Supporting Successful Breastfeeding - Castellino Training

11us the positions and movements theywent through when they were bornand during other significant prenatalevents. We find that when we,including the parents, actually meet ababy’s internal rhythmic needs andattune ourselves to the baby’s rhythm,it increases the likelihood that thebaby will form secure attachments toher parents. A primary skill thatcaregivers (parents and practitioners)need to develop in order to do thiswith a baby is to be able to beauthentic with their own feelings,state them, differentiate them and bewith the baby. This involves being inthe moment with how we are feelingwhile also paying attention to thebaby’s needs at the same time. Thismeans not just attending to basicsurvival needs such as shelter,feeding, sleeping, diapering etc., butattending to the tempo or rhythmsthat actually support the baby tointegrate her experience frommoment to moment. The amazingthing is that when we attune ourselvesto the baby’s rhythmic needs, wefunction better and are more capableof making sense and integrating ourown experience, moment to moment.We self-regulate and we becomemore coherent in ourselves. (See DanSiegel and Mary Hartzell inParenting from the Inside Out, 2003,on coherent vs. cohesive narrative.) Itis here that if we have not developedcoherency with our own personalhistory, as caregivers, we are morelikely to project our own early unmetneeds onto babies and do things forthem and to them that may actuallyget in the way.I would like to tell you the storyabout how self-attachment, selfregulation,practitioner orienting,tracking slow rhythmic fluid tides andattention to attunement supported ababy and his mom to begin nursingafter a series of traumatic events thatdid not allow them to beginsuccessfully nursing after birth.Clinical Application:Repair Needs and EstablishingBreastfeeding at 12 WeeksThis is the story of how Dr. WendyMcCarty and I discovered theimportance of the self-attachmentsequence and ways to use it forhealing and repair. Dr. McCarty and Ico-founded BEBA and workedtogether during BEBA’s first fiveyears. I want to introduce you toSkyler (Sky), Stacey and Chris 5 . Wemet and began working with thisfamily in December of 1995 whenSky was six weeks old. At that point,Sky was not yet nursing. Mom andDad were feeding him with expressedbreast milk through a syringe bydripping it down their index finger.They were exhausted and concernedhe was beginning to lose weight.When he was born, Sky weighed 6lbs. 13 oz.After several sessions, the parentsgave us a copy of the videotape ofSky’s birth and their first attempt tobreastfeed a few hours after his birth.His birth and postpartum period had aseries of complications. Labor began5 days prior to his birth. Theyintended to have a home birth, butafter an intermittent labor for 4 days,Stacey transferred to hospital. SheThese are the actual names of thisfamily, used with their permission.©2004 Ray Castellino, DC, RCST®, RPP, RPE. First edition June 2004.1105 N. Ontare, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 805-687-2897, ray@castellinotraining.com, www.castellinotraining.com

