Organic Birth Summer 2009 Issue

Reiki and Birth Trauma

Many of us birth under less than ideal circumstances. Some of us suffer terribly at the hands of "care givers" who don't see us as intelligent adults who can make our own decisions. We are mere vessels to manipulate until a child is extracted. Women who end up with these experiences often carry the emotional scars of these experiences forward with them and they color everything in their lives. When these women are expecting another child, these feelings may come to the forefront again and cause fear around the impending birth.

Reiki can help. With a compassionate ear and reiki flowing, the practitioner offers no judgments as a mother tells her story. Reiki is a smart, healing energy. It goes where it is needed. It brings release and healing. Within a few sessions, a mother to be can be better prepared to accept her next labor challenge, having let go of the traumatic emotions associated with her last birth. All that is left are memories and an acceptance of the past.

Does it sound too good to be true? It's not. Some women can resolve their issue with only a few sessions. Others need several sessions that may run from 30 to 60 minutes or more. In between sessions, she processes the thoughts and feelings that each session brings up.

I can do these sessions in person or over the phone for those not close enough to come in person. I offer a sliding scale so everyone can get assistance with these painful issues, no matter what their circumstances. If you want to know more about this service, post a comment and I will be in touch.

Reducing Infant Mortality

Reducing Infant Mortality from Debby Takikawa on Vimeo.

Pit to Distress

Oh my. I have been reading on Facebook recently about a hospital procedure known as "Pit to Distress." What this means is that pitocin is administered to a laboring woman in a maximum dose in order to distress the baby so they can move to cesarean. While we all had our nightmare scenarios, this one appears to be real. Several nurses have blogged about it, as well as Jill at Unnecesarean.

I have spent a lot of time ruminating about this over the past week or two, and I am still flabbergasted that obstetricians get away with this kind of behavior... even occasionally. If a midwife did something so reckless, they would be hauled into court and they would never practice again. Why should obstetricians be free to cause distress to an unborn baby in order to perform surgery? What harm are they potentially causing to the baby? What about the mother, who's uterus may become hyperstimulated or even rupture? What if, due to this practice, she loses her uterus and her potential to have more children? Who holds these obstetricians responsible?

Now, I obviously realize that there are some excellent OBs out there who would never consider doing such a thing. But the fact that even one can get away with doing this repeatedly puts mothers and babies at risk. How do they not lose their license? How can they still attract patients? How can they still have privileges at the hospital? Who do we lobby to change this? ACOG posts their guidelines, but obviously the docs do what they want (look at VBAC...).

Our maternity system needs a major overhaul... thank goodness there are some nurses out there who do what they can to keep as many women from experiencing Pit to Distress as much as possible. When a woman checks into the hospital... she trusts that she is in good hands. Obviously, this is not always the case.