Class 3
Stage 3 of Birth:  Anterior / Posterior Cranium

Stage 3 of birth is the final stage while the baby's cranium and body are still inside the mother's body. Physically, it is still a time of great pressure and the baby is often exhausted and sometimes even has a reduced oxygen supply.

The somatic biology of the baby's orientation is described, including:  the conjunct points on the frontal bone of the cranium as it collides with the sacrum of the mother; the conjunct point at the occiputal/atlas area of the cranium as it is compressed by the pubic sympysis; and the sternum as it conjuncts and slides over the lumbo-sacral promontory.

The middle of Stage 3 to the end of Stage 3 is usually when interventions are most likely to occur, including not only the administration of drugs but activities such as the application of forceps, vacuum extraction, manual and digital manipulations and suction. These processes are often over-used when true medical necessity is evaluated, and certainly when the psychological consequences are considered. The processes are invasive to the baby's birth process, interrupting to the baby's internal rhythm, depleting the baby's internal reserves and impacting the psyche. An introductory overview of these processes is included in this class.

Stage 3 has its own set of psychological consequences including endurance issues, templates for how (or whether) we are able to complete projects, and finally, issues about how we come into the world and how we thereafter present ourselves. All of these psychological consequences, and more, will be discussed.

As usual, the students will explore their own relationships to this birth stage with research and repatterning regressions.