Transitions–February 2, 2017

Transitions

The single most important, yet most complex transition for any of us occurs at birth. Luckily, for most of us things went reasonably ok. For more than a third of us, there was more involved than you can imagine, even if it was planned.

Over the past year, we’ve come to realize how integral the intricacies of birth influence who we are and who we become at nearly every stage of our lives.

Some of the relationships are so consistent we can identify birth characteristics by observation. Truly unique, yet consistent ways people move evolve from common attributes of how they were born.

Becki and I were in a ping-pong bar a couple weeks ago and found ourselves people watching. I guessed the girls with T-rex arms were born via C-section. Becki concocted a survey to approach them and found that they were indeed born via C-section!

Read on to understand why birth matters to us.

Which Third Are You?

One in every three babies enters our world with a significant variation to birth—

1.3 million children every year!

Why does this matter?

Birth is a process which sets the stage for nearly every aspect of who we become. The transition at birth is the single most important physiologic transition of our entire lives. It is also extremely complex.

This Birth Statistics graphic is on nearly every wall of our office and reminds us of the many variations of how we arrive.

Why does this matter to us?

Altered birth transitions yield many invisible compensations—developmentally, metabolically, and emotionally. Breathing, circulation, digestion, vision, hearing, temperature and energy regulation, and sleep/wake ALL have to begin working immediately at birth.

Most of the time, these systems and regulatory functions do work, but in 1.3 million children annually they do not get the chance to work completely. And this is what, literally, keeps you up at night.

Read more detail about the changes happening at birth.

Why does this matter to you?

At every age, the invisible compensations are causing frustration and worry.

Parents are:

• Frustrated with children who don’t begin to regulate sleep and behavior.
• Worried when children don’t begin to transition developmental milestones on time.
• Frustrated and worried when children struggle with reading, school, and friends.

Adults are frustrated and worried when:

• Injuries or surgeries don’t allow them to return to normal.
• Sleep is elusive.
• Fatigue prevents fun with family and friends.
• No amount of stretching allows tightness or pain to subside.

What can be done?

Although invisible to most professionals and parents, the variations at birth leave a distinct signature to movement and sensory integration. We have developed a unique process to decipher, understand, and quickly close gaps from the many ways birth characteristics play out over a lifetime. (These are the same principles used to put you back together from an injury or illness.)

In the coming weeks, the stories of Megan (9) and Joe (40 something), will explore how being born pre-maturely ultimately has had an invisible impact on their lives.