Obstetrical Rituals and Cultural Anomaly, Part II
Davis-Floyd, Robbie E.
Vol. 5 (1), 1990, 23-40

A continuation of an article in Vol. 4 (3), the rest of this essay points to the mechanization and masculinization of the health care system surrounding the birth process, and urges women to fight the patrichiarcal assumptions and powers of such a system to take control of childbirth.

Stimulus Differentiation by Preterm Infants Can Guide Caregivers
Litovsky, Ruth
Vol. 5 (1), 1990, 41-68

Recent medical advances have resulted in a remarkable increase in the number of infants who survive a premature birth. Many undergo stressful perinatal and prenatal experiences, and require special care in order for their development to be optimal. If that goal is to be met, caregivers need to be sensitive to feedback from the infants, indicating how they are affected by treatment and stimulation. In this study of eight pre-term infants aged 26-32 weeks, findings from behavioral and heart rate changes showed they could differentiate tactile stimulation of three different qualities in ways suggesting discrimination and orientation behavior which are indicative of physiological integration of environmental stimuli. Such behaviors can be used by caregivers as guides in their interaction with infants.

An Historical Overview of Midwifery in the United States
Litoff, Judy Barrett
Vol. 5 (1), 1990, 5-22

This article provides a historical overview of midwifery in the United States from the 17th century to the present. Brief background information on the period prior to 1600 is included. The article shows how a profession that was traditionally considered to be "women's business" came to be dominated by a predominantly male medical establishment. Special attention is given to the early 20th century "midwife debate." The origins of nurse-midwifery and the major factors that have contributed to the recent midwifery renaissance are also considered.

Parent-Infant Holding Patterns and their Impact on Infant Perceptual and Interactional Experience
Romer, Georg, & Sossin, K. Mark
Vol. 5 (1), 1990, 69-86

This article uses a psychobiological lens to study parent-infant holding as an essential ingredient of bonding. The theoretical perspective of direct perception in a perceiver-environment ecosystem (Gibson) is discussed with current findings in infant research as they may explain how differential holding patterns influence the infant's perception of his environment. The article describes how differently mothers and fathers tend to hold children of different sexes, ages, etc. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

On Narcissism and Masochism in the Fetus and the Neonate
Kestenberg, Judith S., & Browitz, Estelle
Vol. 5 (1), 1990, 87-94

This article examines the development of narcissism and masochism utilizing new data from movement observation, in general, and from observations and notations of fetal movement, in particular, leading to the conclusion that fetal movements are motor precursors of psychic functioning. The suggestion is made that both narcissism and masochism have their Anlage in utero. Because the fetus grows and achieves progressive integration, the ratio between integration and self-destruction favors the former. The birth struggle occasions a breach of integration which sways the balance in favor of masochism at birth. Primary narcissism peaks in various phases of growth. Each developmental crises which occurs in transition between one phase and the next is marked by a decline in narcissism; its reappearance occurs with a new growth of organs or functions peaks.

The Role of Sex and Pregnancy in Satanic Cults
Sachs, Roberta G.
Vol. 5 (2), 1990, 105-114

The functional role of sex and pregnancy in transgenerational Satanic cults is described and contrasted with its purpose in "normal" social groups based on reports from former Satanic cult members now being treated for some type of dissociative disorder. In Satanic cults, the primary function of sex is to form a bond between some type of painful stimulation and physical pregnancy, while pregnancy, in addition to perpetuating the gene pool of cult members, is viewed as a means of offering new souls to Satan. In Satanic cults, a specific selection process determines which babies will live or die, and "breeders" are ritually abused while pregnant. The article presents details and dynamics that can be used by professionals to improve the likelihood that these severely damaged patients will receive appropriate and effective treatment.

Fetal Education: A Lesson from the Past
Hofmeyr, G. Justus
Vol. 5 (2), 1990, 115-118

During the 1960s, abdominal decompression during pregnancy was thought, on the basis of poorly controlled studies, to confer exceptional intelligence on the fetus. A carefully controlled study subsequently showed that this was not the case. Mothers who had received decompression treatment tended to give manifestly unrealistic accounts of their children's abilities, and their children differed temperamentally from the control group. This evidence is used to argue that the adoption of new techniques before they have been properly validated is not unwise, but makes it difficult subsequently to distinguish between the effects of the technique and the expectations created.

