“Natural childbirth” used to be considered the same as normal childbirth, even though in the early 1900s doctors regularly used anesthesia or sedatives to lessen pain and anxiety for mothers-to-be. Beginning at about midcentury, however, relaxation methods and childbirth education changed the way many women chose to have their babies.

The English obstetrician Grantly Dick-Read (1890–1959) first introduced the concept of natural birthing, suggesting in his 1933 book Natural Childbirth that fear and tension were the cause of pain during delivery. By getting rid of fear and tension—through such methods as relaxation, hypnotherapy, exercises to improve muscle tone, and better education about the process—women could make giving birth a pain free and more meaningful experience.

Fernand Lamaze (1890–1957) became perhaps the most well known proponent of natural births beginning in 1951. His methods, developed at his clinic in France, emphasized regular, controlled breathing; muscle strengthening techniques before childbirth; and a supportive role for the father. This became known as the Lamaze method, also called psychoprophylaxis. A book about this method, Thank You, Dr. Lamaze, helped popularize his theories in the United States. In 1960, the book’s author, Marjorie Karmel (d. 1964), cofounded the not-for-profit organization ASPO/Lamaze (now Lamaze International) to spread the teachings of Lamaze and set standards for educators.

Today, Lamaze International promotes personal empowerment for women and childbirth education for both parents or other birth partners. The Lamaze approach includes allowing labor to begin on its own, using massage and aromatherapy for relaxation, applying hot and cold packs to reduce discomfort, utilizing certain positions and pushing techniques during labor and birth, and learning breastfeeding techniques.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. Many of Lamaze’s techniques were focused on lessening a woman’s perception of pain during childbirth. This approach was partly inspired by the “conditioned reflex” theory of Russian researcher Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936), whose experiments in dogs suggested that seemingly intrinsic responses like pain, hunger, or relaxation could, in fact, be “conditioned” to occur in response to external stimuli.
  2. In the early 1900s, natural childbirth met opposition from many physicians who felt that it denied the progress made by modern medicine and needlessly returned the birth process to a more primitive state.
  3. Although Lamaze was originally developed to eliminate the need for medication, mothers today who practice Lamaze methods can still choose to receive an epidural (an anesthetic injection) during delivery.