Lamaze method of childbirth.

The effect of the Lamaze method of childbirth on material adjustment and feelings of crisis experienced by new parents during the postpartum period was investigated utilizing a nonprobability sample of 20 married, primiparous couples. The experimental group consisted of 10 couples who attended Lamaze classes; the control group consisted of 10 couples who did not. The women were in the third trimester of pregnancy at entry into the study. The study was terminated four- to six-weeks postpartum. No significant difference was found in the prebirth marital adjustment scores between experimental and control groups. Although most of the marital adjustment scores of both groups increased after birth, increases were not significant. Postbirth marital adjustment scores were significantly less for the experimental group than for the control group. Experimental group husbands' and wives' prebirth stress scores were significantly greater than those of the control group; stress scores increased significantly after birth for experimental group husbands and control group husbands and wives. Experimental group fathers were under significantly greater levels of postbirth stress than control group fathers, although there was no significant difference in mothers' postbirth stress scores between groups. Most mothers and fathers in both groups experienced slight to moderate feelings of crisis during the postpartum period, but no significant difference was found in crisis scores between groups.