The Influence of Maternal Emotions during Pregnancy on Fetal and Neonatal Behavior
Van den Bergh, B. R. H.
Vol. 5 (2), 1990, 119-130

This study was designed to examine: 1) whether the influence of maternal emotions on fetal behavior could be established using real-time ultrasound echography and cardiography; and 2) whether the prenatal influence was reflected in neonatal behavior. In a longitudinal study of 30 women out of a larger group of 70 nulliparous women revealed that maternal state anxiety during echographic recording was significantly correlated with fetal behavior. Moreover, fetal behavior was sensitive to the influence of material chronic anxiety during pregnancy. Results on the subgroup of 30 women and their babies suggest a certain degree of continuity between fetal and neonatal movement patterns, and further indicate that the prenatal influence is reflected in neonatal behavior.

Some Thoughts on the Cross-Cultural Study of Maternal Warmth and Detachment
Amighi, Janet Kestenberg
Vol. 5 (2), 1990, 131-146

A number of studies have suggested that maternal detachment is common in tropical societies which suffer from high infant mortality. The author's research revealed evidence of both detachment and positive affect. In this essay she suggests that maternal behavior in all societies can be best characterized as exhibiting ambivalence. To pursue this thesis, the paper briefly surveys maternity as presented in mythology, folk takes, and rituals; cases of direct and indirect infanticide; and examples of mother-infant relationships in the cross-cultural literature.

Womb = Woman = World: Gender and Transcendence in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism
Laughlin, Charles D.
Vol. 5 (2), 1990, 147-166

The cosmologies of many cultures use gender as symbolic for polar attributes of human consciousness. The author presents a developmental neurobiological theory to account for the non-arbitrary way in which this attribution comes about, and applies the theory to an explanation of the symbolic use of gender in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. He concludes by discussing the implication of the theory for understanding the effects of positive and negative pre- and peri-natal experiences on the development of gender identity.

The Foetus as a Personality
Liley, A. W.
Vol. 5 (3), 1991, 191-202

This article is a reprint of the seminal and comprehensive paper given on fetal physical and psychological development in 1972. It is now considered a classic.

The Expression of Pre- and Perinatal Experience in Cultural Phenomena
Janus, Ludwig
Vol. 5 (3), 1991, 203-220

Prenatal psychology can shed light on various experiences that appear to be creative mechanisms for coping with difficult life transitions but that, on closer inspection, also seem to be reenactments of rebirth feelings and of birth itself. The symbolism of regression to the womb and prebirth can be found in puberty rites, shamanism, heroic myths, fairy tales, sacrificial rituals and initiation fights, but the same basic pattern can also be seen to lie within the abstractions of philosophy and behind modern technological enterprise. This basic, recurring pattern of symbolic regression and rebirth appears to be the fundamental way in which pre- and peri-natal experience influences postnatal consciousness.

Changing Childbirth Customs
Chalmers, Beverley
Vol. 5 (3), 1991, 221-232

The meaning and usefulness of the concept of cross-cultural childbirth are questioned in this paper. Intracultural variations within Southern African Black women's experiences of childbirth are utilized to explore the validity of the cross-cultural concept. The question of university or diversity of birth experiences is discussed. Possible universal elements of birth are suggested while factors determining variations in these experiences are proposed.

Postnatal Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Psychoactive Drugs
Kellogg, Carol K.
Vol. 5 (3), 1991, 233-252

Exposure to anoxiolytic drugs during the third week of gestation in the rat leaves a lasting impression on the organism. Rats exposed prenatally to dizepam (Valium) demonstrate alterations in arousal-attention and stress-related functions. Neural systems underlying these functions are also influenced by the early exposure. The effects of early exposure are related to the interaction of the drug with specific binding sites in the fetal brain. The consequences, however, often do not become evident until after a period of normal development, becoming most apparent as the organism reaches young adulthood (late adolescence).

