Thank You, Dr. Lamaze

When I was pregnant with my eldest child, I had the services of a wonderful doulah and fairly good childbirth classes at my hospital. I delivered without any drugs and with lots of support with my husband on one side of me and my doulah on the other -- I can't imagine having a baby any other way! Unfortunately with my other children I was unable to have my doulah, but I did have this book and it helped me immensely! I did not achieve a painless childbirth, but I learned to work with my contractions and make the most out of each one. Giving birth has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I look forward to having more children. I believe this book is more useful than "Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Dr. Bradley....this book is also a little bit dated, but only in describing how conditions were at the time Mrs. Karmel gave birth to her children. Everything else is full of practical advice with lots of help on how to do it yourself. I loan out my copy to pregnant friends, especially those who have had difficult childbirths previously. (Just make sure I get it back! :-)

You don't have to be set on "Natural Childbirth" to read this. It is not only for old hippies either; it is also not what you see in your hospital's childbirth class. It is a great beginning to understand what the body is doing and how you prevent your body from misinterpreting it as pain. In the end, if this method is not for you, at least you approached the process with the understanding of what goes on. Other books describe the process with a suggestion to breath naturally. This does not work. Many books review the phycial process of how the baby moves, but not what you can do to overcome how you feel. This book does that-- giving you things you can do to remain in control throughout your child's birth. It is worth it-- find a copy anywhere you can.

I was very young and very scared when I was pregnant with my son, Connor. To add to my problems, I am allergic to just about everything, which meant Lamaze was my only choice for childbirth. After reading Karmel's book, I had pride in myself, that 'yes, I can do this' and that, I would actually enjoy giving birth. Needless to say it only took two hours to have my son on a late Sunday night, I took four extra strength tylenol, which was mainly for my nerves and headache from all the nurses telling me I shouldn't be moving around, and returned to work on Wednesday. This book truly works! This should be required reading for anyone who is fearful of labor, or wants to be able to really experience the miracle of life without being being foggy minded bc of medication!

When I was first pregnant, my mother dug out her copy of this book and I read it and reread it and then read it again! It was my bible and using Dr. Lamaze's methods, not the bastardized version they teach at hospitals these days, is what allowed me to have a completely pain-free childbirth. Not once, but twice, as I used his method both times I was pregnant. This book should be read by anyone who is pregnant. It is well-written, informative and entertaining!

My attitude 35 years ago, when expecting my first child was:"Wake me when it's over" After reading "Thank you, Dr. Lamaze" I actually looked forward to the experience. With Marjorie Karmel's wise counsel and humorous recounting of her experiences and with the help of my wonderful husband and a very supportive doctor (It was hard to find a doctor who would cooperate with "natural childbirth") my first delivery was the most exciting and rewarding experience of my life. I wish this book could have a "rebirth" and be read by all pregnant women so that they could be fully aware and contributing members of the childbirth team. I hope that its use can help to eliminate some of the unnecessary drug use and caesarean sections that are so prevalent.