Natural Childbirth (자연분만)

"Natural childbirth" used to be considered the same as normal childbirth, even though in the early 1900s doctors regularly used anesthesia or sedatives to lessen pain and anxiety for mothers-to-be. Beginning at about midcentury, however, relaxation methods and childbirth education changed the way many women chose to have their babies.

 

영국 산과전문의인 Grantly Dick-Read (1890-1959)는 최초로 자연분만의 개념을 소개하였는데, 그의 1933년도 책 Natural Childbirth 에서 공포와 긴장이 분만 중의 고통을 야기하는 원인이라고 제안하고 있다. 공포와 긴장을 없애기 위해―안정, 최면요법, 근긴장을 개선하기 위한 운동법들과 분만 과정에 대한 더 나은 교육을 통하여―여자들은 고통이 없이 좀더 뜻깊은 경험으로 분만을 할 수 있게 된다.

 

Fernand Lamaze (1890-1957) became perhaps the most well known proponent of natural births beginning in 1951. His methods, developed at his clinic in France, emphasized regular, controlled breathing; muscle strengthening techniques before method, also called psychoprophylaxis. A book about this method, Thank You, Dr. Lamaze, helped popularize his theories in the United States. In 1960, the book's author, Marjorie Karmel (d. 1964), cofounded the not-for-profit organization ASPO/Lamaze (now Lamaze International) to spread the teachings of Lamaze and set standards for educators.

 

오늘날, 라마즈 인터내셔널은 여성들을 위한 개인적인 권한과 양측 부모 혹은 다른 분만 파트너들을 위해 분만 교육을 홍보하고 있다. 라마즈 인터내셔널은 저절로 시작되는 분만의 허용, 휴식완화를 위한 마사지와 아로마요법 사용, 불편함을 줄이기 위한 핫팩과 콜드팩 적용, 분만과 산후 동안의 특정한 자세와 밀어내는 기술의 활용과 수유방법들의 교육 등을 포함한다.

 

 

 

Many of Lamaze's techniques were focused on lessening a woman's perception of pain during childbirth. This approach was partly inspired by the "conditional reflex' theory of Russian researcher Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936), whose experiments in dogs suggested that seemingly intrinsic responses like pain, hunger, or ralaxation could, in fact, be "conditioned" to occur in response to external stimuli.

 

In the early 1900s, natural childbirth met opposition from many physicians who felt that it denied the progress made by modern medcine and needlessly returned the birth process to a more primitive state.

 

Although Lamaze was originally developed to eliminate the need for medication, mothers today who practice Lamaze methods can still choose to receive an epidural (an anesthetic injection) during delivery.