Dick Swaab, Dir. of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research
I like to say, "You are your PRENATAL brain."
.... brain function and behavior are critically influenced, even permanently modified in major ways, by the environmental condition that exist during development. How we think, reason and see are not just inherited characteristics. Brain function, behavior, mood, IQ, and emotional stability are not solely a product of our genes.
—Peter Nathanielsz, MD (OB), PhD (Vet) in “Life in the Womb
On the left is the adult version of the twelve week old fetus -- everything in the adult was formed by twelve weeks.
It is scientific and logical that physiologically the structures begun at conception and completed by the end of the second month of gestation DO establish the biological, hormonal, emotional, and mental foundation for who we are to be our entire life. Every experience thereafter, whether in the womb, laboring and birthing, or life long is part of one long continuum of brain development. YOU are YOUR prenatal brain.
From conception forward, the baby (brain and body) has developed in the maternal relationship and response to the environment. The human baby's experience and feelings of safety, love, support, worth, being wanted, etc are established prenatally through infancy. From before conception, in the sperm and the egg, we are fully living tissues of our parents and influenced on a cellular level by their lives. Every system and brain is literally built according to mother's physiology, her life experiences, and her perceptions of herself, the baby's father, and the world. During gestation there is not one second of time that is not critical in building the baby's brain and body. It is recorded (imprinted, remembered) in the cells. Nor, is there one second of time during labor and birth that is not critical to the baby's billion neurons and so, to his brain and to his experience.
L. Janel Martin (Miranda), MA, http://www.itsthebabysbirth.com/
The human newborn is the most amazing creature on the planet. The baby is a fully sentient being. The first neurons fired in the prenatal brain by day forty-two. It grew from the developing neural t
ube that developed from the zygote that formed with the union of two live cells, the egg and the sperm. From prior to conception sperm and egg cells are fully functioning within the parent bodies and they are live cellular tissue experiencing and responding to the everything that happens. Was conception consensual, welcoming, chemical-free, loving? We know it matters, but did you know it matters on a cellular level? Picture to right is of conception.
ube that developed from the zygote that formed with the union of two live cells, the egg and the sperm. From prior to conception sperm and egg cells are fully functioning within the parent bodies and they are live cellular tissue experiencing and responding to the everything that happens. Was conception consensual, welcoming, chemical-free, loving? We know it matters, but did you know it matters on a cellular level? Picture to right is of conception.The picture to the left below is the embryonic spinal cord at 14 days. Everything the mother has experienced, felt, and ingested is already a part of this baby's basic structural, 
cellular, and emotional development. The heart is almost ready to take it's first beat. Ever wonder about that moment? When yours or you baby's heart took that first beat?
cellular, and emotional development. The heart is almost ready to take it's first beat. Ever wonder about that moment? When yours or you baby's heart took that first beat?While "scientific research" clearly shows us the sensate world of the prenate who is responding to the outer environment medical practice does not honor this. We already "know" on one level how amazing the newborn human is -- even though most of humanity treats the human baby as if the brain and other systems hit the "pause" button during labor and birth. The facts are ignored -- that birth is the baby's birth and s/he is brilliant, aware, and she is experiencing birth and learning and wiring her brain. How can it be that modern obstetric medice is so barbaric to the baby? And, gets by with it?
Last week I posted a long entry that included many, many links to scientists who study the role of the prenatal period. It is well know and well-established science -- it permeates obstetric medicine and their demand for "prenatal care." Our society expects, though we can't seem to enforce this, that women do not smoke, drink alcohol, partake of "illicit" drugs (though prescription drugs have squeaked by our rational meters so that doctors promote and women believe that many of the depression and bi-polar meds are safe -- and the research is in. They're damaging. Such a surprise.) We also hold a woman to certain expectations for parenting her newborn/infant.
