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Pioneers of Modern Childbirth
Modern childbirth was made possible by pioneering physicians. Some of them are:
Grantley Dick-Read (1890-1959), a British obstetrician, who believed that most of the pain during delivery was the result of unnecessary muscular tension. His method of "natural childbirth" was designed to produce relaxation through training in the proper physical and mental attitude.
Fernand Lamaze (1890-1957), a French obstetrician, developed the method of "educated childbirth". It has gained a wide following. This method rests on the assumption that labor is a situation of stress, and that the woman's active participation is the best way of coping with it.
Robert Bradley (1917-1998), an American obstetrician, developed the method of "husband coached childbirth". This method uses an extensive training course in which the future mother learns to relax under the guidance of the father. The course takes much longer than the one used in the Lamaze method, but many parents a,e enthusiastic about it. The aim is a new physical and psychological closeness between mother and father and a birth without the use of drugs of any kind. (It would undoubtedly be more objective to call this method "father coached childbirth" since not all fathers are husbands and not all mothers are wives.)
Frédéric Leboyer (1921-1986), a French obstetrician, introduced a new method called "birth without violence". This method, which focuses on the child, is aimed at maintaining the natural processes with which the fetus has lived inside the mother's womb: darkness, silence, contact with the mother. Therefore, the delivery room is only dimly lit, a bath of warm water is prepared, and the medical staff is trained to perform quietly. In these surroundings, the babies are born quiet, wide eyed, and gurgling happily. They are then immediately placed on their mother's stomach. The umbilical cord is left intact and is cut only when breathing has been well established. For a while, the mother gently massages her child who is subsequently bathed in warm water. The entire procedure is aimed at lessening the "birth trauma" and takes into account that the newborn child is a highly sensitive person.
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