Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CyAh7KPO9QV/ Women traumatized by an unplanned caesarean section enjoy significant emotional benefit by playing just 15 minutes of the electronic game Tetris during the first 6 hours following delivery of their babies.  Swiss obstetricians and psychologists studied 146 women, and approximately half of them played Tetris while the control group was kept busy completing a journal of their activities and thoughts. All participants were surveyed for PTSD symptoms at 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum by clinicians blinded as to the treatment each participant had received.  At 6 weeks, the Tetris playing group evidenced only smarginally less PTSD compared with controls.   By 6 months, the differences were significant with the Tetris players recording fewer PTSD symptoms and enjoying significantly better moods and cognitive skills. While the emergent need for a c-section is stressful for expectant mothers and fathers, nearly every childbirth is emotionally trying.  That being