The way to give birth confidently...

Give birth with confidence!
Written by Tory Carrier

After giving birth to my first child in 2008 I clearly saw the need for childbirth education to continue to be offered in our community. My mother-in-law taught Lamaze for over 20 years in Opelousas, so that was why I initially chose Lamaze. However, after becoming a certified doula and attending many births in a hospital setting, I am convinced Lamaze is the best way to prepare for birth. Lamaze wants all women to give birth with confidence and gives them the tools to prepare well. 

The way to give birth confidently is to be prepared in all the right ways!

The 21st Century woman needs more than breathing techniques and comfort measures to have a great birth experience. She needs to know how to use her birth plan at her prenatal appointments so she has more tools in her toolbox for labor. She needs to be aware of the most common medical interventions used during pregnancy and birth: how they’re used, when they are necessary, and how to keep her labor as normal as possible if interventions become medically necessary.

She also needs to practice comfort measures such as visualization and relaxation, learn movements and positions for the stages and phases of labor, know how to choose a supportive caregiver, and build an excellent support network before, during, and after her birth, not to mention being prepared for breastfeeding and newborn care!

There is plenty of excellent research that shows what the best practices are for labor and birth, but it can be difficult to find this evidence, understand it, and then make it apply to your birth. It can be overwhelming to even know where to start! Lamaze has made it easy for you by summing up all the most current evidence and research into the 6 Healthy Birth Practices. To make things even better, they have made an infographic (see below! Feel free to print!) with all six of these practices so you can get a jump start on preparing for your birth.

I am so excited to be teaming up with MotherBirth to begin offering Lamaze Childbirth classes to the Lafayette area! Classes start in September, so visit the MotherBirth website to register and reserve your spot. 

Tory Carriere, LCCE, CD(DONA), CLC Tory chose to become Lamaze Certified after her first birth in 2006. After seeing the need for professional birth support options in North Acadiana, she became certified through DONA International as a doula, then had the opportunity to become certified to assist moms with breastfeeding as a lactation counselor. She lives in Opelousas with her husband and three children.