12was given a pitocin drip and anepidural. The videotape of Sky’s birthrevealed he had a nucal cord, andthere was meconium showing. Theatmosphere was a mix of life/deathtension from the many medical staffpresent, and exuberance from theparents. The obstetrician held Sky’shead above his body and suctionedhim repeatedly with a bulb syringe.Then he was moved to the table andscoped to check for meconium. ThenSky was separated from his Mom andtaken to the NICU for monitoring androutine procedures for ninetyminutes. Needless to say, Sky’s selfattachmentneeds and Stacey’s needsto hold and nurse her baby werethwarted during this time. Two hoursafter the birth, Stacey attempted tonurse him for the first time. Thefamily had no coaching and they werenot successful in achievingbreastfeeding. Sky’s cry soundedvery hoarse and painful. When Staceyattempted to bring Sky to her breasthe cried, attempted to latch on, andimmediately thrust his headbackwards.When I viewed the videotape, I wasstruck by the similarity of themovement and rhythm of Sky’s headthrusting backwards in the suctioningwith the bulb syringe, and themovement and rhythm that his headwent through during the initialbreastfeeding attempt. I played thosetwo sections of the videotape overand over again, at regular speed andin slow motion. From viewing thisvideotape, it seems possible to methat Sky’s head movement was animprint from the way he wassuctioned, the way he was scoped andthe possible pain he felt in his throat.During the first visit sitting withStacey, Chris and Sky, Sky cried forthe first part of the session. His crystill sounded hoarse. His mom anddad were very sweet with Sky, yetthey were tense from overwhelm andexhaustion. They reported that afterSky’s immediate postpartumexperience, Stacey was separatedfrom him twice. They weredischarged from the hospital one dayafter he was born. Shortly after theyreturned home, Stacey developed afever for which she returned to thehospital. She was treated with IVantibiotics and seemed to improve.Within a few days she returned home.She again developed a fever and wasre-hospitalized. Due to thehospitalizations, Stacey and Sky wereseparated for a total of 10 days duringthe first two weeks of Sky’s life.Stacey was so dedicated to nursingSky that she pumped her milk until hebegan nursing at 12 weeks. Duringthe 6 th week, they began using abottle to feed him breast milk. Theysaid that he simply would not latch onto her breast.During the sessions and by reviewingthe videotapes of the sessions Dr.McCarty, and I discovered four basicthings:1. As Wendy and I settled and trackedthe long tide, everyone was able toestablish the felt sense of attunementwith each other.2. In that attuned state, there weretimes when Sky appeared to go tosleep, as he was being held by hisparents. During those periods, we didcraniosacral work with Sky. Wetracked the felt sense of the tempo ofthe craniosacral tides and ANS cues(breath rate, heat distribution in thebody, pupil dilation etc.) with parents©2004 Ray Castellino, DC, RCST®, RPP, RPE. First edition June 2004.1105 N. Ontare, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 805-687-2897, ray@castellinotraining.com, www.castellinotraining.com

14In BEBA, we have a population offamilies who have repaired earlyinjuries, similar to what Sky andCamille experienced. We areobserving that these practices resultin secure attachment. Practitionerstrained in this approach are also veryresilient and seem to be resistant tohealth care practitioner burnout. Thebenefits not only support babies andfamilies, but support thepractitioners’ well being as well.Special thanks to Myrna Martin for herhelp with editing this article.©2004 Ray Castellino, DC, RCST®, RPP, RPE. First edition June 2004.1105 N. Ontare, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 805-687-2897, ray@castellinotraining.com, www.castellinotraining.com

16Neuman, J. & Pitman, T. (2000). The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers: The MostComprehensive Problem-Solution Guide to Breastfeeding from the Foremost Expert inNorth America. Prima Lifestyles.Odent, M. (2002). Primal Health: Understanding the Critical Period BetweenConception and the First Birthday. Glasgow, Scotland: Clairview Books.Pearce, J C. (2002). The Biology of Transcendence: A Blueprint of the HumanExperience. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.Righard, L. & Alade, M. (1990). Effect of Delivery Room Routines on Success of FirstBreast-feed. Lancet, 336, 1105-07.Righard, L. & Frantz, K. (1995). Delivery Self Attachment. [Videotape]. Sunland, CA:Geddes Productions.Schore, A. N. (1994). Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self: The Neurobiology ofEmotional Development. Hillside, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum AssociatesSchore, A. N.(2003a). Affect Dysregulation & Disorders of the Self. New York, NY:W.W. Norton & Company.Schore, A. N. (2003b). Affect Regulation & the Repair of the Self. New York, NY: W.W.Norton & Company.Siegel, D. J. (1999). The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of InterpersonalExperience. New York, NY: Guildford Press.Siegel, D. J., & Hartzell, M. (2003). Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper SelfUnderstanding Can Help You Raise Children who Thrive. New York, NY: PenguinPutnam.Sills, F. (2001). Craniosacral Biodynamics: The Breath of Life, Biodynamics, andFundamental Skills. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic BooksSills, F. (2004). Craniosacral Biodynamics: The Primal Midline and the Organization ofthe Body. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.Verny, T. (2000) Nurturing the Unborn Child. Chicago, IL: Olmstead Press.©2004 Ray Castellino, DC, RCST®, RPP, RPE. First edition June 2004.1105 N. Ontare, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. 805-687-2897, ray@castellinotraining.com, www.castellinotraining.com