a child's life
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TRANSCRIPT
Zelda Pretorius
January 2016
Index
1. Background
2. Birth in the ancient days
3. Wrigleys' method
4. Nerve damage
5. APGAR tests
6. The Law
7. Developmental & Intellectual Disability1
8. Conclusion
1http://www.abclawcenters.com/practice-areas/types-of-birth-injuries/intellectual-and-developmental-
disabilities/
Background
I have an inquisitive mind and am always looking for answers to my current problems. I
haven’t always been like that, but the past couple of years my work led me to do lots of
research and that kind of stuck with me in my everyday life.
On Monday, the 28th of December 2015, I had another pinched nerve in my lower back. It
happened before so I knew what to do to stretch the area around that nerve to release the
tension, but this time without results. I was in pain for 3 days before it eventually released. I
prayed for healing and for answers as to why this is happening: is it an attack from the devil
or is it a test of my faith?
One morning when I opened Pinterest the answer was there right in front of me in the form
of a picture of the nervous system and spine. This led me to a website of a chiropractor with
enough information and a "lightbulb" moment where I just knew what was wrong.
The great part is that this website has also given me an answer to a question I had for more
than 20 years! My son had many learning disadvantages when he grew up. He is now 23,
and we have wondered for so long what happened that he couldn’t have a normal school
life. He flunked grade R and grade 2 and then the school psychologist told us to "put him in a
donkey school and forget him". We didn’t.
We took him out of school and started to homeschool him for a couple of years until that
also became to difficult for him (gr10). Those years it was still very unpopular and you were
basically "an outcast", but it helped him. If I knew then what I know now about unschooling
and all the alternative curriculums available, he might have had a different road, but we
hadn’t.
After he "finished" school he started working in our business because he had no place to go
with his academic achievements and behavioural problems. He started using the internet
and taught himself a huge new world… a world of electronics, programming, robotics and
simulators – on his own time and in his own way. Somebody that was supposed to be put
away and forgotten….
We never knew why he had this disability – was it from birth or was it when he got badly
burnt when he was 18 months or was it a lack from our side as parents or what? Until this
morning when I found this website of the chiropractor… and I believe that question has
been answered.
I will try to get the information together because I believe this might have a positive impact
on many other boys and girls.
Birth in the ancient days
There is a big difference between how a child was born in the ancient days than he is now –
and I am talking of the normal birth process.
Ancient day women gave birth in a standing, kneeling or squatting position (probably a
combination of these as the birth progressed).2
Today the delivering mother is lying on her back.
Why is the position of the mom important? Many authorities today suggest that the
position of the mother coupled with the pulling from the delivering physician has a lot to do
with birth defects, even if it is not seen immediately after the birth but only later in a child's
life. When the delivering mother is lying on her back she is not only working partially against
gravity but she has reduced the pelvic opening size. These two factors then require the
attending physician to pull harder on the head of the child. This increased pulling and
twisting during the birth process, coupled with a decrease in the pelvic opening and a non
alignment with gravity often set the stage for birth trauma, subluxation and the resulting
problems. 3
Wrigley's method
There are a couple of ways to give birth: natural/normal, caesarean or forceps delivery are
the 3 that are done the most and all 3 of them have their advantages and disadvantages.
In this booklet I want to focus on the forceps delivery as I didn’t know about this 23 years
ago when I needed to.
Forceps are a surgical instrument that resembles a pair of tongs and can be used in surgery for
grabbing, maneuvering, or removing various things within or from the body. They can be used to
assist the delivery of a baby as an alternative to the ventouse (vacuum extraction) method.4
There are many reasons why a doctor will change from a normal delivery to a forceps delivery.
Advantages to forceps use include avoidance of C-section, reduction of delivery time, generalapplicability with cephalic presentation.
Complications include the possibility of bruising, deformation, rectovaginal fistula, nerve damage,Descemet's membrane rupture (extraordinarily rare), skull fractures, and cervical cord injury.
2http://www.womeninthebible.net/childbirth.htm
3http://amyeaustin.blogspot.co.za/2012/05/chiropractic-care-why-your-health-will.html
4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forceps_in_childbirth
Maternal factors why forceps are used:1. Maternal exhaustion2. Prolonged second stage3. Maternal illness; such as heart disease, hypertension, glaucoma, aneurysm, or other things
which make pushing difficult or dangerous4. Haemorrhage5. Analgesic drug-related inhibition of maternal effort (especially with epidural/spinal
anaesthesia)
Fetal Factors why forceps are used:1. Non-reassuring fetal heart tracing2. After-coming head in breech delivery1
On most of the websites that I have researched, the care about the mother takes precedence over
the wellbeing of the baby and it is here where I found my answers.
