Why Lamaze Classes are Important During Pregnancy?

If you are expecting a baby for the first time, there is obviously a lot of joy and happiness, but there is also a certain amount of anxiety and nervousness. You have at some point been advised to attend Lamaze classes to beat your anxiety and prepare for childbirth. Are you wondering what the Lamaze method is all about? Read on for more on why it is important to know why Lamaze is good for you.

What is Lamaze?

The Lamaze method gets its name from an obstetrician from France, Ferdinand Lamaze. His technique has been used in the US for nearly five decades, and has caught on in India as well. Essentially, Lamaze classes help boost a woman’s confidence during childbirth. The Lamaze method believes that childbirth is natural and normal and women should be empowered for the process naturally.

• Lamaze classes will help a woman understand that labour will start naturally and all she has to do is move about, change her positions and walk.
• A typical class will tell you that interventions not needed medically should not be used during labour. However, Lamaze neither discourages nor supports interventions of a medical nature. It is only a complementary system to help ease the whole process of childbirth.
• A Lamaze class will tell a woman to follow the urges of her own body to push.
• A healthy practice that you will be told about during a class is that you should not give birth on your back.
• Typically, you are asked to bring along a friend or a partner/loved ones for support during labour.
• Also, Lamaze advocates that the mother and her baby should not be kept apart.

Breathing and focusing

Apart from the above six healthy practices, Lamaze classes also teach a woman to practice certain breathing methods. The method will help you learn all about slow breathing, modified breathing where the pace of breathing is increased, and pant/blow method of breathing. These breathing methods are determined by the number of counts taken to inhale and exhale.

Focusing is a very important aspect of the Lamaze method. You are taught to focus on some point or object when your labour begins, so you can take your mind off the contractions. When you opt for a stuffed toy or a loved one’s photo to focus on, it also generates feelings of positivity, and energizes you during labour.

Support system

One of the benefits of opting for such classes is that you get to interact with other women as well. It boosts your feeling of belonging and helps you build good relationships during your pregnancy. There are many online class modules available as well, but if you can opt for a class in one of the birthing hospitals or maternity centers in your city, nothing quite like it! You can use the Lamaze method of breathing not just during pregnancy/childbirth but later as well. These are lessons for life, so cherish them!