Since the 1960's childbirth education has evolved through various different philosophies. Some earlier teachings were quite limited in their approaches, with later teachings usually developing as a result of the integration of two or three different philosophies. Modifying classes to work with the individual requirements of parents is now seen as an essential component of childbirth education. People have choices and classes need to cater for the various options parents may choose, regardless of where they give birth, who their caregiver is, or what their personal beliefs around labour and birth are.
The following is a list of the main childbirth education philosophies. You may hear childbirth classes being referred to as antenatal, prenatal or perinatal classes.
Dick-Read method
Bradley method
Psychoprophylaxis
Lamaze method
Sheila Kitzinger
Leboyer method
Michel Odent
Gayle Peterson
Janet Balaskas
Pam England
Hypnobirthing
Contemporary classes
Dick-Read method
Dr Grantly Dick-Read was an English gynaecologist in the early 1900's. He once attended a young woman in labour who refused his offer of chloroform for pain relief (generally given routinely in those days during the last stages of birth). After she gave birth, he asked her why she had not accepted the drug. She answered, "Because it didn't hurt, it wasn't meant to was it doctor?" Until then he had believed that severe pain was an inevitable part of the childbirth process for all women.
He reasoned that fear and pain played a central role in women suffering during labour and began to question whether this would be the normal course of events if women were better prepared for birth. His main belief was that fear, tension and pain were interlinked and that if left un-addressed, the labour and birth would be much more problematic. He also identified that labouring women needed constant emotional support to help them cope.