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Chino, CA 91710
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Importance of Leboyer Birth At

AquaNatal Birth Center, we practice Leboyer, Kitzinger, Odent and Balaskas natural birthing methods. Here is the background information for you.

We believe women have everything they need to safely give birth to their babies without noise, intervention, or artificial breathing techniques. Our specially-designed environment gives each woman the surroundings she needs to give birth quietly, safely, and sanely.

At AquaNatal Birth Center you will experience "Childbirth Without Violence" for baby - and mother! Each time a new family is born, the universe rejoices.

The development of medical science has given us a number of childbirth options. Depending on the health of the mother, the midwife and mother choose the right kind of method. Leboyer Birth is one such method which was named after its founder Frederick Leboyer. This French obstetrician is credited for having portrayed the importance of comfortable and traditional birthing methods. Commonly known as the non-violent birth the process supports the baby's entry into the world in a quiet room and away from bright lights. His contribution towards developing certain norms to welcome the baby peacefully cannot be denied.

Different from the conventional methods, the Leboyer Birth does not believe in cutting the umbilical cord immediately after the birth. In this method, the baby is immersed in a warm bath and is then massaged in a gentle manner until it stops crying. It had been evident since the past that a traumatic birth had often affected a person's wellbeing. The main purpose of a peaceful childbirth is to improve the quality of the birth experience for the baby. Most midwives and mothers have become influenced by the ideas of Leboyer.

We have encountered different types of childbirth and labor, but the Leboyer Birth is truly a unique way to give birth to your child. We must understand the importance of creating a tranquil environment to welcome our children. In this birthing method we often find a relaxed mother, gentle lighting and a soothing atmosphere. If you are not aware of Leboyer Birth, you must know that in this method, there is no unnecessary conversation in the birth room. Those attending the birth speak in hushed voices. It has been found that babies born in this method appear more alert, smiling and content as compared to the conventionally born babies.

Since the babies born in a peaceful atmosphere experience a minimum of trauma, it has inspired mothers to give birth naturally and in a quieter atmosphere. Those who have endeared the LeBoyer Birth method, feel the importance of reducing the stress of the mother and make her feel more satisfied while she gives birth. In Leboyer Birth, the midwife waits to cut your baby's cord and thus the baby has the liberty to take their first breath on their own. One cannot deny the importance of Leboyer Birth since it has been accepted by the people all over the world.

The Leboyer Method - Gentle Birthing the Leboyer Way
By Teri Brown

Choosing a birthing experience is an intensely personal choice. Some moms-to-be long for a water birth, while others want to stay at home or go to a birthing center. Still others are most comfortable in a traditional hospital setting.

Many mothers, such as Carrie Lauth, mother of four from Atlanta, Ga., opt to go for a more natural, gentle birthing experience. "In a nutshell, I trusted that my body knew what to do," Lauth says. "Women have been birthing for thousands of years and for the most part, things go smoothly. In fact, the more we intrude, the higher the risks."

The Leboyer birthing philosophy has been around for decades and is often credited, in part, for the natural birth movement.

Before making a choice, Lauth did her own research and found that the countries that promote midwife care and where the majority of women receive midwife care before and during birth have better outcomes for Mom and Baby. "I also knew that a natural birth led to an easier time breastfeeding," Lauth says. "I wanted what was best for my babies, even if it meant me enduring pain, which actually serves a very positive purpose of encouraging a cascade of 'love' hormones - endorphin and oxytocin - that helps us bond and produce milk."

The Leboyer Birthing Method

The Leboyer birthing philosophy has been around for decades and is often credited, in part, for the natural birth movement. When French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer's book, Birth Without Violence (Revised edition, Healing Arts Press, 2002), came out in 1975, many mothers were entranced by the gentle, nonviolent birthing method.

Linda Goldberg, a registered nurse, registered childbirth educator and the author of Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Beyond (Square One Publishers, Inc., 2008), says that Leboyer believed that the traditional hospital births of the time were traumatic for the infant.

"In his view, the infant moves from a peaceful womb through the 'assault' of labor into a world of bright lights and loud voices," writes Goldberg. "She is held upside down, her cord is cut and she is immediately removed from her mother. Dr. Leboyer stated that a newborn's senses are very acute and that she perceives the intense sensations of birth, often very vividly."

