birth trama?

[chel]

What are the opinions out there on "birth trama"?
It might be too personal for me to be objective. My dd was born via c-section and is a "spirited" / intense child ,though her personality is just like Dh, born vaginally. I was kinda taken aback when a believer in the theory told a mom that had a toddler whom in anger of not being allowed down on the floor, bit the mom. Mom was told this was due to birth trama and went on to list things that are tramatic. c-cestions were mentioned, though I would lean more to c-sections being less trama for the child. Person then goes on to say c-sections children tend to need more well-defined boundaries than other children.

You can go to the below site for more info.
www.infantparenthealing.com

[OtherMother'n'Madre]

Hard to say. I was my mother's only c-section baby (cord wrapped around my neck a bit much and some placenta issues....basically starving and choking). We're all very alike in our demeanor (all six of us that is). Maybe all of our births were traumatic...who knows? I know I'm more "fiery" than my siblings but I also think that has to do with the fact that I am the only fire sign astrologically out of all of them (and the only left handed one and the only one with blonde hair.......maybe I'm not their sibling :LOL). I'd like to know what other people think on this.

[sapphire_chan]

Me: C-sec, horrendous temper, great at school work but lazy

Little brother: VBAC, laid-back/peace maker type, way better with his hands (didn't learn to read until age 10 or so)

We were pretty similiar as toddlers though according to my parents, he was more of a wiggle bug. :LOL (Still is)

Don't know if this supports or conterdicts the theory.

[Shiloh]

weird my happiest most placid child was the one cord before the baby, cord around the neck - he came out spotted from the hemmoraging lack of oxygen.

Sometimes I think people think up theories too much ;)

I think certain things can leave impressions on a child (me I think alien abduction is actually birth memories...think about it...large beings, big black eyes, talking to you in a language that soothes you that you don't understand - bright lights, medical 'experiments'.....vaccinations, circumcision....)

I think a child's overall treatment can affect personality but it also depends how the child processes it - some children express outwards some inwards.
the same experience can affect two people in opposite ways. I might have said yes as my first dd was born with forcepts..and I thought that was pretty 'traumatic'...until I saw my ds2.....then I knew what trauma looked like...poor kid few pictures of those first few days- developed facial excema...on top of the 'cheetah' face, bloodshot eyes...this kid looked like he'd been through the ringer.

[Finch]

Well, I can tell you this much...I had an emergency c-section for fetal distress, which some could consider "traumatic," and my son has severe sensory integration dysfunction. It was one of the first questions asked of me at his evaluation, and they (the evaluators) said there is a strong correllation between emergency c-sections and SID.

In my SID support group, lots of the mothers there report traumatic deliveries and/or emergency c-sections.

[Tanibani]

Interesting theory Finch. :hug

My son was very HNs, intense, but it was a vaginal birth.

I do think he was totally traumatized in the 2 day hospital stay after his birth (totally normal birth) because 1) he was separated from me in the maternity ward :irked: 2) screaming his head off :splat 3) being circumcized day 2 didn't help matter either. :bang

that's why I was adamant I wanted a home birth 2nd time.

Author Aletha Solter
http://www.awareparenting.com/

has written a couple of books and has appeared in Mother mag on the benefits, importance of babies/toddlers crying. She doesn't believe it should be suppressed (by rocking, shushing, whatever) that it is the way the baby RELEASES all the stress/trauma in their lives. If it is suppressed, it just comes out later as aggression. :nod

I never let my baby cry the first year... he starting hitting toddlers for no reason. :duh

She is VERY AP. She thinks it's important to be present with a child having a tantrum (don't punish) and just gently hold and accept the baby/toddler having their emotions.

I was waaaay too permissive with my son and now we have boundary issues. :duh I don't necessarily think it's a Csec or not thing.

[Kari_mom]

I've seen theories like this around. All four of my kids were c-sections. They are all different children, I don't know if it supports the theory or not.

DD is pessimistic and somewhat angry at the world, but she is also almost 12yo and had a 1 month hospital stay at birth that included surgery. She is also 5 years older than her sibling. I call her 'my only child with siblings.'

DS1 is totally laid back, sweet. loving, not aggressive at all.

DS2 can be aggressive, but not more than I would expect from a third child. He plays well in groups with other children. Does need boundaries, more spirited and adventuresome than his older brother.

DS3 is a sweetheart of a baby, he is only 16 months though.

No SIDS in the group as far as I know.

[coopnwhitsmommy]

both my babes were c-sections. First after a failed induction :irked: Second I was talked into due to "big baby" :irked: Both were traumatic births for the boys and for me. In the First DS1 was hit on the forehead with something (not sure what it was but my guess is a retractor, he also swallowed a lot of mucus blood and fluid and was in NICU for 3days. DS2 the one I was told would never fit through my pelvis had to have a vacuum stuck to the back of his head by a nurse while the Dr. dug his head out of my pelvis, he was born at 38wks1day and had breathing issues and at three weeks old developed some sort of illness that we still don't know the cause of. DS1 was pretty easy going until he his toddler years and it just seems to be getting worse the older he gets. DS2 has been HN since birth

[applejuice]

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/317/7169/1346

Everytime I bring this up, someone takes this personally...

It is a scientific study done re: birth trauma and later trauma in life...

It by no means is a fortune telling event or self-fulfilling prophecy just interesting coorelationships...