Leboyer - Poet of birth
Frederick Leboyer - The Poet of Birth
[This article was written by Irena Edrovska upon F. Leboyer’s passing in May 2017 and is being published with permission from the author and F. Leboyer’s wife, in loving memory.]
"To have children . . . it is one of the greatest privileges that life holds." Frederick Leboyer
In May 2017, at the age of 98, Frederick Leboyer made his graceful exit. He was a French obstetrician who brought revolution in obstetrics in the '70s when he claimed that the baby has "rights" during birth. His first book, "Birth Without Violence", reveals the birth as seen from the baby's point of view and is being published again and again in the whole world for more than 40 years now. It has been translated into Greek, in addition to other books of his: “Loving Hands - The Traditional Art of Baby Massage”, "If Birth was Told like a Tale” (not available in English), “The Art of Giving Birth: with Chanting, Breathing and Movement”.
Frederick Leboyer was a friend of Greece, he adored the country and had been visiting every year for many long years. As invited guest from the Greek organization for natural childbirth "Eutokia", he had conducted many seminars for pregnant women and midwives in Athens and Salonica.
© Jérôme Vouillamoz, a photograph characteristic of Frederick Leboyer's personality!