Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Le·boy·er Pronunciation:
l&-boi-'A Function:
adjective : of or relating to a method of childbirth designed to reduce trauma forthe newborn especially by avoiding the use of forceps and bright lights in the delivery room and by giving the newborn a warm bath <
Leboyer technique>
Leáboyáer /l&-bwo-yA,/ Frédérick (b 1918), French obstetrician. After an early association with the University of Paris clinic, Leboyer devoted himselfexclusively 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, headvocated 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 hisphilosophy 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 emotionaldevelopment of children delivered by the Leboyer method.
