Occasionally, a newborn will experience multiple traumas during labor and delivery that are medically viewed as “normal” with no lifetime health consequences.
A first-time mom planned on the perfect all-natural birth with fairies singing and flower petals floating in the air. That never happened.
After ten hours of labor, the fetus became stuck (red flag #1) in the sunny-side up position (#2). The doctor unsuccessfully tried a vacuum-assisted delivery (#3), which created two hematomas (#4). The doctor finally did an emergency cesarean section (#5).
There were more red flags right after the birth. He had congestion, an open mouth, a constant red face, leg spasms, curled toes, and tight fists—all signs of tightness. His pediatrician ignored it all and said everything was perfectly “normal.”
At seven weeks, he presented to me with a distinct startle reflex where he constantly needed to be held (zero-second brain cycle). He could not lay flat (arching) and had reflux, hiccups, and coughs (diaphragmatic strain). He also had gas (digestive strain) and colic (fascial strain in his abdominal cavity).
After seeing this story repeated many times during my 45 years of infant practice, I can say with confidence that all of these untreated red flags from birth trauma are the root cause of his present conditions. He should have been treated and cleared on day one.
Even sadder, if he is not treated now, I strongly believe that common pediatric conditions like asthma, earaches, headaches, ADHD, and learning disorders, may appear later. If still left untreated in childhood, I am suggesting that the root causes of many common adult issues like migraines, neck aches, and back pain, can be traced back to birth trauma.
The days of pediatricians of gaslighting parents by saying phrases like “growing out of it”, “let’s wait and see,” “your baby is normal,” and “some babies are just fussy and turn the corner” are over. We have all the knowledge and tools to work with newborns to literally change their lives.
He progressed nicely in therapy, but on the fourth visit, something unusual happened when mom said nasal congestion and reflux remained. He had a rare fascial strain pulling from his lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into his sinuses.
No medical professional on the planet would ever have connected these two issues. But that is how the body works. I expect him to do well with continued care.
Let’s look beyond the conventional drug, surgery and technology model and put our hands on newborns, listen to their stories, and free them of a potential lifetime of issues. Gillespie Approach Training is so needed for all newborn providers.
Mom Speaks
“When it comes to health and wellness, I go all in. I eat organic, avoid dairy, gluten, seed oils, refined sugars, and highly processed foods.
“I use non-toxic skincare, makeup, cleaning products, and avoid fragrance like the plague. I don’t drink the tap water and have gadgets to reduce EMF exposure.
“I always try to heal ailments the natural way before anything else. I can’t even remember the last time I went to see a doctor. So you can imagine my surprise when my dreams of a natural water birth and a healthy baby turned out to be the complete opposite of everything I hoped and planned for.
“After ten hours of pushing through pain and agony, I was running out of options and trying to avoid a cesarean section at all costs. When the vacuum extraction did not work and gave my baby two hematomas, I was given an epidural and wheeled in for an emergency cesarean section.
“I was given pain medicine, pitocin, anesthesia etc. I was so worried because I did not want this in my system the first time I breastfed my baby.
“When my baby boy arrived, I did not even get to hold him or have skin on skin for an hour. I was stuck to the bed with a catheter for two days and could not even get up to get my baby.
“I was swollen, my milk was delayed, and my baby was having trouble latching. His bilirubin was going up because his hematomas were breaking down, and he wasn’t producing enough dirty diapers due to my lack of milk.
“He was already lifting his neck up and his arms and legs were curled up like he was a little ball. It seemed to be one thing after the next for him.
“I couldn’t give my baby a nice calm birth, and now I couldn’t even feed him. I felt like a failure.
“As time went by, I started to see more symptoms appear. He seemed to be constantly congested to the point of snorting when he would cry and sounded like he was gagging after eating.
“He had painful gas and reflux, blood-curdling screams, hiccups after every feed, trouble sleeping, and so much tension in his body. I could tell he was uncomfortable and, worse yet, in pain.
“The pediatrician said these things were all normal for a newborn. He would grow out of it, and we could put him on medication for the reflux if we wanted. This did not sit right with me.
“Day after day, I spent my time researching his symptoms and what others did to heal when I finally discovered the Gillespie Approach. When I learned that Dr. Gillespie was the founder of this therapy and only 25 minutes away from my home, I sent him an email. He responded right away saying he could help my son.
“After our consultation, I felt heard, validated, and confident that my son could heal. After our first session, I felt like I had a different baby. He was less fussy, sleeping better, looser, and seemed overall happier.
“We just finished our fourth session, and he was so calm and happy today. We are working on congestion and reflux now.
“I look forward to our weekly appointments and can’t wait to see how much more he progresses.”
Dr. Barry Gillespie Speaks
The Gillespie Approach rests its case.
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