Treating Cesarean Birth Trauma During Infancy and Childhood by William Emerson, PhD

http://www.eheart.com/cesarean/emerson.html


Note: It is labor cesareans, not non-labor cesareans, who are primarily discussed in this article. Non-labor cesareans have less sense of an uncompleted birth canal journey as they didn't even start it! --Jane English)

ABSTRACT: Twenty years of clinical and behavioral observation indicate that cesarean births cause considerable trauma to babies. The physical and psychological effects are subtle and powerful, occurring at the unconscious level of the infant psyche. Negative impacts include excessive crying, feeding difficulties, sleeping difficulties, colic, and tactile defensiveness. There also may be long-term psychological effects such as rescue complexes, inferiority complexes, poor self-esteem, and other dysfunctional behaviors and feelings. This article describes Emerson's treatment methods for a baby girl who will be referred to by one of her initials, M. She was treated during infancy and childhood and is among 155 infants treated for birth trauma and systematically followed-up on through childhood. The immediate and long-range results of M's treatments are also described. Tweet