Lamaze Certification - Here we go!

You may have heard me say/write that I am pursuing certfication as a Lamaze Childbirth Educator. And you may wonder what that means. So, I want to describe my intentions for achieving this credential and what impact it will have on my teaching and birthing work, HypnoBirthing and otherwise.

Lamaze is arguably the oldest and most well-known childbirth education organization. It is now known as Lamaze International or the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth. Although Lamaze is known as a sort of standard in childbirth education, present in hospitals in numerous forms and infamous for its huffing-and-puffing breathing that was characteristic of its form, it has really opened up during the last 20 years--some might say that it has become generic. I agree with that in some ways, because Lamaze trains its instructors to teach what THEY decide to teach. See, it is not like HypnoBirthing (where everyone teaches the EXACT same curriculum). There is no "standard" Lamaze breathing anymore, etc.

However confusing or disappointing this might be, what this means is that Lamaze is an organization that has moved more towards advocacy, it is not a technique anymore. This is actually a really great thing.

Henci Goer, author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth and Obstetric Myths vs. Research Realities, is a Lamaze Educator (as well as a doula) and an advocate for the Lamaze organization. I highly respect her work. She is basically an interpreter of research about childbirth; a normal birth advocate, of course, who knows enough about how to read the medical research in order to determine where there are flaws, and where there is meaning (and where there is not). She represents Lamaze's philosphy that birth should stay "Normal" and as physiological as possible; in other words, intervention-free and hands-off. Women should be trusted as nature intended. Sound familiar?

Lamaze advocates Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth:

1. Labor Begins on Its Own
2. Freedom of Movement Throughout Labor
3. Continuous Labor Support
4. No Routine Interventions
5. Spontaneous Pushing [Birthing] in Upright or Gravity-Neutral Positions
6. No Seperation of Mother and Baby, with Unlimited Opportunities for Breastfeeding

These Care Practices are just one main example of my support for the Lamaze philosophy. In fact, it is my belief that they are so basic and essential to normal, physiological birth, that they are the baseline from which all birth should emerge. Pardon the pun.

HypnoBirthing, in my opinion, simply springs from Lamaze's principles and explores more thoroughly the quality of pregnancy and the birth experience. What could be better than that?!

Once certified, I will continue to teach HypnoBirthing just as before. That won't change. I have simply chosen to add it to my certification repertoire in order to increase my credibility in the birthing field.

Oh, and I may just add more types of classes to my roster, such as Comfort Measures for Labor. Infant Massage is another addition that is coming soon, but that is seperate from Lamaze.

It is my hope that Lamaze will enable me to be more involved in advocacy and research.

So, I embark on the certification process for Lamaze. I take the exam on October 24th, so wish me luck =). No, luck has nothing to do with it. Wish me rest, brain power, presence and skill.