All posts by Patricia

Renaissance Woman
Birth, Cesarean, Danger, Trauma

Understanding the Dangers of Cesarean Birth: Making Informed Decisions

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by Nicette Jukelevics, author of
Understanding the Dangers of Cesarean Birth: Making Informed Decisions
at www.DangersOfCesareanBirth.com

For years researchers have largely focused on the technical aspects and “appropriate” rate of cesarean section: the surgical procedure. However, birth by cesarean can have powerful psychological effects on women and their ability to adjust to motherhood.

A woman’s experience of her cesarean birth and her perceptions of the event, are influenced by multiple complex factors: The reason for which the cesarean was performed, her cultural values, her beliefs and anticipations of the birth, possible traumatic events in her life, available social support, and her personal sense of control, are only a few (Cummings, 1988; Cranley, 1983; Marut and Mercer, 1979; Sheppard-McLain1985).

Many women recover fully physically and emotionally from a cesarean birth, others do not. Little attention has been paid to the psychological impact that a surgical birth may have on women’s emotional well being. Their personal experiences have been at times trivialized, misunderstood, or ignored by the medical community.

That birth by cesarean can have an adverse psychological impact on some mothers was already a concern in the early 1980’s as the cesarean rate in the United States was climbing rapidly (Lipson and Tilden, 1980). Anecdotal reports and personal testimonies have helped to increase awareness of the negative psychological repercussions that some women experience following a cesarean birth. (Baptisti-Richards 1988; Madsen, 1994;Pertson and Mehl, 1985; Wainer-Cohen and Estner 1983).

Research suggests that the negative psychosocial effects of cesareans can be significant and far-reaching for some women (Mutryn, 1993). Several reports also indicate that a cesarean birth, especially one that was not anticipated, can put some women at increased risk for depression and post-traumatic stress.

Cesarean Birth and Postpartum Depression

Karen Erlichman, LCSW a faculty member in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the University of San Francisco works with women who have had a difficult pregnancy or a traumatic birth. In her presentations to medical professionals working with birthing women, she tries to convey an important message- that birth by cesarean is an emotional experience, not just a medical procedure. (Erlichman, 1999). Women’s experience and perceptions of their birth may have very negative consequences despite good medical outcomes.

A British study screened expectant mothers for emotional well being at 30 and 36 weeks gestation and again at 6 weeks after they gave birth. Results indicated that a disproportionately large number of women who had a cesarean birth reported symptoms of clinical depression. Women who felt they were “not in control” of the events or felt they received medical interventions that were not necessary were at higher risk for depressed mood (Green, 1990).

Australian researchers looked at risk factors for postpartum depression in women expecting their first child during the first trimester, and at one month, 3 months and at 6 months postpartum. Compared to women who had a spontaneous vaginal delivery and women who had a forceps delivery, 46% of the women who had an emergency cesarean were more than six times more likely to develop symptoms of depression at three months postpartum. The increased risk for postpartum depression could not be attributed to personality dysfunction. Had the pain of the physical recovery been the cause of the depression, the authors speculated, one would have been more likely to see a difference at one month rather than at 3 months after the cesarean. The women’s perceptions of the emergency cesarean had lowered their self-esteem, left them with a sense of failure, loss of control and disappointment. (Boyce and Todd, 1992).

When 800 women who gave birth in Victoria, Australia were screened for multiple factors associated with postpartum depression eight to nine months after birth researchers discovered significant results. A careful analysis established a significant association between obstetric procedure and subsequent depression. Women who gave birth with forceps or by cesarean were more likely to exhibit symptoms of clinical depression. When examining the relationship between perinatal complications in a previous pregnancy and depression following the current birth, a prior cesarean delivery was identified as a significant factor. Women who had a prior cesarean were 2 ½ times more likely to suffer from depression after a subsequent birth. (Brown et al 1994).

