My apologies for not responding sooner. I have a 7-month old son and suffice it to say he is keeping me very busy!
This is going to be a long reply so please bear with me
Sinera Archetypal Dreamer Whilst reading the article the question of complications and medical interventions during birth crossed my mind as well. Complications, such as strenuous and prolonged labor, use of forceps, anaesthesia, induced labor, premature delivery and caesarean section, are very common nowadays. Every 1 of 3 births in the US are through C-section, which is way above the 'medically necessary' line of 10%. I read extensively about this when I was pregnant with my son last year. Ina May's guide to childbirth is a great book if you like to read up about the process of birth and the spiritual journey involved for the parents, especially the mother.
On one hand I think yes, souls find it indeed difficult to come into this dense 3D world and this could be one of the reasons the number of C-sections is higher than before. This could also manifest in different ways. For example, when I was 38 weeks into my pregnancy my son moved from an ideal birth position to a side way position, which is the least ideal and leads to C-section by default. I remember crying so much that day because I really didn't want a C-section and a few hours after that he moved head down again without any external intervention.
I believe that babies are very much in tune with their mother's feelings and state of mind during pregnancy (and even afterwards) and perhaps it's our fears and doubts that they react to?
Which brings me to my next point.. Since giving birth is such a huge process for mothers and involves a great deal of surrendering to the moment and letting go of fears, perhaps it's also the resistance from the mothers' side in this process that contributes to complications?
Of course there are legitimate medical reasons at times for intervention but that number is significantly lower than what we see nowadays. There is such a fear around giving birth that if not dealt with with a great measure of awareness, it's highly likely that we will give in to outside intervention, which always has a ripple effect and leads to complications. For example, induced labor has disadvantages to both mother and child as the complex interplay of hormones during labor get altered, which in turn causes other problems, necessitating more obstetrical interventions.
Sinera induction of labor has been linked to breathing problems and jaundice in newborn babies so it is indeed possible that the health related issues you dealt with as a baby were related to the C-section. I also wonder if there is a link between complications during birth and post partum depression for mothers.
Archetypal Dreamer that's an interesting question about the release of DMT. I know that complications during labor affect the release of a cocktail of hormones in the mother's body and therefore the baby's. Could this also be the case with DMT which naturally peaks at birth? possibly.
Stargazer I think you beautifully describe what the article explains as the individual journey we undertake to heal ourselves which leads to healing intergenerational ancestral patterns. I particularly love this line: "The beautiful thing about approaching healing from this perspective is that our own personal healing also brings resolution to our greater network of relations moving forward and backward in time."
