Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It WorksWhy It’s UsedLamaze vs. Other Childbirth Preparation ClassesThe Evidence
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Works
Why It’s Used
Lamaze vs. Other Childbirth Preparation Classes
The Evidence
Lamaze teaches natural childbirth coping techniques, including comfort measures, relaxation, and breathing. Patterned breathing used to be the hallmark of Lamaze. Today, the method incorporates conscious breathing and relaxation, among other principles.
Here is an overview of the Lamaze technique, including how it’s done, why it’s used, and what the research says about its effectiveness.
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Lamaze classes can be offered at a hospital, a doctor’s office, at someone’s home, or another location. The classes generally last around eight weeks but can be slightly longer or shorter.
Lamaze Birth Practices
In Lamaze classes, participants learn how to cope with labor through breathing, relaxation, and comfort techniques. Attendees also learn about the process of labor and birth, interventions and medication, and the postpartum period.
The Lamaze Six Healthy Birth Practices
Lamaze draws on what are called the Six Healthy Birth Practices as the foundation of education, which are:
Lamaze Breathing
When Lamaze became popular in the mid-20th century, patterned breathing was a unique coping method—as there were few options for laboring people other than heavy sedation.
Over time, the organization recognized other techniques that, combined with controlled breathing, helped people manage pain during labor. The Lamaze Six Healthy Birth Practices have replaced the well-known breathing technique as the foundation of its education.
Current Lamaze classes teach slow, deep breathing without prescriptive patterns.
Fernand Lamaze observed the theory of psychoprophylactic childbirth (a method of pain relief that uses breathing and relaxation techniques) in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. Using testimonies of people who had used the techniques, Lamaze popularized the method around the world.
Lamaze’s curriculum is rooted in evidence-based maternity care practices. Facilitating normal, physiological birth is the foundation of Lamaze’s Healthy Birth Practices.
However, Lamaze is not only for people who want an unmedicated birth. Anyone who wants to prepare for the childbirth process—whether they are planning to use medication or not—may benefit from Lamaze classes.
Lamaze believes that no matter what kind of birth a person desires, being prepared can help boost confidence and provide a better experience.
Benefits of Lamaze include:
There are many types of childbirth preparation classes, each with its own techniques and focus. Which one is right for you will depend on your childbirth goals and what you find most helpful for coping with stress and pain.
Medicated vs. Unmedicated
Some childbirth education methods are geared more toward people who want to avoid a medicated birth. For example, the Bradley method is information-heavy on the risks of medication and intervention. It fosters unmedicated birth as the goal for its participants.
By contrast, Lamaze covers the risks and benefits of medical intervention and medication, recognizing that an unmedicated birth is not the best choice—or always possible—for everyone.
Coping Techniques
Lamaze relies on a variety of relaxation techniques, controlled breathing, and other comfort measures.
Some childbirth preparation courses, on the other hand, promote unconventional techniques for coping in labor. For example,hypnobirthing, which uses self-hypnosis, is one such alternative technique.
Time Commitment
Lamaze classes last about eight weeks, while the Bradley method course takes 12 weeks to complete. Other methods offer their classes for as few as three to five weeks or can even consist of one or two classes over a weekend.
The following are two studies that have demonstrated potential benefits of the Lamaze methods:
A Word From Verywell
Lamaze is a popular method of childbirth preparation that uses controlled breathing and relaxation as tools to help people cope with labor. If you hope to have an unmedicated and intervention-free labor, Lamaze might be a good option for you.
Lamaze can also benefit people who wish to explore having an epidural or another form of pain relief during labor, since Lamaze covers this concern.
There is limited research on the effectiveness of childbirth preparation methods, but some studies indicate that Lamaze can be an effective method for coping with labor.
Talk to your doctor and other people whom you trust about the options for childbirth preparation classes.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lothian J.Lamaze breathing.J Perinat Educ. 2011;20(2):118-120. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.20.2.118Lamaze International.Get to know Lamaze.Lamaze International.Certification eligibility.Lamaze International.Lamaze healthy birth practices.Hrešanová E.The psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth in socialist czechoslovakia: from state propaganda to activism of enthusiasts.Medical History. 2016;60(4):534-556. doi:10.1017/mdh.2016.59Lamaze International.Myths about Lamaze.Lakshmi M, Kirubamani D.Study to assess the effectiveness of lamaze method on mode of labour among primigravid women at selected setting -pilot study.International Journal of pharma and Bio Science. 2017;8(3). doi:10.22376/ijpbs.2017.8.3.b1059-1064Wu C, Ge Y, Zhang X et al.The combined effects of Lamaze breathing training and nursing intervention on the delivery in primipara.Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(4):e23920. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000023920
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Lothian J.Lamaze breathing.J Perinat Educ. 2011;20(2):118-120. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.20.2.118Lamaze International.Get to know Lamaze.Lamaze International.Certification eligibility.Lamaze International.Lamaze healthy birth practices.Hrešanová E.The psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth in socialist czechoslovakia: from state propaganda to activism of enthusiasts.Medical History. 2016;60(4):534-556. doi:10.1017/mdh.2016.59Lamaze International.Myths about Lamaze.Lakshmi M, Kirubamani D.Study to assess the effectiveness of lamaze method on mode of labour among primigravid women at selected setting -pilot study.International Journal of pharma and Bio Science. 2017;8(3). doi:10.22376/ijpbs.2017.8.3.b1059-1064Wu C, Ge Y, Zhang X et al.The combined effects of Lamaze breathing training and nursing intervention on the delivery in primipara.Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(4):e23920. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000023920
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Lothian J.Lamaze breathing.J Perinat Educ. 2011;20(2):118-120. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.20.2.118Lamaze International.Get to know Lamaze.Lamaze International.Certification eligibility.Lamaze International.Lamaze healthy birth practices.Hrešanová E.The psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth in socialist czechoslovakia: from state propaganda to activism of enthusiasts.Medical History. 2016;60(4):534-556. doi:10.1017/mdh.2016.59Lamaze International.Myths about Lamaze.Lakshmi M, Kirubamani D.Study to assess the effectiveness of lamaze method on mode of labour among primigravid women at selected setting -pilot study.International Journal of pharma and Bio Science. 2017;8(3). doi:10.22376/ijpbs.2017.8.3.b1059-1064Wu C, Ge Y, Zhang X et al.The combined effects of Lamaze breathing training and nursing intervention on the delivery in primipara.Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(4):e23920. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000023920
Lothian J.Lamaze breathing.J Perinat Educ. 2011;20(2):118-120. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.20.2.118
Lamaze International.Get to know Lamaze.
Lamaze International.Certification eligibility.
Lamaze International.Lamaze healthy birth practices.
Hrešanová E.The psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth in socialist czechoslovakia: from state propaganda to activism of enthusiasts.Medical History. 2016;60(4):534-556. doi:10.1017/mdh.2016.59
Lamaze International.Myths about Lamaze.
Lakshmi M, Kirubamani D.Study to assess the effectiveness of lamaze method on mode of labour among primigravid women at selected setting -pilot study.International Journal of pharma and Bio Science. 2017;8(3). doi:10.22376/ijpbs.2017.8.3.b1059-1064
Wu C, Ge Y, Zhang X et al.The combined effects of Lamaze breathing training and nursing intervention on the delivery in primipara.Medicine (Baltimore). 2021;100(4):e23920. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000023920
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