May the word spread and open their eyes !
Kathy Koncelik, CPD(CAPPA)
Breastfeeding Peer Support Counselor(LLLI)
LLLL
Long Island,NY
New York Times
9/5/08
Tara Parker-Pop On Health
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/delivery-method-affects-brain-response-to-babys-cry/?ei=5070&emc=eta1
Delivery Method Affects Brain Response to Baby’s Cry
When my own daughter was born by Caesarean section delivery, I was
surprised how uninvolved I was in the process. My body was numb, and
my view of the surgery was blocked by a sheet. When I finally heard a
baby cry, it took a minute for me to realize that the sound belonged
to my own baby.
That’s why I was particularly interested to read of new research
showing that the method of delivery seems to influence how a mother’s
brain responds to the cries of her own baby. The brains of women who
have natural childbirth appear to be more responsive to the cries of
their own babies, compared to the brains of women who have C-section
births.
The finding is based on brain imaging scans conducted two to four
weeks after delivery among just 12 women, half of whom had vaginal
births and half of whom gave birth by C-section. The study, published
in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, found that the cry
of a woman’s own baby triggered significant responses in several parts
of the brain related to sensory processing, empathy, arousal,
motivation, reward and habit-regulation. The effect was greatest in
the brains of women who had delivered vaginally compared to those
women who delivered their babies by C-section.
The conclusions that can be drawn from the study are limited because
it involved so few women. However, it does support the theory that C-
section birth may result in slight delays in attachment, putting those
women at slightly higher risk for postpartum depression.
Lead author Dr. James Swain of Yale University’s child study center
said the mode of delivery has been associated with decreased maternal
behaviors in animals and a trend for increased postpartum depression
in humans. It’s estimated that about 30 percent of births in the
United States are delivered by C-section, the study says.
“Our results support the theory that variations in delivery
conditions, such as with cesarean section, which alters the
neurohormonal experiences of childbirth, might decrease the
responsiveness of the human maternal brain in the early postpartum,”
Dr. Swain said. “This work could lead to early detection of families
at risk for postpartum depression and attachment problems and form a
model for testing interventions.”
It’s important to note that the study measured only short-term
differences in brain patterns following childbirth. There’s no
evidence that delivery method has any long-term implications on a
woman’s ability to parent or bond with her child or recognize her
baby’s cry.
Within a few hours of my own C-section, I quickly figured out the pain
medication the doctor was giving me was interfering with my ability to
be alert and focused on my baby. Once I quit the pain drugs, I was
surprised and delighted at how distinctive and unique the cry of my
own baby sounded to me.
On Sep 10, 2008, at 12:22 AM, Nikki Lee wrote:
> Dear Friends:
>
> Just when I thought that hospital birth couldn't get any more
> disconnected
> from physiology, another woman comes to my office for CST with her
> baby.
>
> When early labor started, she went to the hospital. She was a
> fingertip
> dilated. In the old days, she would have been sent home and told to
> have a glass
> of wine and take a bath and make love and go for a walk and get
> some rest.
>
> Nowadays, these women are kept at the hospital. Because she was
> anxious and
> unsettled at being in a hospital, they not only gave her an Ambien,
> but also
> "some sort of gas" (direct quote from husband). When labor started
> the next
> day (driven by Pitocin), she was still hung over from the sleeping
> drugs. The
> cascade of interventions continued and she ended up with a cesarean
> section, a
> complete "lack of joy" in her birth, and feeling terrible about not
> wanting
> to respond to her crying baby because she was exhausted, drugged
> and in pain.
> She finds breastfeeding also without joy, and is worn out from
> following all
> the rules for breastfeeding (wake baby every 2-3 hours, guide every
> latch,
> monitor diapers, constantly check latch to make sure "it is right").
>
> Our visit was the longest I've ever spent with a woman. The time
> passed
> quickly in my office and we were both shocked to learn how long we'd
> worked
> together.
>
> My suggestion was that she go home and have a babymoon, keep baby
> s2s and
> discover each other. She hasn't done that yet; doesn't know her baby
> and can't
> understand whar her baby is communicating with its body language.
>
> Now Ambien is deemed relatively safe for babies by LactMed, but
> untoward
> effects and impact on lactation are unknown. And what about that gas?
>
> What is going on? How divorced from emotion can birth be?
>
> warmly,
>
> Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
> craniosacral therapy practitioner
> _www.myspace.com/adonicalee_ (http://www.myspace.com/adonicalee)
>
>
>
> **************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new
> fashion blog,
> plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.
> (http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)
>
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