Cesarean Birth as Trauma

Women who experience problems with infertility treatments, miscarriage, abortion or an ectopic pregnancy sometimes suffer from depression and/or post traumatic stress. Dr. J. Laurence Reynolds, a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, Canada explains that because childbirth can be an extremely painful experience, often associated with feelings of being out of control. It is understandable that some women may experience the birth itself as a psychological trauma. (Reynolds, 1997).

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is currently defined as a psychiatric disorder that may develop from being exposed to an actual injury or death or from the perceived threat of injury or death. Individuals with post-traumatic stress experience feelings of intense fear, helplessness, or horror in response to the traumatic event. Emotional reactions can have significant and long-lasting effects. Stress response symptoms include:

  • intrusive thoughts and re-experiencing of the event,
  • avoidance of places or people that might trigger a reminder of the event,
  • numbing of emotions and general responsiveness
  • a sense of hypervigilance or increased arousal.

Studies suggest that post-traumatic stress is a much more common psychological response to an unexpected cesarean than expected. Women’s feelings of confidence and security on arriving at the hospital quickly change to ones of fear and anxiety when they learn they are going to have a cesarean. Almost one half of the 53 women who gave birth by emergency cesarean in a Swedish hospital were afraid of injuries their baby might sustain or afraid their baby might not survive. About one quarter of the women feared for their life or were convinced they would be seriously harmed. Some were afraid they would not wake up from the general anesthesia, and thirteen per percent experienced a frightening loss of contact with reality. Most of the mothers experienced a deep sense of loss and grief. (Ryding, et al December 1998)

When comparing women’s reactions following uncomplicated vaginal birth, instrumental delivery, and elective cesarean, women who had an emergency cesarean reported more symptoms of post traumatic stress both within the first few days after birth and at one month postpartum (Ryding, et al September 1998).

Some women experience significant adverse reactions to their cesarean birth as long as five years later A British study compared a group of women who had a primary cesarean delivery with women who had an uncomplicated vaginal birth and a group of women who had an assisted delivery with the use of forceps or vacuum extractor. Women who had multiple pregnancies, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and home births were excluded from the study.

The group of women who gave birth with forceps or a vacuum extractor and women who gave birth by cesarean were more likely to have had a negative birth experience. Of the women who gave birth by cesarean 82.2% were recorded as an emergency and 17.8% as an elective operation. Over 80% had general anesthesia for the cesarean. The women who had an assisted delivery and those who gave birth by cesarean were much more disappointed. Although five years had passed since they gave birth, these mothers expressed dominant feelings of fear and anxiety about their experience and were more reluctant to become pregnant again (Jolly, J. et al 1999).

A cesarean can be a life saving procedure, but recent data shows that a first cesarean puts women at increased risk for medical complications in a subsequent pregnancy and birth (Rageth, 1999). Given the evidence that a cesarean may also put some women at increased psychological risk, women should be encouraged and supported in their efforts to avoid a cesarean.

Some Women’s Feelings about Cesarean Birth

“My daughter’s birth was two years ago, it was extremely traumatic. I have been trying to process these feelings that come up, and I thought I had, but recently I have been having nightmares about the cesarean reoccurring with this new baby. I am afraid the medical staff will just intervene and I will be powerless to say anything.”

“I was in such pain and terror that I didn’t care that I was having a baby. I just didn’t care. I couldn’t find a way to attach myself to my son. It was horrible, I was so detached that I didn’t even care that my husband decided on the name. I had no desire to even think about it.”

“If I need another cesarean, I don’t want to be awake this time. I don’t want to know that they are slicing me open with a knife, I don’t want to hear that suction noise, the cold clinking of the surgical instruments.”

“I was awake during my cesarean, but I really didn’t feel like I ‘was there.’ The doctor brought my baby to me, but I really didn’t have any connection to this baby. It’s been twelve weeks, but it’s still difficult to associate him with the cesarean. I had no euphoria, didn’t feel much joy. For many weeks after I kept dreaming that I was on my way to the hospital to give birth to him.”

