When I got into craniosacral work in the 70s, the osteopaths made a big deal about trauma at delivery. If the mother’s pelvis was twisted, the baby’s head would probably take that shape. The cranial plates also had to overlap when the head went through the birth canal and had to reshape correctly after delivery. With the possibility of trauma from forceps and/or vacuum suction, the delivery indeed has its problems……..We found in our research that hours of labor could also be traumatic. A continual force of pressure on the fetus may compress the craniosacral fascial system. If most moms have an epidural to kill the intense pain of labor, what is the fetus feeling emotionally and physically?……..I never considered fetal trauma during the pregnancy.
But during our research we found that many c-section babies had distorted heads and severe craniosacral fascial restriction. The biggest issue here may be the immobility of the fetus for an extended period of time. Just as if we may be stiff when we sleep incorrectly for a few hours, a cramped fetus may have CFT strain in an awkward position, especially when a tight uterus cannot expand. Another question about pregnancy: do fetuses kick because they are cramped, in pain, and want to get out? The CFT goal is to facilitate patients through their onion layers back to conception since the migraines (or any condition) that they are now presenting at their current age may have its traumatic roots in utero.
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