In 1951, Dr. Fernand Lamaze introduced a method of childbirth in France by incorporating techniques he observed in Russia. This method, consisting of childbirth education classes, relaxation, breathing techniques, continuous emotional support, and a specially trained nurse, became known as “the Lamaze method."

When he visited the Soviet Union, he witnessed a method called psychoprophylaxis, which strove to eliminate the pain of childbirth through education about the physiological process of labor and delivery, the trained relaxation response to uterine contractions, and patterned breathing intended to both increase oxygenation and interfere with the transmission of pain signals from the uterus to the cerebral cortex. 

Fernand returned to Paris and devoted his life to promoting this method for childbearing individuals. This was a completely new concept back then and got backlash for being overly disciplinary or anti-feminist. The birthers' performance was ranked from excellent to complete failure based on their restlessness and screams. Anyone who failed was thought to have caused this themselves with their doubts and need to practice the methods more in preparation. It was also thought that the most likely to fail were intellectual birthers who asked too many questions. 

This is where more individuals got involved to help this method evolve into what Lamaze International is today. Marjorie Karmel was a woman who had Dr. Lamaze as her delivery provider. She wrote a book called "Thank you, Dr. Lamaze," about her childbearing experience. This began to spread the word, and the method's popularity grew. 

Elisabeth Bing, "Mother of Lamaze," and Marjorie Karmel met in 1958 and began working together to teach the Lamaze method to as many women as possible. In 1960, they formed ASPO/Lamaze (now Lamaze International), a not-for-profit organization composed of parents, childbirth educators, health care providers, and other health professionals, to spread the word about Lamaze and set the standards for Lamaze childbirth educators. 

This method being practiced more widely has allowed for evidence of its effectiveness, so it was no longer considered a method to give birth but an actual evidence-based approach.

Lamaze International has grown into one of the largest birthing educational support and preparation organizations. It offers classes for professionals and birthers, free resources, handouts, published articles, step-by-step guides, and so much more.