“Because I had a previous c-section…a c-section was arranged…As I was wheeled away…I felt like I was an animal led to the slaughter with no mind of my own and doing as I was told…No real consideration was given to how I felt. I was lying there having the epidural inserted, screaming out inside, why, why, I don’t want this.”

References Cited

Baptisti-Richards 1988. Healing the Couple. Midwifery Today 1(7):22-25.

Boyce, P.M. and Todd, A.L. 1992. Increased risk of postnatal depression after emergency cesarean section. Medical Journal of Australia, 157(3):172-174.

Brown, s. et al 1994. Birth events, birth experiences and social differences in postnatal depression. Australian Journal of Public Health 18(2):176-184.

Cranley, M.S. et al 1983. Perceptions of vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Nursing Research 31(1):10-15.

Cummings, L.H. 1988. Views of cesarean birth among primiparous women of Mexican origin in Los Angeles. Birth 15(3):164-170.

Erlichman, Karen, LCSW. Personal communication, 6/29/99.

Jolly, J. et al 1999. Subsequent obstetric performance related to primary mode of delivery. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 196(3):227-232.

Lipson, J.G. and Tilden, V.P. 1980. Psychological integration of the cesarean birth experience. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 50(4):598-609.

Madsen, L. 1994. Rebounding from Chidbirth:Toward Emotional Recovery. Westport Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey.

Marut, J. and Mercer, R. 1979. Comparison of primiparas’ perceptions of vaginal and cesarean births. Nursing Research 28:260-266.

Mutryn, C.S. 1993. Psychosocial impact of cesarean section on the family: A literature review. Social Science and Medicine 37(10):1271-1281.

Peterson, G. and Mehl, L.1985. Cesarean Birth Risk and Culture. Berkeley:Mindbody Press.

Reynolds, J. L. 1997. Post-traumatic stres disorder after childbirth:the phenomenon of traumatic birth. Canadian Medical Association Journal 156 (6):831-835.

Ryding, E.L. et al 1999. Experiences of emergency cesarean section:a phenomenological study of 53 women. Birth 25(4):246-251.

Ryding, E.L. et al 1998. Psychological impact of emergency cesarean section in comparison with elective cesarean section, instrumental and normal vaginal delivery. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology 19(3)135-144.

Wainer-Cohen, N. and Estner, L. 1983. Silent Knife. Westport Connecticut:Bergin & Garvey.

This article is provided with the gracious permission of its author:

Nicette Jukelevics, MA, ICCE, VBAC.com
Center For Family
24050 Madison St. Suite 200, Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 375-3141

Cheese, Cultured Food, Food

Love cheese – but can’t digest it?

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I have been allergic to cow’s milk my entire life, but since the doctor discouraged my mother from breastfeeding and I was born before baby formula was invented, they had no idea what else to do but to feed me milk. And so my health suffered until I was an adult and finally realized I was allergic — and therefore addicted — to milk.

But there is something in the body that yearns for dairy and for cheese – perhaps a need for the probiotics. There are valuable digestive enzymes in cultured products, so it was a wonderful day in my life when I learned an easy way to make raw, dairy-free sunflower seed cheese. This is what I do…

I use organic sunflower seeds. You can test them to make sure they are organic by rinsing them, soaking them overnight and then giving them a day or two to begin to sprout. If they sprout, you can safely assume they are organic and safe for you to use to make cheese. If a lot of “dirt” is in the soak water and they don’t sprout, don’t use them for this cheese.

Briefly grind a cup or two of rinsed, organic sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder or blender. I don’t grind them long because I like the little chunks in my cheese. Then I put the ground seeds in a bowl and add water to a thick milkshake consistency. Finally, I put the bowl, uncovered, on the counter and stir the mixture two or three times daily.

In two to four days (depending on the weather), when the mixture is “airy” — light and full of bubbles — it will taste tart, like cheese. At that point, I like to add kelp granules and dried dill weed.

The longer it sits out, the more cheesy it will be, but you don’t really want to overdo it.

Store in the refrigerator. Cover lightly; do not tighten the lid. The culture needs air to breathe.

