Leboyer

Le·boy·er

adj \lə-bȯi-ˈā\

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.