Birthing Options: Pregnant Women Have Many Choices

Especially in bigger towns and cities, many women have options for what type of childbirth class they want to take, or what type of labor support they want to have at birth. In the past 100 years, there have been lots of changes in our culture surrounding pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum periods. The following methods are a few of those which have been initiated and continued, have perhaps evolved over time, and have been used by many women. Usually, childbirth classes are blend of the following methods, but if you are looking to fill a particular need, seeking out a class or labor support person with one of these philosophies may be right for you.

The Lamaze Method: In 2001, Lamaze International published an updated position paper on teaching the Lamaze Philosophy. The Lamaze Method has become widely known as the Breathing Method of the 1960's. As new approaches have been taken to childbirth, they felt it was necessary to update their own philosophy of birth. You can find information about the Lamaze philosophy and method at www.lamaze-childbirth.com. The emphasis of Lamaze classes now lie in many comfort measures in addition to the original breathing method. The breathing methods include cleansing breaths, slow paced breathing, modified paced breathing and patterned paced breathing. They have also retired the birth coach and now highly recommend a birth doula to all "women who will give birth in a hospital environment that does not provide continuous emotional and physical support". Lamaze International also recommends that women plan to have labor tools such as a rocking chair, beanbags, and birth balls in their labor environment to assist them through the natural pain of labor. The paper concludes by saying that "birth does not change but over time, the environment in which birth takes place does change, and our understanding of both simplicity and complexity of birth deepens". This is why Lamaze preparation method has "evolved and will continue to evolve". It is therefore my opinion that Lamaze Preparation for Birth is still a good method to follow.

The Dick-Read Method: Dr. Grantly Dick-Read was an obstetric doctor who's perception of the pain of childbirth was changed upon attending the birth of a young woman who denied the option of chloroform. After the birth she explained her reason: "It didn't hurt. It wasn't meant to, was it, doctor?". That incident began a life long search for the reason why some women experience pain and others do not. Over much time and research he developed a cause-and-effect explanation which he called the Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome. Through this syndrome, most women in our society are led to fear childbirth and its struggle to bring forth life. Through the many life-threatening stories they hear, women develop a tension in their bodies in preparation for their own birth. This tension often times causes extreme pain in childbirth because the muscles have to fight the woman's tension to make any progress in labor. He says in his book "Childbirth Without Fear" (1970), "If fear, tension and pain go hand in hand, then it must be necessary to relieve tension and to overcome fear in or to eliminate pain". To eliminate pain, Dick-Read recommends prenatal education, an encouraging support network and the development of a comfortable birth atmosphere either at home or in the hospital.

The Kitzinger Method: Since the 1960's, Sheila Kitzinger has been an active childbirth educator, influencing childbirth preparation all over the world. Through her psychosexual approach, she describes birth as a highly personal, sexual and social event. This is one reason that she recommends the homebirth option for healthy women. She emphasizes body awareness, preparing for birth by bringing health to the mother through diet and exercise, relaxation techniques (such as active labor and birth positions, the use of a shower or bath and the use of visual images) and breathing patterns which encourage relaxation (including "breathing down your back", "full chest breathing", "upper chest breathing", and "butterfly breathing". The Kitzinger Method supports the presence of the father and doula and/or other support person in the birthing room, and teaches methods of how they can support the mother. The Kitzinger Method also supports the "Gentle Birth" method and describes it thoroughly in her book, "The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth".

The Bradley Method: In the 1950's and 1960's, Robert Bradley continued to promote the Dick-Read method which had already been established in some places. He worked to refine and contribute to the method. His most important contribution is considered to be his influence on incorporating the father into the birth. He believed that men, as fathers of their children, could encourage the mother and ease her transition into motherhood, as well as gain confidence and self-esteem as a father. This also gave him the opportunity to bond with his child early on. In light of the Bradley method, many hospitals began offering birth education for the father, in addition to the mother, so that he could be her "coach" at the time of labor and birth. Although this led to much responsibility on the father's part, with continued refinement the method established an excellent contribution to the modern family. Now it is standard practice for the father to play a part in his wife's labor and birth experience, and men over time have gained a certain amount of confidence in their role as fathers.

Other important names in childbirth preparation:
Roberto Caldeyro-Barcia, Joyce Roberts, Penny Simpkin, Elizabeth Noble, Marshall Klaus, Phyllis Klaus, John Kennell, T. Berry Brazelton, Frederic Leboyer, Michel Odent, Gayle Peterson, Niles Newton, Robert Mendelson, Ina May Gaskin, Janet Balaskas, William and Martha Sears, Diane Korte, and Nancy Cohen.