Sunflower seed cheese is great in a wrap, on crackers, bread, or as part of a salad.

Once, I put it in the back of the frig and forgot it for months. It got REALLY “ripe” and when I scraped off the black and tasted it, it reminded me of roquefort cheese. It was delicious on my salad.

You can also add the contents of a probiotic capsule to make your seed cheese cure faster… or use nuts, like almonds, rather than sunflower seeds.

My wish is that you will try this and enjoy it. I inspired myself… on the way now to the kitchen!

Awakening, Birth, Breath, Confusion, Consciousness, Dehypnosis, Fear, Forgiveness, Happiness, Healing, Health, Knowledge, Knowledge, Love, Miracles, Purification, Spirit, Spiritual Health, Tools

Birth & Rebirth – Why Are We Here, Now?

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Ancient birthing statue

We humans are usually born head first and even though we are most often caught in a pair of loving hands before our heads strike the ground, we are routinely stricken with a deep case of amnesia as soon as we reach the planet — or shortly thereafter. There is usually enough of a memory of our Source to keep us going for a few years, despite the delights of barbaric hospital births, primitive toys and condescending baby talk.

The adults who came before us forgot who they are too, so they cannot know who we are. Quickly we forget that we were made in the image and likeness of God and have traded infinite love for finite loneliness. It is rare for anyone on planet Earth to remember for very long. The ones who remember

We dive into a swirl of people, places and things, are thrown around like a Spanish dancer — this way and that — until we get to that place where we want to stop the world and get off. We have tired of feeling less than love and aliveness. We become determined to remember who we are, to sort out which voice inside our head is our friend or foe. We promise ourselves to turn our lives around to ground zero and reclaim our original identity, our dignity, and compassionate nature. After all, “God is love”, and it is our job to “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

It is my humble opinion that “Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” might have been more accurately stated, “Ye are perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect”, for the same image and likeness that we were created in was, is and will always be, perfect. Pure light. Pure love. Spirit. That is what we are. It’s a true adventure to reclaim our heritage. The secret to our healing from our mistaken human identity is to rediscover, remember our original Identity.

Remembering is the first step, but intellectual understanding and one or two flashes of clarity are not enough to sustain us for long. Frequent reminding is essential because we tend to forget to remember. A lifetime of identifying with who and what we aren’t is not usually overcome in one instant, but practicing, bringing the instants closer together; our thoughts, behaviors and communications change for the better.

That is why I recommend knocking off big chunks of false identification with a few great counseling sessions or deeply transformative workshops, attending ongoing groups affiliated with your favorite church or being part of a Twelve-Step Program (AA, CoDA, ACoA).

Between times of becoming aware of, working with and releasing the big chunks of old fear and forgetfulness, we recommend staying in touch daily with our true nature by practicing feeling the feelings we love to feel. That’s what real healing is all about… releasing old fears (false evidence appearing real) and becoming accustomed to feeling peaceful, happy and content.

Here you will hopefully find helpful information, practical tools and inspiration regarding the nuts and bolts of real healing that will help you stay in touch with the love in your heart. There is something called Knowledge… Knowledge of the Soul or Knowledge of God, which helps us remember Who and What We Truly Are. Some find it to be the best gift of all, ever.

Behavior, Children, Circumcision, Confusion, Fear, Mental Health, Spiritual Health, Trauma

Circumcision & Human Behavior

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Circumcision & Human Behavior:
The emotional & behavioral effects of circumcision
by George Hill

Psychologists now recognize that male circumcision affects emotions and behavior. This article discusses the impact of male circumcision on human behavior.

Introduction

Medical doctors adopted male circumcision from religious practice into medical practice in England in the 1860s and in the United States in the 1870s. No thought was given to the possible behavioral effects of painful operations that excise important protective erogenous tissue from the male phallus. For example, Gairdner (1949) and Wright (1967), both critics of male neonatal non-therapeutic circumcision, made no mention of any behavioral effects of neonatal circumcision.[1] [2]

The awakening

Other doctors, however, were beginning to express concern about the behavioral effects of male circumcision. Read the rest of this entry »
Dehypnosis, Fear, Forgiveness, Healing, Hypnotherapy, Love, Mind, Miracles, Psychology, PTSD, Spirit, Spiritual Health, Trauma

For healing: hypnosis or de-hypnosis?

