Medical Dictionary

Leboyer

adj Le·boy·er \lə-bi-ˈā\

Medical Definition of LEBOYER

:  of or relating to a method of childbirth designed to reduce trauma for the newborn especially by avoiding the use of forceps and bright lights in the delivery room and by giving the newborn a warm bath <the Leboyer technique>

Biographical Note for LEBOYER

Le·boy·er \lə-bwȧ-yā\ Frédérick (born 1918), French obstetrician. After an early association with the University of Paris clinic, Leboyer devoted himself exclusively to a private practice in obstetrics. A visit to India in 1958 led him to begin questioning Western methods of childbirth. Dissatisfied with modern hospital delivery room methods, he advocated a series of procedures that included dimmed lighting, soft sounds, gentle massaging of the infant, a delayed severing of the umbilical cord, and a warm-water bath. Leboyer first presented his philosophy and methods in book form in 1974. The Leboyer method was received with a wide-ranging mixture of acclaim and criticism. It triggered a number of studies of the mental and emotional development of children delivered by the Leboyer method.

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