Lamaze Mission and Vision
Established in 1960, Lamaze International is a non-profit organization and a trusted global leader, with a mission to advance safe and healthy pregnancy, birth and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy.
The Lamaze Vision is to be the trusted global leader in ensuring all parents make confident and informed decisions with the support and resources to have safe, healthy births.
Learn about our history and read common myths about Lamaze.
Lamaze Key Pillars
These three pillars define the core of who Lamaze is:
Evidence-Based
Lamaze education and practices are firmly grounded in the latest research. In everything we offer, we recommend the safest and healthiest options to parents without judgment.
Respectful
Everyone’s journey to parenthood is unique. We welcome and respect all individuals and families from every corner of the world. Regardless of expectations or values, we firmly believe that everyone benefits from an informed pregnancy and birth.
Transformative
The journey from pregnancy to parenthood can be transformative for families. We want parents to feel confident asking questions and making informed decisions, and to feel comfortably able to take control of their personal journeys.
Six Healthy Birth Practices
The Lamaze Six Healthy Birth Practices are based on the most recent, evidence-based research. They are recommendations to help ease the birthing process and instill confidence. While some may have unique circumstances, all parents can benefit from understanding the options and information available to them.
- Let labor begin on its own.
- Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor.
- Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support.
- Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary.
- Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push.
- Keep mother and baby together — it's best for mother, baby and breastfeeding.
Adapted from Giving Birth with Confidence, 3rd Edition
Download the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice papers, available in 11 languages.
Today’s Lamaze
Lamaze empowers expecting parents with credible, evidence-based information and support to confidently partner with care providers, explore care options, and achieve the safest, healthiest birth possible. Grounded in the Six Healthy Birth Practices, Lamaze ensures parents can make informed decisions for a healthy pregnancy and childbirth.
Lamaze Ahead
Lamaze Ahead is a collaborative planning process designed to shape the future of our organization. Drawing on feedback from our community and volunteer leaders, this initiative reflects the diversity of those we serve. Lamaze Ahead will support our mission to promote safe, healthy pregnancy, birth, and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy.
The Lamaze Ahead approach is comprised of four key elements:
- Future Factors: Factors that could impact Lamaze and childbirth education over the next five years
- Critical Questions: Questions that will bring our vision for the future of Lamaze into focus
- Directional Goals: Goals that will allow us to set a direction and path forward as an organization
- Annual Imperatives: Plans to help Lamaze reach its directional goal
We used these key elements to then develop our 2022 annual imperatives (i.e., action items) to further the following directional goals for Lamaze International:
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Examine, define, establish, and commit to goals and measures.
Evidence-Based Outcomes
Generate and promote evidence demonstrating that Lamaze education improves birth outcomes.
Leadership and Governance
Adopt and curate best practices for Lamaze leadership development and succession.
Revenue/Business Model
Evolve to a more diversified revenue model that reduces future risk and enables future mission impact.
As we continue to utilize this process to shape our organization’s future, we are committed to sharing Lamaze Ahead major milestones and opportunities for community feedback. Every step forward is made with our mission and future in mind.
Lamaze Philosophy Statements
Lamaze Philosophy of Pregnancy
- Women’s bodies are designed to nourish and nurture their babies through pregnancy.
- The months of pregnancy are necessary for babies to develop and grow, for women’s bodies to prepare for birth and breastfeeding, and for parents to prepare for parenthood.
- Pregnancy provides an opportunity for parents to begin forming lifelong bonds with their babies.
- A good support system and healthy lifestyle promote a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby.
- The health-care system and care provider can increase or decrease a woman’s confidence in her pregnancy and ability to have a healthy baby.
- Lamaze education helps women to be confident, trust their innate ability to give birth and make informed decisions about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenting.
Lamaze Philosophy of Birth
- Women have an innate ability to give birth.
- Birth is transformative in the life of a family.
- Women’s confidence and ability to give birth is either enhanced or diminished by the care provider and place of birth.
- Women have the right to respectful care and continuous support.
- Women have the right to give birth free from routine medical interventions.
- Birth can safely take place in homes, birth centers and hospitals.
- Evidence-based care helps improve birth outcomes.
- Lamaze childbirth education empowers women to make informed choices in healthcare and take responsibility for their health, and to trust their ability to give birth.
Lamaze Philosophy of Parenting
- Positive parenting is vital to the physical, emotional and spiritual health of children, parents, and our society as a whole.
- A safe, healthy birth experience provides a strong foundation for parenting.
- Parenting is joyful, important, challenging and deeply satisfying work that is worthy of everyone’s best efforts.
- Parenting begins before birth. The intimate connection between children and their parents must be respected and protected throughout life.
- Parents play unique, irreplaceable roles in the lives of their children.
- Babies and children thrive in close, consistent interaction with their parents.
- Parenting is a learned art; our most important teachers are our own parents, our family and our children.
- Good parenting requires the support of family, friends and community.
- Knowledge and support enhance parents’ confidence and ability to make informed decisions that meet both their own needs and the needs of their children.