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“All healing is essentially the release from fear.”
– ACIM

Hypnosis can be a powerful tool for good — or for ill. Hypnotic suggestions program your mind, which is essentially the hard drive of your body computer. We have all been programmed to believe what we believe, to see ourselves and the world as we do.

Some love the color red; others hate it. Some love dogs; others fear them. When we came from the womb, we were simply open and receptive; fear has hypnotized us all and imprinted us all with different programs.

Fear is an especially effective means of hypnosis. A trained hypnotist might suddenly push you off balance or clap loudly next to your head… for he has learned that fear puts the subject into a trance of shock. Once in trance, suggestions can be made that will go deep into the mind.

Someone may be an excellent hypnotist and have the best of intentions, yet not know what you personally need. Only you know. Only that part of you that is below the conscious mind knows what you have been through and what you need to hear to heal the past.

This is why I recommend de-hypnosis. We need to be de-hypnotized from all the trauma we have known — from our creation until the present. Once all the trauma is gone, we are naturally restored to our innate peace of mind, joy and unconditional love.

When you are very relaxed, your own inner wisdom can show or tell you what you need to know to heal your life.  It works every time. It is very efficient. It never harms.

ACIM, Judgment, Love, Mental Health, Mind, Miracles, Pain, Release, Spirit

Relinquishing judgment

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These wise words are from A Course In Miracles, Manual for Teachers…

In order to judge anything rightly, one would have to be fully aware of an inconceivably wide range of things; past, present and to come. One would have to recognise in advance all the effects of his judgments on everyone and everything involved in them in any way. And one would have to be certain there is no distortion in his perception, so that his judgment would be wholly fair to everyone on whom it rests now and in the future. Who is in a position to do this? Who except in grandiose fantasies would claim this for himself?

Remember how many times you thought you knew all the “facts” you needed for judgment, and how wrong you were? Is there anyone who has not had this experience? Would you know how many times you merely thought you were right, without ever realising you were wrong? Why would you choose such an arbitrary basis for decision-making? Wisdom is not judgement; it is the relinquishment of judgment. Make then but one more judgement. It is this: There is Someone with you Whose judgement is perfect. He does know all the facts; past, present and to come. He does know all the effects of His judgement on everyone and everything involved in any way. And He is wholly fair to everyone, for there is no distortion in His perception.

Therefore lay judgement down, not with regret but with a sigh of gratitude. Now are you free of a burden so great that you could merely stagger and fall down beneath it. And it was all illusion. Nothing more. Now can the teacher of God rise up unburdened, and walk lightly on. Yet it is not only this that is his benefit. His sense of care is gone, for he has none. He has given it away, along with judgment. He gave himself to Him Whose judgement he has chosen now to trust, instead of his own. Now he makes no mistakes. His Guide is sure. And where he came to judge, he comes to bless. Where now he laughs, he used to come to weep.

It is not difficult to relinquish judgment. But it is difficult indeed to try to keep it. The teacher of God lays it down happily the instant he recognises its cost. All of the ugliness he sees about him is its outcome. All of the pain he looks upon is its result. All of the loneliness and sense of loss; of passing time and growing hopelessness; of sickening despair and fear of death; all these have come of it. And now he knows that these things need not be. Not one is true. For he has given up their cause, and they, which never were but the effects of his mistaken choice, have fallen from him. Teacher of God, this step will bring you peace. Can it be difficult to want but this?

