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Grantly Dick-Read

British obstetrician

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Grantly Dick-Read was a British obstetrician who developed the concept of natural childbirth. He proposed that excessive pain during labor stems from fear, leading to muscular tension. Dick-Read's method, outlined in his 1933 book Natural Childbirth, emphasized preparing pregnant women through education about the birth process and instruction in breathing and relaxation techniques. This approach aimed to reduce the need for anesthesia and surgery by conditioning the mother physically and psychologically. His ideas gained popularity in the mid-1950s and influenced subsequent methods like Lamaze.12

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