Embryo here at right 42 days old. The nervous system (brain) has already fired it's first neurons. It is preparing to come "online" with the heart. Ever wonder about that? That moment in development when your heart and your brain began to work together? "Embryonic Rising" is the term we use. The moment that your heart
and brain "fired up" together --- is a critical experience, as is the moment your mother first learned of your existence. The concept of body-mind connection or "heart-mind" connection is gaining awareness and popularity, but rarely does it involve looking at the moment of when the two connected. If you believe the statistics that more than half of all pregnancies are unplanned or unwanted so that a women is feeling and experiencing dramatic emotions around the time her baby's heart is forming and
beating for the first time, her baby's brain is forming and firing it's first neurons for the first time, and the two have a moment in time where they begin to work together. It's a profoundly significant moment that will afffect the rest of development and the rest of life.
and brain "fired up" together --- is a critical experience, as is the moment your mother first learned of your existence. The concept of body-mind connection or "heart-mind" connection is gaining awareness and popularity, but rarely does it involve looking at the moment of when the two connected. If you believe the statistics that more than half of all pregnancies are unplanned or unwanted so that a women is feeling and experiencing dramatic emotions around the time her baby's heart is forming and
beating for the first time, her baby's brain is forming and firing it's first neurons for the first time, and the two have a moment in time where they begin to work together. It's a profoundly significant moment that will afffect the rest of development and the rest of life.The gestating baby to the left here is twelve weeks old -- fully formed, all systems and organs are done. Baby will live with mother's lifestyle decisions and with her emotional and psychological imprints.
Baby to the left below is 8 months gestation. The caption in the book called this the Racing Mind. Researcher and technology have come together to show us conclusively that the prenate hears, particularly the mother's voice and responds, comforts himself, tastes, feels, experiences, learns, and responds to the environment.
In that post last week I included a large number of links to scientists doing research in the newborn/infant behavior, language, abilities, and learning. My point was that there is well-received scientific research to show that the PRENATAL brain is functioning as it DEVELOPS, from conception forward. The prenate EXPERIENCES, LEARNS, and REMEMBERS and this is all recorded in the brain which functions in orchestration with every other system. This is a significant part of the third trimester development.
We hold a woman to certain expectations for gestating her baby and then parenting her newborn/infant. What about our expectations for a mother and doctor to treat baby with same regard --- because it affects the baby?
The baby to the right is in the second stage of labor/birthing. There is NOTHING in the scientific literature to suggest or confirm that the laboring and birthing baby is UNAFFECTED by her experienced. Everything leads us to the obvious conclusion and understanding that t
he birthing baby does feel and experience labor and birth. The human baby's brain is recording and remembers birth. There is no "OFF" or "PAUSE" switch. Drugs numb the mind, but the body remembers. Or, in other words, the laboring and birthing brain/baby is jsut as capable of learning or being affected by sounds, substances, experiences of the mother, etc. than the prenatal brain/baby. EVERYTHING suggests that the laboring and birthing baby's brain is "ON" in record mode, and functioning as the gestating baby's brain is known to do. When you add to that the PHYSICAL experience of birth, either through the pelvis or being pulled out, it's logical that our FIRST injuries of our head, neck, shoulders, and hips occur during birth. The TISSUES remember. Science proves that now.
he birthing baby does feel and experience labor and birth. The human baby's brain is recording and remembers birth. There is no "OFF" or "PAUSE" switch. Drugs numb the mind, but the body remembers. Or, in other words, the laboring and birthing brain/baby is jsut as capable of learning or being affected by sounds, substances, experiences of the mother, etc. than the prenatal brain/baby. EVERYTHING suggests that the laboring and birthing baby's brain is "ON" in record mode, and functioning as the gestating baby's brain is known to do. When you add to that the PHYSICAL experience of birth, either through the pelvis or being pulled out, it's logical that our FIRST injuries of our head, neck, shoulders, and hips occur during birth. The TISSUES remember. Science proves that now.The newborn below is thirteen hours old. She clearly experienced a violent birth -- induced, epidural, malpositioned. Her face obviously rammed again a hard, bony part of the mother. Both their bodies remember this -- even when disregarded by medcine. This baby's brain, sensations, and awareness was never "OFF" or on "PAUSE" to accommodate doctor's schedules and malpractice avoidance. She may have been "numbed" by narcotics, but her brai
n recorded that to. It's part of her brain development now -- thanks to doctors and the med-wives/CNM who used their wares on a healthy mother and baby. The baby experienced her birth and her brain processed the experience as it does everything other moment of life.
