Shock and stress: For mothers and babies birth

I often suggest to mothers to have their own craniosacral treatment, especially with the labour has been traumatic such in a C-Section or things have not gone the way they planned with the baby and afterwards.

The fact is that the mother is the first one that the baby will cling on and rely on for support, comfort and food.

Everything that the baby needs will be mostly done by the mother and if the mother is still in shock or not had enough time to rest and recover from the birth, it is difficult for the baby to feel  relaxed. The baby thinks that there is danger all the time as he/she senses the tension and therefore their system is on constant alert.  babies do feel first with their sensory skills and smell, as at birth they have the primitive response of survival.

If for the Baby the birth has been traumatic, then it is possible that their stress response and the survival response is switched on constantly instead of off when feeding or sleeping, which it means more colic like symptoms, as the parasympathetic nervous system is switched off, which it means less lactase enzyme is produced.

I have wrote the fight and flight response of the nervous system before click here to read more about stress.

What happens in the body when there is a traumatic events which is related to fears? Well the body response are the following

• The body response is either freeze in fear, or wants to run or fight!
• In craniosacral treatment in babies and adults, as therapist, I often feel the body of adults and baby in a freeze state, followed by shakiness and then if it is a baby, he/she cries or if it is an adult they might feel scared or upset. What I do with CST is allowing the body to go through the emotions and then let it go instead of holding on.

What happens if that trauma stays stored in the mind and body? Well in my experience and from the studies that I read, sometimes the stress goes away naturally and sometimes it stays. If it stays, the nervous system, such as the sympathetic nervous system keeps going on. This naturally switches off the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turns causes symptoms such as colic, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, painful stomach, constipation, or diarrhoea, eczema and other allergies such as rhinitis, dermatitis and more as the body is on constant alert.

What else happens if the sympathetic stress response is constantly on. Well small fears becomes overwhelming fears, which in the long run, they convert into anxiety. In this state the individual keeps turning a simple task into a major stressful situation.

What else happens physically in a state of constant stress?:

• The eye pupil dilates,
• There is an increase in heart beat.
• The blood supply goes to the muscles instead of the digestive system.
• Sometimes you need to empty the bowel, in order to feel better, which in some people causes the discomfort of IBS (diarrhoea or constipation, wind or pain symptoms in adults and painful wind in babies).
• And many others please click here for more on the fight and flight response

There is also the possibility that the baby, either breastfed or bottle fed, does not produce yet enough of the lactase enzyme to break down the milk sugar and causes more problems. Some mothers makes a lot of milk which contain more lactose that the baby can deal with, so again here more lactase enzyme is needed and it is not possible to break it down completely.

What happens if the baby and mothers do not have a CST treatment? Well the baby and mother still live and do well, however I have seen babies and mothers thrive instead of just doing well after the treatments. In my opinion thriving is much better than just doing well or survive. It depends of what standard of wellness you would like to achieve. This is not just for mothers and babies, this is for any adults also that would like to thrive instead of doing well or survive!

What else in the long run that stored trauma, physically or emotionally lead too:

• For the baby any trauma would also physically stop them for achieving the best of what they can get as if their physical trauma might block the normal  rhythm of their body system, and their full potential in life.
• For the mother, getting rid of the shock and trauma of the labour and the disappointment  if things did not go as planned., would also means the the 2nd child is going to be easier to deliver. If they had an epidural for the entire time, the trauma physical and emotional from the body tissue is still stored in the muscle and mind, even though there is no conscious memory of it  (called somato-emotional release). Sometimes the stored trauma can develop in a constant lower back pain or knew problems.

What is Somato-Emotional Release?

Somato-Emotional Release is a small or big trauma that gets trapped or stored in the memory tissue and stay for life if no dealt with. These emotions can set certain pattern in the child and adult that would not be there if dealt with at the beginning.

• Every baby and adult can survive well, no matter if you treat it or not,  however if you would like to thrive and get the little ones a good start in life, is great to set the foundation for a positive and path.
• No matter what age you are though, any patterns can be changed if the person is ready to work with them. That is what CST is in my experience, it bring more Light into the baby and adult life.

Reference:

1. Bizzy F. et al. (2015). Children’s mental representations with respect to caregivers and post-traumatic symptomatology in Somatic Symptom Disorders and Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Front Psychol. Aug 3;6:1125.
2. Henrigues T. et al (2015). Postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder in a fetal high-risk maternity hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cad Saude Publica. Dec;31(12):2523-2534.
3. Spinelli F. et al (2016). ‘I still have difficulties feeling like a mother’: The transition to motherhood of preterm infants mothers. Psychol Health. Feb;31(2):184-204.
4. Hans Selye (1950) Stress and the General Adaptation Syndrome. Br Med J. 1950 Jun 17; 1(4667): 1383–1392.

© Maria Esposito BSc (Hons) R-Nutritional Therapist – NAET for allergies – R-Craniosacral Therapist – NLP – Angel Guide Certified – Mindfulness Meditation teacher- Resilient heart (heartMath)