To this end, the Leboyer method includes a dimly lighted room, which is thought to be less shocking for the eyes of an infant who has been in semi-darkness for many months. The room is set to a temperature that will be comfortable to the baby and no loud noises are permitted. That means all talking is done in whispers.

Pulling on the baby's head is discouraged, so the baby can make its way down the birth canal naturally. Medical intervention is to be avoided if at all possible.

Another aspect of the Leboyer method is a delayed cutting of the umbilical cord. According to the Leyboyer proponents, this allows the baby to continue receiving oxygen-carrying red blood cells. This means the baby does not have to be rushed into breathing - making the transition to breathing on her own much easier.

Infant massage, a warm bath and immediate bonding with the mother are all hallmarks of the Leboyer method.

The Long-Lasting Impact

It's easy to see how the Leboyer method has impacted birth in the United States. Forceps are rarely used, most hospitals have gotten rid of the brightly lit delivery room in favor of more private, comfortable birthing rooms and babies are handed off to Mom almost immediately. Because fewer drugs are given to the mother, babies are typically more alert and need less invasive measures to help them breathe.

Because many of Leboyer's methods are so widely used, most midwives and health care providers are knowledgeable about gentle birthing, though they may not know all the particulars of the Leboyer method. Women, who now have much more input on their ideal birthing experience, can easily incorporate the Leboyer method into their birth plan. And having a more gentle birth can only be good for both Mom and Baby.

Sheila Kitzinger

Sheila Kitzinger is an anthropologist, childbirth educator, writer, mother and grandmother living in England. She published her first book on pregnancy and birth in the 1960's when there was little birth information available. She embraced a psychosexual approach to birth, drawing on the works of Dick-Read and Lamaze as well as her interest in birth within different cultures.

Kitzinger believed if women were allowed to respond naturally to their labor, rather than follow a set of breathing patterns, their breathing would correspond to that of sexual excitement and orgasm. It was the suppression of these natural responses to labor (because of hospital birth practices, embarrassment, loss of control and cultural attitudes) that inhibited women from grunting and groaning during labor, leading them to feel more pain.

Kitzinger advocates understanding how women can adapt to the work being done by their uterus. This entails using breathing, relaxation techniques, changes of position, massage and focused concentration to get in tune with the contractions, as well as taking an active role in giving birth, rather than submitting passively to being 'delivered'. She argues for the rights of women to define and explore what they want out of their birth experience as a part of being prepared.

Michel Odent

Dr Michel Odent originally worked as a general surgeon in a busy hospital in Pithiviers, France. In the course of his duties he was often required to carry out Caesarean births because there was no resident obstetrician. In performing these operations he began to wonder what was happening with the normal birth process to require so much intervention, so frequently. He began to spend time observing women in labor, trying to respond to their needs. He concluded that certain conditions were necessary to allow labor to proceed normally.

Odent felt birth was a very private experience and that the best environment to give birth in was one that couples would choose to make love in. He created a birthing room called the salle sauvage (or natural room). A bedroom furnished with a large low platform with lots of cushions, where the woman in labor could feel free to walk around be herself and adopt whatever position she felt was right. This environment made Pithiviers famous as a hospital where women gave birth with fewer complications and little pain relief. It was also one of the first obstetric units that supported water birth.

Odent believed that birth was instinctual and we should not disturb the natural physiological process (in a similar way that animals need privacy and to 'feel safe' when giving birth). He wanted to give birth back to women and support each woman in doing it her own way. Odent focused on the woman's needs in labor. He did not believe in formal preparation classes because he felt that women knew instinctively how to give birth without having to be told.

Janet Balaskas

Janet Balaskas is an English childbirth educator. She first coined the phrase 'Active Birth' and founded the Active Birth Movement in 1982. She believes in being upright and using gravity-assisted positions to help the labour progress and for it to be less painful. In recent years, Balaskas has advocated the use of water, to support and soften the body, regardless of whether the woman chooses to birth in the water or not. At the same time as water was starting to be used more often for labor and birth, she promoted the idea of using water to help relieve pain and to create greater privacy.

Balaskas writes about the baby being an aquatic creature throughout pregnancy and birth as a dramatic change with the newborn entering the world. She felt that water birth could make this transition gentler for the baby. Her overall philosophies include remaining active during labor and utilising the support of water for pain relief and the benefits to the baby if born into water.

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