5
Nerve damage
In the previous passage we saw that forceps delivery grabs, maneuvers or "removes" something, in
this case a baby from mom's body, but one of the complications can be nerve damage. Have a look
at the following picture – the one that opened my eyes:
5https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Smellie_forceps.jpg
Common Symptoms of Subluxation6
6http://amyeaustin.blogspot.co.za/2012/05/chiropractic-care-why-your-health-will.html
Subluxation occurs when one or more of the bones of your spine (vertebrae) move out of
position and create pressure on or irritate spinal nerves. Pressure or irritation on these
nerves then causes malfunction and interfere with the signals travelling to and from these
nerves. This directly affects your nervous system and the part of the body that these
nerves control causing this part of your body to be unable to function at 100%.
Now think back again – what does a forceps delivery do? When the doctor "grabs,
manoeuvres or remove" the baby from mom, one of the causes can be nerve damages.
Infants are born with several subluxations usually in the upper spine and lower spine caused
by the flexation of the spine during vaginal birth. Caesarean birth is also a significant cause
of subluxation especially in the upper spine and neck area.7
To understand the different symptoms you first need to know how the spine is divided:3
If we look at the upper spine you will see in the next picture it is C1-7 and the lower spine
will be L1-5. Do you perhaps see something in the chart below that puts up the red flags of
something your child have problems with? I certainly got quite a couple of red flags
indicating what we missed during his youth – doctors included.
Don’t exclude the cranial part of the vertebrae as shown in the nerve picture on the
previous page. Many of that information were written on your child's yellow birth card, but
you never really know the wealth of information behind those numbers.
7http://amyeaustin.blogspot.co.za/2012/05/chiropractic-care-why-your-health-will.html
The following chart shows which vertebrae is responsible for which organs/body parts.8
8http://amyeaustin.blogspot.co.za/2012/05/chiropractic-care-why-your-health-will.html
APGAR tests
When your baby is born the nurses perform some tests on him/her, called the APGAR test.
The APGAR was developed in 1952 by obstetric anesthesiologist, Virginia Apgar, and
has become a standard tool in assessing newborn babies.
It is a quick, overall assessment of newborn well-being.
The APGAR is used immediately following the delivery of a baby. Test scores are
recorded at one minute and five minutes from the time of birth.
APGAR measures the baby’s color, heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone and respiratory
effort.9
APGAR is an acronym for: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration10
APGAR scoring
Apgar Sign 2 1 0
Appearance
(skin color)
Normal color all over
(hands and feet are
pink)
Normal color (but
hands and feet are
bluish)
Bluish-gray or pale
all over
Pulse
(heart rate)
Normal (above 100
beats per minute)
Below 100 beats per
minute
Absent
(no pulse)
Grimace
("reflex irritability")
Pulls away, sneezes,
coughs, or cries with
stimulation
Facial movement only
(grimace) with
stimulation
Absent (no
response to
stimulation)
Activity
(muscle tone)
Active, spontaneous
movement
Arms and legs flexed
with little movement
No movement,
"floppy" tone
Respiration
(breathing rate and effort)
Normal rate and
effort, good cry
Slow or irregular
breathing, weak cry
Absent (no
breathing)
Scores 7 and above are generally normal, 4 to 6 fairly low, and 3 and below are generally
regarded as critically low.11
Although the medical professionals do not believe that this test is an indication of the future
development of the baby I tend to differ a little bit. This is the reason why I put together a
survey to see if what I have experienced happened with other moms and kids as well.
9http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/apgar-test/
10http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_center/q_a/apgar.html#
11https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apgar_score
My firstborn was a Wrigley's delivery with an APGAR of 5/10 and 8/10. He was slow from
birth and in some instances is still slow in his responses today. Could there be nerve
damages because of the forceps delivery? He is walking with a slight limp as one leg is
longer than the other, or so we thought, but just maybe it is because of a birth defect from
the pull of the forceps where the spine was stretched/misaligned during delivery, which also
caused the nerve damage? Is a forceps delivery really safe for children?
My aunt was a primary school head mistress in the 80's and she told me, unofficially, that
children born from forceps delivery had more learning difficulties to overcome than the rest
(according to all the yellow birth cards she had in the office and the kids' school reports).
Have I discovered some important information that was hidden for so many years?
The Law
There are now law firms specializing on these observations of mine…12.
I have also found out about a year ago from a gynecologist that we, in South Africa, can take
a doctor to court because of negligence in the birthing room, up to 21 years after the birth.
As the (mentioned) websites said on numerous occasions that the long-term effects can not
be determined with the APGAR test, you can with the correct knowledge, open a lawsuit for
damages and expenses if it can be proven that the medical staff was negligent when your
baby was born and it resulted in developmental and behavioral issues.
Can it perhaps be that he used too much force when he did the Wrigleys?
Did he put strain on the child's spine resulting in nerve damages or alignment
problems?
Did he tell you to consult a chiropractor to align the baby's body after a forceps
delivery?
