Lamaze classes help women discover the inner wisdom they already have for giving birth.
Women learn simple coping strategies for labor, including focused breathing.
But breathing techniques are just one of many things that help women in labor. Movement and positioning, labor support, massage, relaxation, hydrotherapy, and the use of heat and cold are some others. The pain of labor and birth, like other pain, protects us. Some women find that experiencing and coping with the pain of labor and birth is similar to the hard work demanded by dancers and athletes. Lamaze classes help women understand the value of pain and learn how to respond to pain in ways that both facilitate labor and increase comfort.