Everyone loves something for free, right? How about something incredibly useful and high quality for free? Lamaze International offers a large variety of helpful, evidence-based materials and resources for families during pregnancy and in preparation for labor, birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and early parenting. There are YouTube videos, infographics, a smartphone app, blogs, a Pinterest account, weekly e-newsletter, Facebook pages, a Twitter account, Instagram photos, and many, many pregnancy, birth, and parenting articles on the website. For easy access to these resources, I've compiled them below to see at-a-glance.
Blogs
Science & Sensibility blog for birth professionals. Published twice a week, you can get all the news, analyses of recently published studies, and more. Subscribe to this blog to be sure never to miss a post.
Giving Birth with Confidence - Lamaze International's parent-friendly blog -- congrats, you've found it! Follow along with families as they move through their pregnancies, get up to date information on pregnancy, birth and postpartum information - all delivered in an easy-to-read format.
Videos
Lamaze International YouTube channel - a variety of videos, including 'From the President's Desk,' where Lamaze President, Dr. Robin Elise Weiss shares information on a variety of current issues, short and informative videos on many of our infographics, Six Healthy Birth Practices, and many more videos that promote safe and healthy births. You can subscribe to this YouTube channel to receive updates when new videos are added.
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
- @LamazeOnline - follow along on lots of updates and a great interactive monthly Twitter chat.
Pregnancy & Parenting Smartphone App
A great tool for families to use through pregnancy, labor/birth and parenting. Comprehensive, full of great evidence based information and simply very useful. Check out the Pregnancy & Parenting app page on the Lamaze International website to see all the useful features, and find resources to help you introduce the app to the families you work with.
Infographics
Evidenced based information in an easy to read (and easy to share), visually appealing infographic format. Topics include:
- VBACs (new!)
- Cesareans
- Labor Support
- Healthy Birth Practices
- Electronic Fetal Monitoring
- Epidurals
- Separating Mom and Baby
- Restricted Food & Drink
- Restricted Movement
- Avoiding the First Cesarean
- Inductions
Find them all here, in both web-based and jpeg formats. Don't forget about the accompanying videos that are based on the infographics.
Email Newsletters
Your Pregnancy Week By Week - a weekly evidence based newsletter designed for parents that provides them with helpful information, tips and resources, delivered right to their inboxes weekly, based on their due date.
Website Resources
Healthy Pregnancy - find multiple articles in this section to have a healthy pregnancy, including information on how to find a health care provider and tips for partners.
Planning for Labor - lots to learn here, including basic stages of labor information and positions for labor.
Birth Day - this is where you can find all of the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices, as well as comprehensive information on medical interventions.
New Parents - Learn about breastfeeding, pacifiers, baby's sleep, and postpartum depression.
Lamaze Online Classes
While these are not free, it's relevant to share these awesome resources here. Lamaze now offers a variety of affordable, online courses. These are the perfect supplement to in-person classes.
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC): Informed and Ready - prepares you to make an informed decision about VBAc
Safe and Healthy Birth: Six Simple Steps - Basic labor and birth information based on the Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices
Labor Pain Management: Techniques for Comfort and Coping - labor pain coping tips
Breastfeeding Basics: From Birth to Back to Work - all about breastfeeding and preparing to return to work
Prepared Pregnancy: Start Off Right (Free for a limited time!) - information for before or early pregnancy
Parenting Together: Starting Off Strong - healthy parenting tips for couples
Sex During Pregnancy and Beyond - tips for maintaining intimacy
Bringing Home Baby - preparation for the first few months caring for baby
Tags
Birth Pregnancy Parenting Postpartum Planning for Labor New Parents Lamaze Resources