The Role of Kinesthesia in Pre- and Perinatal Bonding
Hatch, Frank W., & Maietta, Lenny
Vol. 5 (3), 1991, 253-270

At birth, mother and infant are in a common state of "kinesthesia" constituting a "kinesthetic bond" resulting from the motion tracking between mother and child throughout the pregnancy. If the sensory mode they use to define their relationship is disrupted by physical separation after birth before other sensory modes of relating are established, the relationship may suffer. When parent-infant bonding is understood in this light, movement following skills can be learned to enhance or repair it when it has been harmed.

Shared Power: The Essence of Humanized Childbirth
McKay, SusanVol. 5 (4), 1991, 283-296

This paper discusses the implications of a research project reported elsewhere. Here the issue of empowerment and disempowerment of women during hospital births is discussed. The author takes the view that birthing technology can be used to both ends, but is usually used in disempowering ways.

Perinatal Depression in Four Women Reared by Borderline Mothers
Trout, Michael
Vol. 5 (4), 1991, 297-326

This paper offers a glimpse of persons reared by a borderline parent by way of reporting on the extreme anxiety and depression experienced upon the birth of their own babies by four women who appear to have had borderline mothers. The article describes family of origin dynamics, how patients struggled to communicate their pain and seek help, problems in treatment and risks to the infant. It discusses how life in a borderline family may create not only an unusually attuned mother but also one unable to credit her vague sense that something was terribly wrong in her family of origin, and that it is about to repeat itself in her care of the new baby. The role of the baby as a transference object for self is critical to assessment of the peculiar qualities of these perinatal depressions and a useful element in treatment.

Classification Rates and Relative Risk Factors for Perinatal Events Predicting Emotional/Behavioral Disorders in Children
Batchelor, Ervin S., Jr., Dean, Raymond S., Gray, Jeffrey W., & Wenck, Stanley
Vol. 5 (4), 1991, 327-342

In this study, perinatal factors were used to predict childhood emotional/behavioral disturbance using a discriminant analysis. A cross-validation procedure was employed showing that 20 of 26 factors studied contributed to the separation between groups at clinical levels of accuracy. Frequencies, percentages, and relative risk factors were calculated for each perinatal factor and for the discriminant function. Results were used to argue a multivariate approach in the examination of a relationship between perinatal events and development of emotional/behavioral disorders in children and adolescents.

Support for Bereaved Families of Multiple Births
Bryan, Elizabeth
Vol. 5 (4), 1991, 343-346

The loss experienced by parents following the perinatal death of a twin is often underestimated and under appreciated by others. This article describes a bereavement clinic for multiple-birth families that provides the opportunity to discuss concerns such as incomplete information, lack of a memorial, anger, the fantasy twin, the response to the surviving child, and zygosity determination.

Maternal-Infant Bonding and Pediatric Asthma: An Initial Investigation
Madrid, Antonio, & Schwartz, Melissa
Vol. 5 (4), 1991, 347-358

This study examined the frequency of disruptions in maternal-infant bonding within a pediatric asthma population. Two groups, 30 mothers of asthmatic children and 30 mothers of well children, were interviewed using the Maternal Infant Bonding Survey (MIBS) to study the frequency of non-bonding events in the birth histories of their children. Raters determined that 86% of the asthmatic children were non-bonded compared to 26% of well children. The article reexamines models of maternal rejection/overprotection in such cases, and a treatment for pediatric asthma targeted at repairing the psychological effects of maternal-infant non-bonding is suggested.

Effects of Perinatal Exposure to Opioid Agonists and Antagonists on Central Nervous System Development
Zagon, Ian S., & McLaughlin, Patricia J.
Vol. 5 (4), 1991, 359-366

Research of perinatal opioid syndrome reveals no pathognomonic symptoms but rather a constellation of somatic and neurobiological deficits that may continue into adulthood. Exogenous opioids such as heroin and methadone interact with opioid receptors and influence development. Endogenous opioid peptides, the counterpart to exogenous opioids, normally modulate developmental events. Cell proliferation appears to be the major target of growth-related opioids. Exogenous opioids also have an affinity for the zeta receptor. Continued study at the cell and molecular level may permit elucidation of the etiology and pathogenesis of various abnormalities (e.g., mental retardation, tumorigenesis) associated with neural development.