Are your body and mind prepared?

"Birth Prep", as practiced at the Atman Clinic began 11 years ago. After 7 years as an osteopath dealing with birth trauma in infants, I had the privilege of meeting Michel Odent MD, a French obstetrician known for his pioneering work in researching and developing an understanding of low intervention childbirth and water birth. It became clear to me that we had to focus our attention not just on the newborn baby post-partum, but on the expectant mother at the ante-natal stage.

Michel Odent had understood how hormone balance can affect the progress and outcome of the birthing experience. Promotion of the relaxation response, and the production of oxytocin (the hormone that drives uterine contractions), is essential. Stress hormones, adrenalin and cortisol, have the opposite effect and reduce the efficiency of contractions in the uterus. I realized immediately that not only the flexibility of the pelvis and the position of the baby were vitally linked, but the production of the correct levels of these hormones could be compromised by problems in the structural balance of the body. The glands that produce the hormones utilized in childbirth are affected by the postural changes that take place as the pregnancy progresses. It explained why mothers who had been prepared for birthing by osteopaths were reporting better outcomes, with more efficient contractions and less reliance on pain relief interventions.

As the expectant mother gets heavier, the growing baby tips her centre of gravity forwards. This causes the muscles of the lower back and pelvis to tighten, a normal response that should be pain free. We learned that the pelvis needs to be able to move freely enough to accommodate a torsion or twist, which helps position the baby in the optimal head down with back forwards and left (LOA) position. Normally osteopaths aim to keep the pelvis level. In the later stages of pregnancy there is an exception to this rule. Effective yet gentle treatment protocols were created and perfected to facilitate this natural process. The protocol we have developed consists of specialized massage and
cranio-sacral release techniques, for preparing all expectant mothers for childbirth from week 32 of the pregnancy.

Three to four treatments are normally enough in an uncomplicated case. If symptoms of pain or discomfort arise earlier in the pregnancy it is a warning sign that all is not well structurally. Treatment would then be initiated with the onset of symptoms. Drug free pain relief from the symptoms that can accompany pregnancy is preferable.

The last few years have been an exciting time for us. These ideas have been expanded into the area of bio-energetics and balance of the bio-field of mother and baby. I have had the opportunity to present our work to a large group of midwives at Sussex University and hope to initiate a research project if funds become available.

Every mother wants to feel that it is possible to have a birthing experience that only calls on the benefits of what modern medicine has to offer when it is necessary. We are blessed to have skilled midwives and doctors to ensure the safe arrival of our children into the world. We must not forget that we are also blessed with an internal pharmacy and an innate knowing of how to birth our children. If the body and mind are prepared, and the fears and stresses associated with childbirth are minimized, birthing experiences can only become more positive. The resultant reduction in trauma for mother and baby is beneficial to all.