|
to a lower percentage (usually 90% or 75% works best). Here is a summary of eight reasons that birth is such an important and far-reaching life event. This information is taken from the writings and teachings of William Emerson, Ph.D. . 1. Birth is a primary foundational experience. How you were born sets a template for how you will live your life. A primary benefit of birth work is the freedom to allow your life to unfold unencumbered by the experiences of your birth. . 2. Birth crystallizes karma. How you are born provides important information about your destiny. When you know your karma, you can begin to negotiate with and change it. . 3. How you are born effects how you die. One of the benefits of birth work is the freedom to live and to die without being restricted by the patterns of your birth. . 4. Working with birth promotes spiritual transformation. Conception and birth are the primary interfaces for psychology and spirituality; working with birth brings you into direct contact with prime spiritual issues. . 5. Being born influences the process of giving of birth. When a woman gives birth to a child, very often (unconsciously or consciously) her own birth experiences arise and affect the way she births her child. The situation is not just affected by the mother's memories, it is also affected by the birth process of the father. Anything unresolved in the parents is passed along to their children. . 6. Birth is intimately connected with sexual abuse and physical abuse. Psychotherapist Michael Irving from Toronto describes two ways they are similar to birth trauma. . First, the baby's boundaries are often violated. Babies are overwhelmed by many things: obstetrical interventions; mother's or father's feelings; lights; sounds; etc. Birth is a very strong force and if birth overwhelms a baby's defenses, as children and later as adults, they will have a difficult time saying no and holding boundaries. . Secondly, physical abuse has a lot to do with being physically violated and hurt. In birth there is a lot of pain from contractions, instruments, forceps, needles, tubes, cold tables. In many ways, it's physically abusive. . 7. Birth is usually experienced in terms of prenatal experiences. When a baby is born, he or she already has many prenatal experiences. Sometimes the birth really is not traumatic in and of itself, but is experienced as traumatic because of prenatal traumas. . 8. Birth organizes all major life transitions, such as death, career changes, marriage, divorce, starting school (any level), changing residences, changing jobs, going through confirmation-baptism-bar/bat mitzvah, health crises, menopause, etc.. When you go through these transitions, the underlying feelings are organized and dictated by the patterns set at birth. Birth has a powerful influence on how you pass through major transitions. In other words, you are not free to go through the transitions in a creative way if you have unresolved birth trauma. .  about the state of birth in the US today Studies have shown that planned home birth in a clean environment is actually safer than hospital delivery. If that fact were more widely known, perhaps home birth would be more broadly practiced in the USA, where it is now a very small percentage of tota l births. . It is important to note that America is far from the safest place to have a baby. In fact, the USA ranks 39th worldwide in infant mortality statistics. That means there are 38 other countries where childbirth is safer than in the United States. (That's NOT a typo. We're 39th. Read the list that ranks the countries here.) . With such a poor record it is obvious that we must take a closer look at our standard childbirth practices, which have not worked well, discover what is being done wrong, and make the changes necessary to correct the problem. . It is disappointing to learn that the United States has one of the highest cesarean rates of all the developed countries, averaging over 25% nationally, and running well over 60% in some teaching hospitals. However, a cesarean rate of only 3-6% is typical of the Scandinavian countries, where midwifery is far more widespread, and which also have significantly lower infant and maternal mortality figures. . IF THIS INFORMATION IS NEW TO YOU AND YOU REALIZE NOW, AFTER THE FACT, THAT YOUR BABY MAY HAVE ENDURE SOME PAINFUL SITUATION THAT YOU WERE UNAWARE OF, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR HEALING AND DEEPENING YOUR BONDING WITH YOUR BABY! IT IS MUCH EASIER TO RESOLVE EMOTIONAL WOUNDS IN BABIES THAN IN ADULTS. . .
does not establish a client-therapist relationship. . Copyright 1998-2005 Terry Larimore All rights reserved . Last updated April 19, 2005 . |
