Training For Childbirth

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30822, 6 August 1965, Page 2

Training For Childbirth

Psychoprophylaxis is a method of antenatal training for natural childbirth which was developed by a French obstetrician, Dr. Lamaze, from Pavlov’s work on conditioned reflexes. Last evening a meeting of the Christchurch Parents' Centre heard a report from a recent Wellington seminar on this method. The seminar was attended by physiotherapists

.who take classes for centres throughout New Zealand. Dr. Lamaze first used the method in France in the 1950’5. Later it was adopted in Britain. “A woman trained in the psychoprophylactic sense is a woman who has been educated to understand the way her body works, especially the way in which the nerves and muscles and the reproductive system works,” said the ref port. “She knows what sensations ’ to expect during labour and a how to react to these with 1 the positive relaxation and s breathing techniques she has s learnt. She has complete con-

fidence in her doctor, midwife and herself.” A discission during the seminar made it clear that a complete team was important during labour. “The father is often a member of this team. He, too, must be confident of the skill of the midwife and the doctor.” Those attending the seminar came away feeling that each mother trained by the method would have a healthy optimistic attitude towards labour, based on the knowledge that she had done everything possible to prepare herself, and that she was ready to assist in the birth of her baby, said the report