n recorded that to. It's part of her brain development now -- thanks to doctors and the med-wives/CNM who used their wares on a healthy mother and baby. The baby experienced her birth and her brain processed the experience as it does everything other moment of life. If this baby had gone home normal - without this bruised face -- and returned the next week with the same condition, the medical establishment would contact child protective services and she would have been taken from her parents. It would have been all over the news. However, when this abuse occurs because of medical caregivers in the hospital it is totally ignored -- because THEY promote the MIS-science that babies don't really feel it or remember. It's CRAZY. NOT A WORD was spoken BY physicians, nurses, or midwives about the bruising on this baby's face. No one dares. Parents are so disempowered, in shock, and are shy about confronting the medical machine, and yet, the obvious damage was done by the medically induced birth. Why are these people allowed to abuse babies and not subjected to the same mandatory reporting laws?
How are doctors getting by with promoting the propoganda that what they do is safe when the literature clearly shows otherwise? How are they allowed to continue to harm babies and take away women's choices and responsibility for her baby's birth?
The debate about the safety of birth at home versus hospital, sadly, ironically does not include what is actually safest for the fetus/newborn in that amazing transition being from fetus in the womb to newborn in the world. It's a relatively short period of time but it is such a profoundly significant experience that will DEFINE in the BRAIN of the HUMAN BABY HOW s/he will BE IN the world.
The debate about the safety of birth at home versus hospital, sadly, ironically does not include what is actually safest for the fetus/newborn in that amazing transition being from fetus in the womb to newborn in the world. It's a relatively short period of time but it is such a profoundly significant experience that will DEFINE in the BRAIN of the HUMAN BABY HOW s/he will BE IN the world.
The laboring and birthing baby is just as alive, learning, growing, experiencing as the prenate and newborn. Good, God, let's get real. And, do the right thing. Doctors and women.
What do you suppose would have happened had someone hotlined the CNM, OB resident and attending in a Naval Hospital for the obvious trauma this baby experienced?
to be continued .... for sure ...
Pictures are used not with permission but with the greatest regard and appreciation from the book:
From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds by Alexander Tsiaras
Buy your own for $35.00
A great website:
http://www.anatomicaltravel.com/CB_site/Conception_to_birth4.htm
http://www.anatomicaltravel.com/CB_site/Conception_to_birth4.htm
2 comments:
It's very well established that infants who are abused, negected, or mistreated during infancy suffer many many negative long-term effects. Even though that baby will never conciously REMEMBER those things happening to them, they suffer tremendously as a result. Therefore it astonishes me that doctors (who know this to be true) will then claim that babies are not affected in any way by their experience before, during, or just after birth. It makes no logical sense. If infants have no memories, and their brains are not affected, then why is it illegal to mistreat or abuse your baby, as long as it has no long-term physical consequences?
Like you said, there is no evidence whatsoever that babies AREN'T affected by their prenatal and birth experience. What evidence is there to support that babies brains pause until after they are born, then start working again? To assume these things have no effect just sounds silly to me.
YEAH, I agree with you, obviously.
It is so ILLOGICAL and it is promoted by obstetric caregivers in particular and bolstered by their peers. No one confronts anyone in the medical machine -- too dangerous. The NICU person is not going to confront the high number of induced births that result in NICU babies. For many reasons, not the least of which it generates money for the hospital and self, and insures the job security for many, many doctors and specialties for the lifetime. The NICU doc I asked about these stats said I was "muddying the waters". Not a very scientific term, even here in a Missoura.
If people really stop to think about and LOOK at the pictures and the logic, they often freak out because of how they themselves were born --- that surge of emotion that is felt in the body is one's own little prenatal, laboring, and birthing brain, or the resistance to looking at one's choices and the consequences to one's own child, but we have been taught (wired) to discount it.
Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. That's certainly definitive of obstetric medicine in many ways, but to continue to develop and use drugs and technology and interventions that the science says is harmful is both insane and criminal.
We need to report criminal mistreatement of our children. (I had edited the post this morning before I saw your comment and you had brought this up.) If we were to report the abuses of our baby by medical caregivers, who will step up -- within the legislative or law enforcement and act upon the reports? No one oversees or "polices" or regulates Obstetrics. It is a case of the fox guarding the hen house and doing whatever he wants.
uhhh, it's so hard to see babies being abused to perpetuate the system's needs.
Thanks for your post.
ljm
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