Video segments from a baby's birth and first nursing attempt reveal how adverse imprinting from birth interrupted the baby's and mother's ability to nurse. Video segments of follow-up therapy in the BEBA Clinic showed how this baby and mother were supported to successfully nurse. M.D. Dr. Oliver described his experiences with mothers in different cultural settings around the world. He and his staff work to connect mothers to their babies in utero by a lot of touching through the belly, talking directly to it, and listening for the baby's response. Mothers who do not connect with their babies typically have more complications in pregnancy, premature labor, more emergency room visits, and false labor.
Fear is especially potent in destabilizing normal birth.
Dr. Oliver avoids technical interventions, epidurals and episiotomies, and has been offering waterbirths for two years. Discussion texts were prepared by a Dutch midwife and gynecologist. Six midwives from Gambia, Tanzania, Australia, Sweden, Malaysia and Chile met with six gynecologists from Zambia, India, the Philippines, Lesotho, Egypt, and Uruguay. Because in many countries no distinction is made between 'high risk' and 'low risk' births nearly all births happen in hospitals, with abuse of technology, unnecessary interventions, and the freedom of women in labor is sacrificed to the process of speeding up, monitoring and drugging to facilitate delivery. The WHO report finds midwives the best placed caregivers to conduct a normal pregnancy and states that midwives must be able to make decisions autonomously.