Coach Smith here again. Sorry, I can't let this idea of birth trauma rest
either.

Whether and to what degree birth is traumatic for the baby depends on how
the labor is (or isn't) managed, how the baby is welcomed into the outside
world (gently or forcefully, with kindness or with cruelty) and many other
factors, only some of which are reaching our collective research journals.
Dr Frederick LeBoyer started the recent investigation into what birth is
like for the baby by looking at the baby's face shortly after birth. At the
time Birth Without Violence was published (early 1970's) babies were usually
held upside down by the ankles and smacked on the buttocks to "help them
breathe." The "LeBoyer bath" was an attempt to ease the transition from
inside to outside for the baby, along with lowered lights, quieter
environment, and gentle handling. The "bath" part never really caught on.
However, overall handling of newborns became much more gentle and sensitive
because of the widespread acceptance of the concept that babies are very
aware at birth, with most of their senses fully functioning.

Actually Ashley Montagu looked at these issues even longer ago. His 3rd
edition of "Touching - the human significance of the skin" is even better
than the first edition, and IMHO should be required reading for all health
care providers. Dr. Montagu is still alive and well (but in his words,
suffers from a terminal condition called old age) and lives in Princeton NJ.

Dr. Michel Odent carries on similar research and thinking at the Primal
Health Institute in London. He publishes a newsletter and the web site is
http://www.primal-health.org.  Another group seriously investigating this is
the association for pre and perinatal health - the website for entering this
theme is http://birthpsychology.com  Fascinating stuff there.  I've posted
my growing bibliography on "Roots of Violence" on Lactnet and will be adding
to it as more research emerges. Read "Ghosts from the Nursery" if you have
any lingering doubts about the connections between early insults and long
term sequelae.

It took the development of electronic fetal monitors before the health care
establishment acknowledged what narcotics given during labor to the baby.
Now we in the lactation field are looking closely at the baby's ability to
breastfeed, and asking "WHY can't this otherwise normal, healthy newborn
feed normally?"  Simply asking that question is provoking a huge
re-assessment of ALL "routine" birth practices. And for good reason, IMO.

Just because some babies manage to survive and thrive despite being smacked,
snogged, drugged, etc does not justify the idea that these are innocuous
practices to be inflicted on all unsuspecting and undeserving babies. ONE
MORE TIME: interventions should be used carefully, judiciously, and only
when truly necessary. The "routine" intervention of today could quite easily
be relegated to the "horror file" of tomorrow.

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
Dayton, OH USA where we were snowed in all day yesterday, the roads are
still a mess today, and it's still snowing.
http://www.bflrc.com