Celebrating 60 Years with 60 Reasons to Love Lamaze!

On Sunday, September 20, Lamaze International will celebrate 60 years of teaching families about safe and healthy birth! In recognition of this momentous milestone, we're sharing 60 reasons to love Lamaze based on the many benefits families receive from taking a Lamaze class. For an organization that was once touted as the childbirth "breathing" class, you'll see that we've come a long way! 

1. Increase your confidence for labor, birth, breastfeeding, and the first few months of parenting. 
2. Classes teach only evidence-based information so you learn best and/or most current practices for birth. 
3. Learn so many ways to cope with the pain of contractions. 
4. Partners learn how to support you during birth. 
5. Step-by-step tips for advocating for yourself during labor, birth, and postpartum.
6. Get to know and connect with yourself more. 
7. Get to know and connect with your partner more. 
8. Learn about inductions. 
9. Find out how to get breastfeeding off to a great start. 
10. See how a baby fits through the pelvis. 
11. Moments of fun and laughs while you learn. 
12. Moments of tenderness, too. 
13. Ease your anxieties. 
14. Learn the differences, with demonstrations, between dilation and effacement and why it matters.
15. Find out about a Bishop's score and why you would need one. 
16. Meet other parents in your community. 
17. Discover 6 practices you can use to help you have a safe and healthy birth. 
18. Explore myths and truths about what really happens in labor. 
19. Practice positions for pain relief in labor. 
20. Practice massage techniques for pain relief in labor. 
21. Practice visualization techniques for pain relief in labor. 
22. Find out which of your 5 senses are most helpful to you for pain relief and distraction during labor. 
23. Figure out exactly what you want to include on your birth plan. 
24. Learn what to do - and what not to do - with a birth plan. 
25. Learn how to communicate your birth plan to your care providers. 
26. Your partner learns how they can advocate for you and your birth plan during labor and birth. 
27. Find out the most critical things you need to know when caring for a new baby.
28. Find out about interventions and "trade offs."
29. You'll have fun while you learn. 
30. Find out how birthing a baby is similar to the process of making a baby (really!). 
31. Discover that you can give birth in so many ways that don't include laying on your back. 
32. Receive valuable well-recommended local contacts for related professional services, like doulas, lactation consultants, massage therapists, and more!
33. Find out when interventions are needed, why, and how to keep your labor and birth as safe as possible when an intervention is needed. 
34. Use fun props to learn about the mechanics of birth. Balloon and ping pong ball, anyone?!
35. Practice ways to find comfort with common pregnancy aches and pains. 
36. Get recommendations for the best books about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, postpartum, and parenting. 
37. Get invaluable resource links for the most helpful articles and tools online. 
38. Answers to your top questions. 
39. Help for your top fears. 
40. Opportunities to share about your experience and hear from others about theirs. 
41. Find out about the many, many choices you have in labor and birth. 
42. Reassurance that you aren't the only person experiencing __________. 
43. Insider information on what an epidural is really like. 
44. What to expect if you have a c-section. 
45. Insider information on the hospital you've chosen (Lamaze teachers know so much!). 
46. Find out how to care for your postpartum body after a vaginal or cesarean birth. 
47. Identify signs of depression, anxiety, and other related mood disorders during pregnancy and after birth. 
48. Demystify the basics of nutrition. 
49. Prepare for life after birth, including tips for your relationship communication and connection. 
50. Learn about caregiver (doctor, OB, midwife) warning signs and how to switch providers if desired. 
51. Get the scoop on tests during pregnancy. 
52. Learn how to get what you need and want out of visits with your care provider. 
53. Find out which newborn tests are most valuable and which ones can be postponed or declined. 
54. Learn all you ever wanted to know (and then some) about pushing in labor. 
55. Discover what a doula does during labor and birth doula, and how that can help. 
56. See what skin-to-skin care really looks like and learn about "the golden hour" after birth. 
57. Understand what it means (and why it's important) to receive "continuous support" during labor and birth. 
58. Learn about the things you can do to potentially shorten your time in labor and pushing. 
59. Find out how to cope when things don't go as planned. 
60. And yes, you'll also learn about different ways to breathe in labor.

Happy 60th birthday, Lamaze families!