Or did he just leave you and baby in the care of your GP, who is also just sending you
from one therapist to another, without correcting the source of all evil – the spine?
12http://www.abclawcenters.com/frequently-asked-questions/can-forceps-cause-permanent-brain-damage/
Developmental & IntellectualDisability13
13http://www.abclawcenters.com/practice-areas/types-of-birth-injuries/intellectual-and-developmental-
disabilities/
When an infant sustains a birth injury that results in intellectual anddevelopmental disabilities (sometimes referred to as mental retardation), thefamily may face a life-long challenge to provide constant care for that child. Insome cases, the condition is noticeable almost immediately after birth, butother times, it may not be realized for years.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities occur when an individual lackscognitive abilities as a result of a brain injury, disease, or genetics. An individualdiagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities may have a low IQ, aswell as limited communication and social skills, and be unable to take care ofhim or herself.
As the child develops, he or she may learn at a slower rate than other childrenand have a limited ability to learn new things. Some indications of intellectualand developmental disabilities include learning to walk or crawl later than mostchildren, speech problems, difficulty remembering things, and difficulty withlogic or problem solving.
Those with intellectual and developmental disabilities are typically born withthis condition or develop it in infancy, but the results may not be noticeableuntil years later. The individuals who develop this disorder usually do so as theresult of a traumatic head injury or lack of oxygen at birth (hypoxic ischemicencephalopathy). Such errors are often the result of a negligent physician ormedical staff.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities can result from several factors,including genetics, complications during pregnancy, or a birth injury. Geneticconditions such as the inheritance of abnormal genes or errors when genescombine can result in Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, or phenylketonuria(PKU). Similarly, if the mother has a serious infection or disease during herpregnancy, this may cause birth defects in the developing fetus. While geneticconditions and disease may be unavoidable, intellectual and developmentaldisabilities resulting from a birth injury can often be prevented.
Conclusion
The moment that a child shows slower responses or struggles at school, he gets medicine to
calm him down or to cope or to help him concentrate. He is also sent to various therapists
to help him in these difficult times. I don’t have a problem with this as there are many
wonderful people out there helping the kids. They couldn’t help my son though, but I have
seen results in many of the kids in my classes and I believe everyone can be helped – if the
correct prognosis is done and all that I ask is that you are aware of what is happening at
your child's birth. Many of your future questions can be answered when you go back to the
beginning...
Things to take note of:
1. Normal birth: Your position when you give birth – are you working against gravity?
2. Caesarian or forceps delivery: the complications and birth defects that might only be
seen later in life
3. You can claim for expenses for your child if he had birth trauma and it can be proven
4. Learning difficulties might have a longer track record in your child's life than the
doctors would have credited for.
Some of the answers from medical people that I talked with:
Baby clinic sister: There is now a new process for new moms to follow. Their babies have to
see a pediatrician 6 weeks after birth for a follow up on any potential birth defects.
Chiropractor: There is now a new division called pediatric manipulation to correct the
defects that happened during birth. Be aware of this and align your babies' spine to correct
subluxation.
I can make the following conclusion after the survey that I sent out:
More than 75% of babies born from a forceps or a caesarian delivery have encountered
problems like reflux, colic or slower development. Most of them have seen hearing- or eye
specialists; have sent their children to occupational therapists, pediatricians etc.
What I have also encountered is that people don’t always ask questions. They just follow the
doctors blindly, that is, if they do visit the doctors on the proper follow-up appointments.
Maybe we should go back to the ancient ways of having babies:
1. Sitting/standing in a squat position during delivery
2. Bringing up babies alongside you for the first 3 years. Babies did not wear diapers or
nappies; they ‘went’ into small clay pots that the mother carried with her. Mothers quickly learnt to
read the signals a baby sent when it was about to excrete, and since it virtually never left its mother’s
side, this was easier than it would be now.14
This brings me to one final comment. If a baby grows up by the side of his mom for his 1st
three years, she would know when something is wrong, really quickly. The baby will also be
healthier as he would only be weaned from her by that age, but most importantly, he would
have learnt manners. I know I am sticking my head far out right now, but think back when
we were kids (before the time of TV, computers and cell phones) … we all ate the table
together as a family and you may not leave as long as dad is there. We all went to church
together and you learnt to sit still and be silent. You learnt to behave… even in class there
was respect for the teachers. That is why – my opinion – there was no mention in the first 3
versions of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders15) up to the middle
90's, of things like ADD, ADHD and similar problems. Children were disciplined. If they did
have developmental problems then, I am sure it was because of the birth defects described
above as knowledge was limited then.
Today, we are already working with the 5th version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders (DSM-5) 16 and things that are included as mental disorders; could it
actually be because of a birth defect that was not corrected in time or a discipline problem?
Know your rights and know your body.
Be the Christian parent as God planned you to be;
it could change your child's life.
14http://www.womeninthebible.net/childbirth.htm
15http://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
16http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx
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