened and, optimized form. It is within the realm of normal physiological birth to offer healing to a woman’s nervous system, a unique opportunity for a woman to heal parts of her past traumas and to gain access to her highest neurobiological balance. One stroke of harmonized neurobiological chemicals that is accessed during the fetal ejection reflex can balance neurological pathways that may have been otherwise closed due to a woman’s life experiences. Furthermore, helping mom and baby achieve the fetal ejection reflex strokes the brain and nervous system of both moms and babies. This enable achieved optimization of the neurobiological system and primes them for both for secure attachment. Secure attachment lays the building blocks of optimal brain health for the rest of the babies life. Neuroscience has proven concepts about the primal health period studied by Dr Micheal O’dent French Obstetrician who is still alive and researching how birth effects the neurobiology of both mothers and babies.
As a midwife it is always my goal to assist a woman achieve normal physiological birth and the fetal ejection reflex, for I know it will set the stage for the best beginnings emotionally, physically, and spiritually for my clients. The inability to support the mother in achieving this can have drastic effects on how she feels about herself as a woman, as a mother, and a partner. It is always my wish I can help her achieve this knowing also that sometimes their are dynamics within the field of life that are beyond our control.
Childbirth is also about relationship. There is both a mom and a baby that navigate thru birth. There are also powerful relationships’ outside of the mom and baby dyad, that also have a powerful effect, and we can not always control certain things. And also it is important to understand that even though birth can unfold sometimes in unexpected ways our brains and physiology are Resiliant. A normal physiological process of a birth that is interrupted, and even results in a cesarean does not always have to be traumatizing. How well we are supported and how well we can come back to connection to ourselves and to others also primes the biological health between mothers, babies and families. Women are unique, such as the spiritual realms that hold us all here; and so, the magical process of neurobiological stroking can also happen during medical intervention if it is used wisely and only when medically necessary.
To help a mother achieve the fetal ejection reflex is a multi-dimensional thing. While it is a normal physiological process, we as humans are complex and unique in our individual constitutions. Some of the elements that help to support a woman to arrive at a place where normal physiological birth can unfold in a straightforward manner is what we call the sacred 7.
Diet is one of the most important elements in achieving a normal healthy pregnancy. While dietary needs can be unique to each person, the most important dietary needs of pregnancy include high protein, whole foods, low to NO processed foods, omegas and micro-nutrients like vitamin C & D and others. Sometimes the job of the midwife is finding out what the mother is missing in her diet, helping her to learn about blood sugar regulation and helping her to support her body in absorbing iron while also balancing calcium, potassium and magnesium and nutrients such as iodine and salt. Many health issues that can develop at the end of pregnancy can be avoided through good dietary counseling.
Exercise is very important for the body. It helps to regulate sugar and keeps the muscular-skeletal system balanced. A sedentary life style is not a good combination for the physical act of child birth. Obesity can effect good hormonal balance and, good hormonal balance is one of the keys to achieving optimal natural childbirth. The blood expands just over 40% throughout pregnancy so the heart and cardiovascular system must be in good shape. The body becomes very heavy in pregnancy you much be in good physical shape to birth in a straightforward way.
Adequate fluid intake helps the blood to expand in pregnancy. Chronic dehydration can lead to dysfunctional labor.
Woman needs a good support network, people she can ask for help who love her and support her. The home birth midwifery model of care is a great model for developing emotional support from your care giver, that which is greatly missing in the medical setting of care in pregnancy.
A woman needs good sexual health. She needs to grow comfortable with her growing body and need not be belittled by her partner or spouse. A woman needs much and regular orgasms in order to achieve the fetal ejection reflex. Access to skin-to-skin contact, intimacy and love from her partner, is one of the most important elements to achieve the fetal ejection reflex. The fetal ejection reflex utilizes similar neuro-pathways as the pathways that are used when orgasm is achieved. As a midwife, I worry greatly if I know a woman is not having sex with her partner or not receiving love and support from a partner. In our society the subject of sex and intimacy is often taboo. But it is important for women to understand good sexual health and lots of sex with her partner in pregnancy (over the entire pregnancy) greatly increases her chance of a normal physiological birth and the fetal ejection reflex.
Her hormones need to be balanced. Pregnancy is the pentacle of a woman’s hormonal peak. If there is thyroid imbalance (which can be common in pregnancy) it may effect the ability to achieve optimal normal physiological birth.
The physical structure of the body must also be balanced. Both the shape of the pelvis and the position of the baby in the pelvis can effect the ability to achieve the fetal ejection reflex. Most have heard stories about a baby who was posterior or in a strange position and was unable to navigate the pelvis and resulted in a surgical birth. This is another reason why exercise and movement is so beneficial in pregnancy. Manual therapy such as Massage, Chiropractic and functional movement can greatly help. I strongly discourage women from sleeping or sitting in recliners. Regular reclining greatly encourages babies to like the Occipital Posterior position. The vast majority of posterior presenting babies assume the posterior position weeks before labor begins and this increases their chances of getting stuck in the pelvis unable to turn and navigate out of the posterior position during labor making labor unusually long or unable to progress.