Lamaze
Encyclopedia
The Lamaze Technique, often referred to as Lamaze, is a prepared childbirth technique developed in the 1940s by French
obstetrician Dr. Fernand Lamaze
as an alternative to the use of medical intervention during childbirth
. The goal of Lamaze is to increase a mother's confidence in her ability to give birth; classes help them understand how to cope with pain in ways that both facilitate labour and promote comfort, including focused breathing, movement and massage.
Dr. Lamaze was influenced by Soviet
childbirth practices, 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.
The rise of the epidural
by 1980 and the widespread use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring as standard care practices changed the nature and purpose of the Lamaze method. Today, Lamaze International is an organisation which promotes a philosophy of personal empowerment while providing general childbirth education. Modern Lamaze childbirth classes teach expectant mothers
many ways to work with the labour process to reduce the pain associated with childbirth, and to promote normal (physiological) birth and the first moments after birth. Techniques include allowing labour to begin on its own, movement and positions, massage, aromatherapy, hot
and cold packs, informed consent and informed refusal, breathing techniques, the use of a "birth ball" (yoga or exercise ball), spontaneous pushing, upright positions for labour and birth, breastfeeding techniques, and keeping mother and baby together after childbirth.
The Lamaze technique is not an evidence-based
medical therapy. Its effectiveness benefit could be explained by a placebo effect
, or simply by diverting the woman's attention from the pain of labour to the breathing exercise.
The philosophy is increasingly becoming relevant in India
, specially in the metropolitan areas, with the high rate of Caesarean sections being declared abnormal by the World Health Organisation. A majority of caesarean births in India being reported from private hospitals and gynaecologist - indicating the financial advantage that is derived by them in promoting such births - was highlighted by CNN-IBN on national television.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
obstetrician Dr. Fernand Lamaze
Fernand Lamaze
Fernand Lamaze was a French obstetrician, most famous as the popularizer of psychoprophylaxis, a method of childbirth preparation and pain management that has come to bear his name ....
as an alternative to the use of medical intervention during childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
. The goal of Lamaze is to increase a mother's confidence in her ability to give birth; classes help them understand how to cope with pain in ways that both facilitate labour and promote comfort, including focused breathing, movement and massage.
Dr. Lamaze was influenced by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
childbirth practices, 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.
The rise of the epidural
Epidural
The term epidural is often short for epidural analgesia, a form of regional analgesia involving injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space...
by 1980 and the widespread use of continuous electronic fetal monitoring as standard care practices changed the nature and purpose of the Lamaze method. Today, Lamaze International is an organisation which promotes a philosophy of personal empowerment while providing general childbirth education. Modern Lamaze childbirth classes teach expectant mothers
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
many ways to work with the labour process to reduce the pain associated with childbirth, and to promote normal (physiological) birth and the first moments after birth. Techniques include allowing labour to begin on its own, movement and positions, massage, aromatherapy, hot
Heat pack
A heat pack is designed to warm up one's body to prevent swelling of injuries. A heat pack can be:* an ice pack that is heated * a heating pad that heats when you start the crystallisation process...
and cold packs, informed consent and informed refusal, breathing techniques, the use of a "birth ball" (yoga or exercise ball), spontaneous pushing, upright positions for labour and birth, breastfeeding techniques, and keeping mother and baby together after childbirth.
The Lamaze technique is not an evidence-based
Evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
medical therapy. Its effectiveness benefit could be explained by a placebo effect
Placebo effect
Placebo effect may refer to:* Placebo effect, the tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, to exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work...
, or simply by diverting the woman's attention from the pain of labour to the breathing exercise.
The philosophy is increasingly becoming relevant in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, specially in the metropolitan areas, with the high rate of Caesarean sections being declared abnormal by the World Health Organisation. A majority of caesarean births in India being reported from private hospitals and gynaecologist - indicating the financial advantage that is derived by them in promoting such births - was highlighted by CNN-IBN on national television.
Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices
- Let labour begin on its own. Letting the body go into labour on its own is considered by followers of Lamaze to be the best way to know that the baby is ready for birth and the body is ready for labour.