Emotions, Fear, Feelings, Love, Mind, Miracles, Moods, Pain, Psychology, PTSD, Release, Spirit

A place of feeling good

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Don’t do anything that
you don’t really want to do.
Keep yourself in a place of feeling good.
Reach for the thought that feels better —
and watch what happens.
Abraham*

According to Abraham-Hicks, it is in the place of “feeling good” where grace occurs. A Course In Miracles would say that we have only two emotions: love and fear — and that love would be the place of “feeling good” and fear would be feeling less than love, anything less than comfortable.

“Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.”

To have a human body means you will encounter pain — you will stub your toe or bump your head or experience any number of things that distract you from feeling good. But to dwell on the pain and remain in the pain, to bring yourself back to the pain over and over again in your mind is abuse, self-abuse. And it is obvious that we all want to feel good.

The ultimate in mental gymnastics is that masochists are masochistic because they claim they feel good when they hurt — “It hurts so good.” Not really. They are hoping for a breakthrough, a release, a transcendence from pain into love.

So now we can decide — coming back to the quote at the top of this post — to not do those things we don’t want to do or to not feel the feelings we don’t like to feel. Knowing we have an option, we may become determined to learn to release, let go, feel good in any circumstance. We learn to surf the waves of emotion, to walk on water, so to speak.

Imagine the implication for our world. Nobody would be following in the footsteps of Job… yet everyone would be helpful, because that is the nature of love. The world as we know it would change in a twinkling.

The importance of reclaiming the feeling that feels good jives with everything I’ve learned and have personally experienced.  A Course In Miracles calls it love or forgiveness or releasing fear, Dr. Hew Len of ho’oponopono calls it cleaning. He makes it clear that cleaning is an ongoing activity. Mary Baker Eddy says, “God is Love… God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire.” Our real job, our real work, is to reclaim our fundamental nature, which is pure, unconditional love.

Observing the judgmental voice between the ears, clearing, releasing, letting it go… getting back to “zero” or “neutral” or “feeling good”… that is our work and that is our fate, because since only love truly exists forever, our return to it is inevitable. Knowledge is the “know how” of how to go directly to the love that we are.

*From the workshop in Boston, MA on Sunday, October 10th, 1999 #563. This quote and much more at Abraham-Hicks Publications

Abuse, Behavior, Children, FGM, Psychology

Genital cutting tied to later abuse risk

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And remember, dear friends… anything that affects a female who has been cut surely will affect a cut male as well. Trauma is trauma. And the worst part of circumcision is not the physical cut, but the psychological repercussions. Spare the child and he or she will grow up to be far more peaceful, trusting, happy than someone who has been grievously injured unnecessarily due to fashion, superstition or any other adult fear.

—

By Amy Norton, Reuters
September 24, 2012

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who underwent genital cutting as young girls may be at increased risk of physical, sexual or emotional abuse from their husband, a study of women in Mali suggests.

The study, of nearly 7,900 women, found that 22 percent of those with genital mutilation said they’d been physically abused by a husband or male partner. That compared with 12 percent of women who’d never been subjected to the procedure.

It’s estimated that more than 130 million women worldwide have undergone genital mutilation, also known as female “circumcision.” The centuries-old practice, which involves removing part or all of a girl’s clitoris and labia, and sometimes narrowing the vaginal opening, remains a common practice in some countries, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.

It’s well-known that genital cutting has long-term consequences for women – including sexual dysfunction, childbirth complications, incontinence and psychological disorders.

In the new study, researchers looked at whether there’s a link between genital mutilation and a woman’s odds of suffering abuse from her partner.

In Mali, where the vast majority of women have undergone genital mutilation, the government has taken steps to raise awareness of the consequences of the practice. But genital mutilation has not been outlawed.

The difficulty is that genital cutting is widely seen as an important cultural tradition, rather than a form of abuse.

“If something is entrenched in a culture, it is difficult to change,” said Dr. Hamisu Salihu of the University of South Florida in Tampa, the lead researcher on the new study.

On the other hand, physically abusing your wife – though common in Mali and other African countries – does not have that cultural acceptance, Salihu told Reuters Health…

READ MORE: YAHOO! Health

SOURCE: BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, online August 24, 2012