Later that same decade, Marjorie Karmel was instructed in the Lamaze method and used the techniques to give birth. Her resulting book introduced the Lamaze method of childbirth to the United States in 1957. At its conception, the Lamaze organization was known as the American Society of Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics. The experience of birth profoundly affects women and their families. Women's confidence and ability to give birth is either enhanced or diminished by the care provider and place of birth.
Women have the right to give birth free from routine medical interventions.
Birth can safely take place in birth centers and homes. Childbirth education empowers women to make informed choices in health care, to assume responsibility for their health and to trust their inner wisdom. A common misconception is that the Lamaze method of childbirth preparation is nothing more than patterned breathing. But Scintilla says Lamaze classes include instruction on normal birth, labor and postpartum care, birth planning, common medical procedures, patient-doctor communication skills, labor support techniques, doulas, positioning, anesthesia, comfort measures and Cesarean section. She often recommends Lamaze to her friends.