Wanted at Birth: Clean Hands and a Clean Heart
David Chanberlain
Vol 14 (1-2), 1999, 119-125.

A dreaded scourge called "childbed fever" was brought under control in the 19th century by the heroic work of Hungarian physician Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis. In a lonely campaign, Semmelweis pointed his profession to a new and unlikely mark of excellence: clean hands. In this article, the author appeals for a higher standard of mental and emotional antisepsis: clean hearts. The birth memories of several babies are used to prove the urgent need for obstetricians to clean up their words, attitudes, and behaviors to avoid immediate harm and long-term pollution of the infant psyche.

Babies Are Not What We Thought: Call for a New Paradigm
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 127-144

Abundant new findings from experimental research, psychotherapy and anecdotal reports have rendered traditional views of human development obsolete, yet many obstetricians and psychologists continue to view babies in 19th century terms. The author summarizes this view and its failings and assembles evidence for a new paradigm that babies, of whatever age, are aware, expressive, and affected by their interactions with others.

Babies Don't Feel Pain: A Century of Denial in Medicine
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 145-168

During the 20th century when medicine rose to dominate childbirth in the US, it brought with it a denial of infant pain based on ancient prejudices and scientific dogmas no longer supportable. The painful collision of babies with doctors is seen in neonatal intensive care, infant surgery without anesthesia, painful obstetric routines, and genital mutilation of newborn males. This presentation includes a historical review of experiments on infant reactions to pain, the persistence of medical practices causing pain, and speculation about the reasons for professional indifference.

Prenatal Body Language: A New Perspective on Ourselves
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 169-186

Body language is a direct form of communication beginning long before formal language, occurring continually, and possessing universal meanings throughout the life span. There appear to be three types of prenatal body language: self-initiated, spontaneous movements; behaviors reactive to the environment; and interactive, social behaviors. These early behaviors add greatly to the empirical database of prenatal psychology and have important implications for developmental psychology, neonatology, therapeutic work with primal trauma, and noetic studies.

Reliability of Birth Memory: Observations from Mother and Child Pairs in Hypnosis
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 19-30

In this study, a side-by-side comparison was made of birth memories obtained in hypnosis from 10 children (aged 9-23) who had no conscious memories of birth, and from their mothers who claimed they had never shared details of the birth with them. Their independent reports were found to be coherent with each other, to contain a wealth of accurate facts, and to match exactly at many points. A variety of errors was also found in reports but serious contradictions or fantasies were rare.

Life in the Womb: Dangers and Opportunities
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 31-44

As scientific knowledge of life before birth continues to increase, the prenate is revealed to be sensitive and capable, opening new opportunities for ideal communications between babies and their parents. Working against this force for good, the world environment becomes ever more toxic and invasive bringing hazards directly into the womb. A mother's own stresses and emotions constitute yet another environmental hazard.

Foundations of Sex, Love, and Relationships: From Conception to Birth
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 45-64

Signs of intelligent behavior early in gestation cast new light on traditional ideas about the brain, learning, memory, self and the primal origins of relationship. Mother and child are progressively linked by physical senses, emotion, and their mutual perception of outside events. Painful birth procedures can have a lasting impact. Unconscious memory, increasingly breached and probed in psychotherapy, is particularly revealing of he primal foundation of sex, love and relationship.

Babies Remember Birth: A Synopsis
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 5-18

This article is a synopsis of the eponymous book now in a revised and updated third edition with a new title, The Mind of Your Newborn Baby.

The Significance of Birth Memories
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 65-84

This article is an overview of the narrative memories of birth now being routinely collected in various venues. It identifies four dimensions: 1) Clinical, in which a growing literature indicates the importance of birth in many psychological problems; 2) Humanistic, in which birth reports are seen as first-person accounts of feelings, values, virtues and shortcomings; 3) Holistic, in which memories indicate a fully sentient, cognitive newborn capable of communication and intimacy; 4) Transpersonal, in which birth reports indicate degrees of wisdom, caring, analytical thought, and other indicators of higher consciousness. Examples are provided for each area obtained from the author's clinical practice. Reprinted from Vol. 2 (4).

Transpersonal Adventures in Prenatal and Perinatal Hypnotherapy
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 85-96

In this article based on his extensive clinical practice, the author explores the ramifications of pre- and peri-natal findings for a transpersonal paradigm of psychology.

