The Lamaze technique, also known as the psychoprophylactic method or simply Lamaze, began as a prepared childbirth technique, popularized in the 1950s by Frenchobstetrician Dr. Fernand Lamaze based on his observations in the Soviet Union, as an alternative to medical intervention during childbirth. The goal of Lamaze is to build a mother's confidence in her ability to give birth, through the presentation of classes that help pregnant women understand how to cope with pain in ways that both facilitate labor and promote comfort, including relaxation techniques, movement and massage.
History
Dr. Lamaze was influenced by childbirth practices in the Soviet Union, which involved breathing and relaxation techniques under the supervision of a "monitrice", or midwife. The Lamaze method gained popularity in the United States after Marjorie Karmel wrote about her experiences in her 1959 book Thank You, Dr. Lamaze, and with the formation of the American Society for Psycho prophylaxis in Obstetrics. Currently Lamaze International, founded by Karmel and Elisabeth Bing, is the premier childbirth education certifying organization in the world. Modern Lamaze childbirth classes teach expectant mothers many ways to work with the labor process to reduce the pain associated with childbirth and promote normal birth including the first moments after birth. Techniques include allowing labour to begin on its own, movement and positions, massage, aromatherapy, hot and cold packs, breathing techniques, the use of a "birth ball", spontaneous pushing, upright positions for labour and birth, breastfeeding techniques, and keeping mother and baby together after childbirth. Each class has a specific curriculum that includes learning about common medical interventions and pain relief such as an epidural in an evidence based, non-biased manner. There is a training and certification program available to practitioners, leading to the Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator designation
The "Six Healthy Birth Practices"
The core beliefs of Lamaze International are summarised in a list called "Six Healthy Birth Practices", which are:
Practice 1: Let labor begin on its own
Practice 2: Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor
Practice 3: Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support
Practice 5: Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push
Practice 6: Keep mother and baby together – It's best for mother, baby and breastfeeding
Each of the practices include a video, a patient handout, and professional references for medical personnel. The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices are available in eleven languages: English, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew.
Criticism
Lamaze himself has been criticized for being over-disciplinary and anti-feminist; "he disciplinary nature" of Lamaze’s approach to childbirth is evident from Sheila Kitzinger’s description of the methods he deployed while working in a Paris clinic during the 1950s. According to Kitzinger, Lamaze consistently ranked the women’s performance in childbirth from "excellent" to "complete failure" on the basis of their "restlessness and screams". Those who "failed" were, he thought, "themselves responsible because they harbored doubts or had not practiced sufficiently", and "intellectual" women who "asked too many questions" were considered by Lamaze to be the most "certain to fail". The Lamaze technique has also been criticized for being ineffective.
