Lamaze can help you understand all your options, so you can make informed decisions and learn how to achieve greater comfort and control during labor and birth.  Lamaze takes the mystery out of childbirth. It helps you better understand how your body works and what you can do to benefit yourself and your baby during the childbirth process. 

Lamaze healthy birth practices are based on the best medical evidence available, and are designed to promote a safe and healthy pregnancy and birth

Let labor begin on its own
Letting the body go into labor on its own is almost always the best way to know that the baby is ready to be born and the body is ready for labor. 

Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor
Moving in labor (not confined to a bed) helps women cope with strong and painful contractions, while gently moving the baby into the pelvis and through the birth canal.

Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support
In childbirth, a woman feels better when supported by people she trusts and those who use encouragement.
 
Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary.
When interventions (e.g., induction, epidural, continuous monitoring) are used in a routine manner, women and babies are exposed to unnecessary risks.

Avoid giving birth on the back & follow the body’s urges to push.
Upright positions are safe during pushing and can make it easier to push the baby out.  This could mean squatting, sitting or lying on the side. 

Keep mother and baby together – it’s best for mother, baby and breastfeeding.
Mother and baby share a natural instinct to be close after birth, and experts recommend that a healthy newborn be placed and cared for skin-to-skin on the mother’s abdomen or chest.

You can use Lamaze as an essential resource for helping you understand how decisions about your care during pregnancy and childbirth can positively affect you and your baby.  Lamaze helps you feel more prepared for birth, so you can achieve a safe and healthy experience.  By educating yourself about pregnancy, childbirth and beyond, you are making a good investment in yourself and your baby.  

"The happiness, bliss, and love that a new mother feels for her baby come from deep inside her and do not need to be taught. In the same way, the knowledge about how to give birth is already inside every woman. We can have trust and faith in our bodies to do the job of birthing." 

~Birth Works International