We are learning that trauma from high impact experiences during childbirth is not only stored as nonverbal memories within newborns, it impacts their life at a critical time in their development, affecting short and long term physical and mental health – their entire neurological system, from their learning capacity to mental orientation, emotional stability and stress management. What mom eats, drinks, breathes, thinks, feels, and experiences goes right to the baby. We have known for years, that drugs, alcohol, nicotine, poor nutrition, and certain infections in mom can drastically affect the unborn baby – altering DNA and genetic expression, as well as physical, mental and emotional development. Consciousness actually begins in the womb. They are exquisitely sensitive – even more vulnerable to acute or chronic stress and trauma than adults. We know from decades of research in neurology, embryology, and psychology, that newborns are born fully aware and conscious. But, it also can impact them for a long period of time, developing into behavioral and learning difficulties in the child’s later years. If the baby feels overwhelmed and frightened at any time, this feeling can be kept locked into their bodies as trauma until they work it out of their system after birth. But we as a species have handled it just fine, born into a calm community of love and support, soothed in the warmth and comfort of mama’s chest, quiet surroundings, soft lighting, demand breastfeeding and babywearing. Going down the birth canal includes twisting, turning in the body as well as with the head and neck, not to mention all of the compression and pressure the baby feels. Related: Birth Trauma for Moms: What is it? Symptoms and Prevention.īirth itself is tough enough without even considering interventions. ![]() An immediate connection to the mother and breastfeeding are crucial after birth to begin bonding and for the baby’s healthy development.īasically, anything that interrupts this entire process can be experienced by the baby as invasive, overwhelming and really scary. When baby is ready, it is their biological priority and they navigate their way down the birth canal with the help from the contractions of mama’s uterus, her instinctive pushing, gravity and mobile positioning. On the physical level, birth happens naturally by a complex series of biological events believed to be initiated by the baby. We don’t pay enough attention of the psychological impact of childbirth on newborns-we assume that babies are not aware and won’t remember the pain of transition made even more difficult by maternity and newborn care given without this sensitivity. Being born is a big and tender step in our life. This may sound overly dramatic but it is now backed by science and solid research. There is a significant amount of research, however, that shows us that the any highly intense situation - especially where there is overwhelm, fear and helplessness - can have just as significantly a traumatic effect on our health.Īnd, we generally know that the traumas that have the deepest roots in our lives are the traumas that happen the earliest, all the way back to experiences of young childhood - including birth and womb time - when we were fully conscious but not yet verbal. When thinking of trauma, we largely conjure up images of disastrous and catastrophic situations. Keep reading to learn how this natural yet huge transformation that is birth, oftentimes, is a traumatic experience for them in modern times! ![]() They are the thinking and feeling beings that have a big job to do in transitioning from momma’s womb to the outside world. Babies aren’t simply the adorable bundles of joy whose lives begin on the day they’re born.
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