Obstetrics and the Prenatal Psyche
Chamberlain, David B., & Arms, Suzanne
Vol. 14 (1-2), 1999, 97-118

The routine collision of babies with medical technology betrays ignorance that the baby is sentient and is an active partner in pregnancy and birth. This paper illuminates the prenatal psyche, its sensory foundations, its social and cognitive orientation, and its vulnerability to obstetrical interventions.

Toward a Scientific Approach to Prenatal Psychology: From Twilight to Dialog
Schindler, Sepp
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 201-212

The author follows the evolution of thought about prenatal life from Sigmund Freud, Sandor Ferenczi, Otto Rank and Gustav Hans Graber, the founder and first president of the International Studysociety in Prenatal Psychology (ISPP). The author describes the important early steps taken to establish a multidisciplinary scientific dialog on prenatal psychology to reach out to university students and educate the public. In conclusion he reflects on the three guiding principles of the society.

Primal Integration Therapy--School of Lake Dr. Frank Lake MB, MRC Psych, DPM--(1914-1982)
House, Simon H.
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 213-236

Frank Lake's pioneering work in the field of pre- and perinatal psychology and his theoretical models are explicated in this overview. It discusses his deep regression techniques and theories of cell memory.

Looking Back: Personal Reflections on the History of our Association, Part I: Conception to Birth
Chamberlain, David B.
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 237-242

This address is a tribute to Thomas Verny and an overview of the state of the field.

The Influence of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone on Human Fetal Development and Parturition
Glynn, Laura M., Wadhwa, Patihik D., & Sandman, Curt A.
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 243-256

This study focuses on the effects of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on two outcomes: timing of onset of parturition and fetal development. It appears that premature elevation of placental CRH may contribute to shorter gestational lengths. Also CRH may affect fetal development. The data show that the fetuses of women with CRH concentrations exceeding the normal range show different responses to stimulation than those of women with concentrations in the normal range, consistent with other work demonstrating the importance of the intrauterine environment in long-term health and development.

Psychosocial Prenatal Intervention to Reduce Alcohol, Smoking and Stress and Improve Birth Outcome among Minority Women
Mehl-Madrona, Lewis E.
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 257-278

In this study, Native American and Hispanic health professionals developed a series of seven group sessions to reduce alcohol, smoking and stress given to 320 women compared with a control group. Women in the experimental group had significantly fewer caesarean deliveries, oxytocin augmentations, and use of analgesia/anesthesia. Apgar scores were better, and the number of special care nursery admissions was lower. More women quit smoking, and drinking was reduced.

Maternal-Infant Bonding and Asthma
Madrid, Antonio, & Pennington, Dale
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 279-290

The article reexamines animal and human models of maternal-infant bonding and separation. Maternal emotions, attitudes, and emotional separation are discussed along with the effects of nonbonding. A case of infantile asthma is presented, along with research relating pediatric asthma to bonding difficulties from the Erickson Institute.

The Genius within Us: Psychospiritual Guidance during Prenatal and Perinatal Development and its Connection to Human Potential after Birth
Armstrong, Thomas
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 291-298

This paper examines the cross-cultural appearance of myths, stories, customs and legends referring to images of protection and guardianship of a fetus before, during, and after birth. An attempt is made to make sense of these images through an examination of the biological aspects of prenatal development and birth, as well as a more transpersonal or spiritual perspective on human development. It is concluded that further research into these images can help shed light on specific aspects of human development, including the need for inner images of protection and guidance.

Four Perspectives on Being Born Caesarean - (link to Cesarean Voices website)
English, Jane
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 299-308

Having been born caesarean is examined through the perspectives of thesis, antithesis, synthesis and metathesis, or "I am the way I am because I was born caesarean;" "I was born caesarean because of my past life;" "Caesarean birth is part of my 'native' culture; my past is 'compost' for my future;" and "Caesarean born and vaginally born, we have been given birth, life breath, heartbeat and a chance to be on earth," respectively. Shadow sides of these perspectives are presented.

The Ideal Caesarean Birth - (link to Cesarean Voices website)
Oliver, Robert J.
Vol. 14 (3-4), 2000, 331-344

Here a physician discusses the ideal reasons and conditions for a caesarean birth, from pre-conception through birth. Emergency, non-emergency, and non-labor caesarean procedures and optional conditions are presented.