The Lamaze method is employed during pregnancy and childbirth to teach women to respond positively to the pain of labor. Mothers and their partners are taught focused breathing techniques, movement and positioning, massage, and relaxation throughout labor. The process is intended to contribute to the process of labor without the use of drugs. While this method is widely practiced, this method is not necessarily the right one for everyone. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of Lamaze is important in making an educated and appropriate decision in the child bearing process.
Support of Natural Childbirth
The Lamaze method is completely natural and doesn't require the use of medical supervision or drugs, making it a popular option among many women. While early Lamaze focused on regimented breathing, classes now are associated with relaxed environments and have skilled teachers who provide psychological counseling. According to Lamaze International, the philosophy of Lamaze is that the experience of birth is meant to be normal and natural, and that women have an inherent ability to give birth. Women who use this method often praise the rewarding results.
Emotional and Psychological Advantages
While Lamaze promotes natural childbirth, it is possible to practice the Lamaze method and decide to have an epidural during labor. The popularity of the method is largely due to the emphasis on individual personality and the interaction of the body, mind and environment. Women can become more educated about and involved in the process of childbirth, which often reduces fear. The Lamaze method focuses on concentration and breathing as opposed to relaxation. Utilizing a birth partner, breathing exercises teach the woman to relax her muscles during a contraction. It teaches women to avoid fears about doubts about delivery and to instead respond to the contractions as stimuli and not pain. Benefits of Lamaze are largely emotional and psychological as it focuses on providing a positive environment and well-being during delivery.
Regardless of the idea of childbirth without pain, pain will be present despite practice in the Lamaze method. Response to pain varies among all women, and some may find the idea of natural childbirth or the teachings of Lamaze are not enough to combat this pain. Many women become concerned about the pain they feel during childbirth and feel that it indicates a problem with the delivery. The use of a partner is also required, ideally with the parents working together as a team. This is an addition that may be difficult for some women. Lamaze may not be able to prepare for complications that may arise.
Minimal Effect on Pain
According to a study by Melzack in 1984 looking at the pain of childbirth using the McGill pain scale, there was no consistent or statistically significant decrease in average pain scores for patients using Lamaze in childbirth. In a 2007 study in "Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine," Michel Tournaire and Anne Theau-Yonneau found that during the active phase of dilation or during delivery, additional conventional analgesics are often needed. The study suggests Lamaze and other forms of complimentary medicine do little to combat the actual pain involved in delivery and may act only as a distraction during early onset of pain only.
The Lamaze method requires a lot of commitment and patience, and can be costly. Classes require trained and certified professionals. To become a member of the Lamaze International community, fees in the Unites States range from $75 dollars to $115 dollars as of 2010. A typical Lamaze course involves at least twelve hours of instruction and limits the attendance to a certain number of couples. Courses are often six weeks and can cost around $150.