Awakening at Birth
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Awakening at Birth
What the Newborn Foal Revealed About Consciousness, and Neurodevelopment
What Awakens the Newborn Brain?
What if birth is more than the onset of breathing? What if it also provides biological signals that help awaken the newborn brain? And what if disrupting those signals can affect survival and influence neurodevelopment long after birth?
In Awakening at Birth, veterinarian and scientist Dr. John Madigan takes readers from the foaling stalls of Northern California to a Stanford Medical School study involving human newborns. The journey begins with a puzzling condition in newborn foals—animals that are alive yet seem disconnected from their mothers and surroundings.
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Madigan and his team at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine discovered that these foals retained high levels of the sedating neurosteroids present during life in the womb. After all, biology’s first rule for a fetal foal is simple: No galloping in the womb. This discovery led to a simple treatment that helps some affected foals awaken—and to a new way of thinking about birth, the brain, and the transition from fetal unconsciousness to newborn awareness.
For decades, these disconnected newborns were termed “dummy foals” and were believed to suffer from oxygen-deprivation brain injury. Madigan discovered that many could awaken dramatically when specific birth-like signals were recreated.
Through memorable clinical stories and emerging scientific evidence, Dr. Madigan explains in understandable terms how the brain hormones, called neurosteroids, help keep the fetus unconscious in the womb and how their influence changes at birth. He explores the importance of maternal contact after delivery and considers what discoveries in newborn animals may teach us about human birth, neonatal care, and long-term neurodevelopment.
In Awakening at Birth, you will discover:
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How neurosteroids help maintain fetal unconsciousness—and how their influence changes at birth.
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What newborn foals revealed about the transition from life in the womb to awareness after delivery.
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How an unexpected clinical observation led to the Madigan Squeeze Procedure, now used by foal caregivers around the world.
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Why birth canal pressure and early skin-to-skin contact may be important biological signals.
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How discoveries in veterinary medicine are opening new questions about human newborns, long-term neurodevelopment, and possibly conditions such as autism.
Together, these findings raise a profound possibility: what happens during birth and immediately afterward may help shape how the brain awakens, how it develops—and, ultimately, influence aspects of who we become.
Videos
Awakening
Here is a brief introduction to the awakening at birth concept and experiences.
Ellen's Foal: The First Squeeze
This was the first squeeze procedure ever performed on a foal. At eight hours old, he had never nursed. He wandered aimlessly, fell into feeders, and would not drink milk from a bottle.
After 20 minutes of “going through the birth canal again” with the rope squeeze, he stood—and, for the first time, nickered to his mother. Her response helped guide him to her udder, where he nursed on his own. He never needed another treatment.
The video captures those first remarkable moments after the squeeze. What happened that day would change the treatment of newborn foals around the world—with a simple rope and instructions made freely available online.
The Australia Foal: Squeeze Number Two
My friend Dr. Elizabeth Woolsey, who operates an equine hospital in Australia, knew about my work with maladjusted—or “dummy”—foals. She contacted me about a foal more than 24 hours old who had never nursed, wandered aimlessly, and was in serious trouble. His exhausted caregivers had been keeping him alive through repeated tube feeding before referring him to her hospital.
I told Elizabeth what had happened with Ellen’s foal and explained that we had studied the safety of the rope squeeze in healthy newborn foals. I sent her the instructions.
She performed the squeeze—and the foal awakened, approached his mother, and nursed.
This was only the second foal in the world to receive what would soon become known as the Madigan Squeeze Procedure. More importantly, it showed that the remarkable result with Ellen’s foal could be repeated by another veterinarian halfway around the world.
Madigan Squeeze Horse Race
I received a book in the mail titled Swagsational, along with a very nice note. The book's author was Keith Swagerty, a thoroughbred horse breeder in Washington State. After retiring from a successful career, Ken had a program and horse farm where he bred racehorses. In his note, he shared the story of a call from his horse-breeding manager that one of his prized mares had delivered a beautiful thoroughbred foal.
He was delighted and saw pictures of the well-formed, handsome newborn.
Shortly thereafter, he received another call that the foal was not behaving normally, did not nurse the mare, and wandered the stall unaware of its surroundings. The manager told him it was one of those dummy foals, as they called the syndrome in the horse world.
The manager had called their veterinarian in the middle of the night, and he told them, "You need to try the Madigan Squeeze. Here is the link on how to do it." After 20 minutes of the squeeze, the newborn foal woke up, went over to the mare, and nursed. Ken wrote me:
"Thank you, Dr. Madigan, for discovering one of God's little secrets and saving our horse's life. What other secrets can we learn if we keep our eyes, ears, and brains open?"
Of course, we had to name this little filly 'Madigan Squeeze.'
He later sent me this video of her first race.
Could Newborn Foals Offer Insights into Autism?
Our work with maladjusted newborn foals raised important questions about birth and long-term neurodevelopment, including autism.
The UC Davis media team filmed this video at Ellen Jackson’s Victory Rose Farm after we treated several affected foals and began asking what their remarkable recoveries might reveal about the transition from fetal unconsciousness to consciousness at birth.
The video captures our thinking at an early stage of this scientific inquiry. It presents evidence. that the Madigan Squeeze Procedure can help some maladjusted foals, while exploring a broader question: Could events surrounding birth influence later brain development?
The video does not claim that maladjusted foals have autism or that the biological mechanisms identified in foals have been established in children. Rather, our observations introduce a novel possibility: some affected foals may fail to make the normal transition to consciousness at birth. This condition had not previously been described in veterinary medicine and could stimulate research into birth transitions in other species—including humans.
Maladjusted foals have abnormal neurosteroid levels, and neurosteroids also play important roles in human brain development. Awakening at Birth reviews published research on neurosteroid pathways, birth, and neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism.
These observations raise questions; they do not provide final answers. Yet new scientific discoveries often begin with an unexpected observation and the willingness to ask where it might lead.
The subject has clearly captured public interest: at last count, the video had received more than 9 million views.
Best viewed with closed captions off
Other Books
The newly revised 4th edition of Manual of Equine Neonatal Medicine is an invaluable resource for veterinarians specializing in foal care. Authored by Dr. John Madigan, this comprehensive guide provides essential information on diagnosing, treating, and managing neonatal foal conditions, including common challenges like neonatal maladjustment syndrome. With its practical case examples, clear protocols, and detailed insights into the latest advancements in foal medicine, the Manual has become a trusted reference for veterinarians worldwide. Its impact lies in its ability to empower professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to provide better outcomes for vulnerable foals, particularly in high-pressure, emergency situations. Available here: https://www.equineneonatalmanual.com/