Please see post from hannah Dahlen

All replies to list please.

Hi Brains Trust. 

I have a question for you. A few of us such as Holly Powell Kennedy, Soo Downe and Maralyn Foureur, Jane Sandall and I are trying to develop a phenotype of physiological birth (or undisturbed birth). 

This is based on the thrifty phenotype hypothesis (Barres & Zierath, 2016) where critical windows of development both in utero and childhood are associated with development of disease later in life. 

The EPIIC hypothesis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23414680 we published in 2013 posits that eustress (normal physiological stress) during the window of the actual labor and birth is protective by assuring that the hormonal physiology is supported and undisturbed (Dahlen et al, 2013). 

Below is a list we have come up with and we want to have it concise but not forget anything major. Please let us know what you think and if we have forgotten something important:

Characteristics of “undisturbed” birth

• Spontaneous onset & progression of labor to vaginal birth at term [37-42 weeks] of a singleton infant in cephalic presentation

• No pharmacologic intervention (including antibiotics)

• Intermittent auscultation of the fetal heart

• No treatment required for blood loss

• Mother able to move about as desired

• Mother able to eat and drink as desired

• Mother able to be attended by companions of choice

• Infant required no resuscitation

• Skin-to-skin

• Delayed cord clamping

• Infant able to breastfeed within one hour of birth

• Healthy mother who feels joy and power

Thanks as always for sharing your wisdom!