The Significance of Birth Intervention
The first injury to our children that no one talks about!
Here at CJ Chiropractic, we see a LOT of prenatal mommas and help them prepare for birth that they desire and hope for! It is one of the most fulfilling populations that we see here in Colorado Springs, CO not only to support the mother (a blog for another time!) but to help protect the development and prevention of injury to their new born baby.
Birth intervention has been normalized in the United States and it shows! Cesarean rates were 32.1% in 2021 according to the CDC, vacuum extractions are 2.5% (reference from Cleveland University), and there really isn’t any sign of this slowing down. Many new parents see their child’s pediatrician afterwards and they may ask how birth went for mom and baby, but this question is really to check off a box on their intake and the significance of birth is not taken into much consideration in guiding care for your baby. Now before we get too sinical over the western medicine paradigm and start writing hate letters to your pediatrician, we must understand that functional neurology is not your pediatricion’s specialty. Many OB’s practice the way they do because that is the way they were taught. The significance of birth intervention is not discussed to the significance that it should be. Even the WHO (who we have our own bone to pick…) only recommends countries to keep their c-section rates to no more than 10-15% of all births; nearly half the rate that the United States is currently doing!!
Pediatric and prenatal chiropractic are becoming the leaders of advocacy for expecting mothers and their babies to improve birth outcomes, the health of mother’s recovery after birth, and the health and development of newborns. In this blog we will discuss the major neurological dysfunctions that can happen with birth and especially when birth intervention is involved so you can be armed with hope and information to do the best thing for you and your kids!
What is birth trauma?
Birth trauma is caused by anything that injures the baby during the birthing process. Birth is a traumatic event but also an incredible life giving and new beginnings event! It has been found by our Mid-wife colleges here in Colorado Springs that mothers that give a natural vaginal birth seem to have healthier and happier babies compared to children birthed with birth trauma.
The area that is most commonly injured during birth is the spine (especially the upper neck), shoulders, and head. How do these areas get injured you ask? Great question! The following all can cause strain or injury:
Prolonged labor, otherwise called dystocia
Bad positioning of baby in the uterus. This can cause extension of the neck, or extra forces in the baby’s mid-back if in a transverse position, or mom isn’t able to move during labor not allowing for a dynamic uterine-pelvic environment to allow baby to move and adapt during the birthing process.
A very fast labor! Believe it or not a fast labor can cause injury to your baby as the proper loads where not able to be placed on the baby’s cervical spine to prepare him/her to fight gravity, or the uterine contraction is so forceful that it puts excess force onto baby.
Medical intervention: this includes vacuum, forceps, doctors hands on the head and pulling, and c-section. The reason? Natural vaginal birth places compressive forces on the baby’s spine to prepare him/her to fight gravity. These birth interventions do the opposite and place traction forces onto the baby’s cervical spine to a massive degree. This places forces in the upper cervical spine which is the most sensitive and susceptible to injury.
Depending on what area was injured during birth can cause different dysfunctions and symptoms.
Implications of Birth Trauma
We will break down the different areas of the body that can be injured potentially with birth trauma and what it means for you baby.
Upper Neck (Cervical Spine)
Lets start with the upper neck area called the upper cervical spine. This area is torqued and distracted the most with birth intervention and has dramatic implications to the baby’s nervous system. The upper cervical spine has the most density of sensory neurons. This helps us orient us to space in our environment and stimulation to this area helps stimulate and develop the brain in a newborn. When this area is injured and creates a fixation/subluxation the baby’s nervous system lacks vital information. Birth trauma also creates a neuro-signal called nociception which is the signal for pain. This creates a stress response in the baby’s nervous system and shuts down function of the Vagus Nerve. The Vagus nerve is the major rest, digest, sleep, social, and emotional center of the nervous system. Understanding this, it makes perfect since that we see great improvements with colic, constipation, ear infections, sleep, torticollis, and breast feeding with adjusting newborns in the upper cervical area.
Upper Mid-back (Thoracic Spine)
Extractions such as c-section, vacuum, or big hands also create tension in the upper thoracic spine and the shoulders try to pass the birth canal. Malposition of baby in the uterus where the baby’s head is held into extension during labor will place extra force in the lower cervical and upper thoracic spine during contractions. Transverse malposition can cause tension in the lower thoracic spine.
Implications of extra stress on this part of the nervous system can cause dysfunction in the cardio-respiratory system; brachial plexus injuries that can affect the function of the arms; upper digestive system causing excess gas, bloating, and colic; and dysfunction in the fight or flight response by impacting adrenal gland function. The fight or flight response part of the nervous system is located in this thoracic spine area. Irritation from injury from stress in this area of the nervous system can cause severe implications of over alertness, irritation, or even severe fatigue in infants.
Respiratory function can be greatly impacted as mentioned before. Living in Colorado Springs at high elevation many parents are told that their baby is having oxygen issues due to the elevation. However, babies grow in their mother, who is living at this high elevation. The adaptive changes that are needed to ensure good oxygenation at this elevation has already taken place and did so at a gradual pace. Most respiratory function issues are ether due to inhalation of meconium from birth or from functional issues in the respiratory system (most common). We see in our clinic that removing nerve interference from the upper thoracic spine has helped many children get off oxygen and thrive.
Lower Back and Pelvis
Injury to this area is a little less common in birth unless they present in a breach position, but we tend to find this area is the second most common area that shows dysfunction in a newborn’s nervous system. Why is this?
Understanding that the nervous system is a completely interconnected system brings to light the implications of this area of the nervous system. Dysfunction in one area of the nervous system will cause the body will adapt and try to compensate to make the entire system run better despite the dysfunction. It just so happens that the connective tissue called dura mater has its anchoring points in the upper cervical spine and in the sacrum. When injury happens to the upper cervical spine (most common injury in birth intervention) this creates tension in the entire neuro-spinal system. This will create dysfunctions in the lower back and pelvis as the newborn tries to adapt to the dysfunction in the upper neck.
This adaptation can cause subluxation in this area of the neuro-spinal system and have the same neurological interference consequences as an area that was injured directly! The sacrum is secretly known in the chiropractic profession as the “poop button”. Neurological dysfunction in this area can decrease function of the lower digestive tract and anal function. This can cause constipation and therefore colic and irritability. We can’t count the number of times we have adjusted an infant or new baby’s sacrum and ether during the adjustment or before our families leave our chiropractic clinic they have to go change a poopy diaper!
We hope you enjoyed our blog of birth intervention and its implications. The good news is that anything that has been mentioned in this blog can be reversed!! Babies are extremely resilient and adaptable to care unlike adults. Early intervention to help correct the damage that may have been inflicted from birth injury is key to making sure no long lasting health implications take root. If you are expecting, have a new baby, or know someone with a new baby, share this blog with them or refer them to our clinic so we can measure their nervous system function and help their baby thrive! :)
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