ABOUT LANCASTER LAMAZE
For more than 60 years, Lamaze has been the Gold Standard of childbirth education.
Lamaze International is a non-profit organization, a trusted global leader, with a mission to advance safe and healthy pregnancy, birth and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy.
The Lamaze Vision is to be the trusted global leader in ensuring all parents make confident and informed decisions with the support and resources to have safe, healthy births.
Our goal is simple: We want all parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions, and navigate their path through pregnancy, birth and parenthood.
Key Pillars
These three pillars define the core of who Lamaze is:
EVIDENCE-BASED
Lamaze education and practices are firmly grounded in the latest research. In everything we offer, we recommend the safest and healthiest options to parents without judgment.
RESPECTFUL
Everyone’s journey to parenthood is unique. We welcome and respect all individuals and families from every corner of the world. Regardless of expectations or values, we firmly believe that everyone benefits from an informed pregnancy and birth.
TRANSFORMATIVE
The journey from pregnancy to parenthood can be transformative for families. We want parents to feel confident asking questions and making informed decisions, and to feel comfortably able to take control of their personal journeys.
Why Lamaze?
Lamaze education and practices are based on the best, most current medical evidence available. They can help reduce the use of unnecessary interventions and improve overall outcomes for mothers and babies. Working closely with families, health care providers and Lamaze certified educators, millions of parents have achieved their desired childbirth outcomes using Lamaze practices.
Lamaze Welcomes All Parents
The journey through pregnancy and parenthood is unique for everyone. Birth is at the core of our practice. Lamaze welcomes and respects all individuals and families on this journey from every corner of the world. Regardless of who you are, where you live, who you love or what language you speak, we want to be with you on your path from pregnancy to parenthood. We believe that birth is transformative for every family, and that everyone deserves a safe and healthy birth experience. Our goal is simple; we want all parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions and navigate their individual path through birth and parenthood.
Lamaze Philosophy Statements
Lamaze Philosophy of Pregnancy
Lamaze Philosophy of Birth
Lamaze Philosophy of Parenting
Lamaze International is a non-profit organization, a trusted global leader, with a mission to advance safe and healthy pregnancy, birth and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy.
The Lamaze Vision is to be the trusted global leader in ensuring all parents make confident and informed decisions with the support and resources to have safe, healthy births.
Our goal is simple: We want all parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions, and navigate their path through pregnancy, birth and parenthood.
Key Pillars
These three pillars define the core of who Lamaze is:
EVIDENCE-BASED
Lamaze education and practices are firmly grounded in the latest research. In everything we offer, we recommend the safest and healthiest options to parents without judgment.
RESPECTFUL
Everyone’s journey to parenthood is unique. We welcome and respect all individuals and families from every corner of the world. Regardless of expectations or values, we firmly believe that everyone benefits from an informed pregnancy and birth.
TRANSFORMATIVE
The journey from pregnancy to parenthood can be transformative for families. We want parents to feel confident asking questions and making informed decisions, and to feel comfortably able to take control of their personal journeys.
Why Lamaze?
Lamaze education and practices are based on the best, most current medical evidence available. They can help reduce the use of unnecessary interventions and improve overall outcomes for mothers and babies. Working closely with families, health care providers and Lamaze certified educators, millions of parents have achieved their desired childbirth outcomes using Lamaze practices.
Lamaze Welcomes All Parents
The journey through pregnancy and parenthood is unique for everyone. Birth is at the core of our practice. Lamaze welcomes and respects all individuals and families on this journey from every corner of the world. Regardless of who you are, where you live, who you love or what language you speak, we want to be with you on your path from pregnancy to parenthood. We believe that birth is transformative for every family, and that everyone deserves a safe and healthy birth experience. Our goal is simple; we want all parents to feel confident, supported and powerful as they ask questions, make decisions and navigate their individual path through birth and parenthood.
Lamaze Philosophy Statements
Lamaze Philosophy of Pregnancy
- Your body is designed to nourish and nurture their babies through pregnancy.
- The months of pregnancy are necessary for babies to develop and grow, for your body to prepare for birth and breastfeeding, and for parents to prepare for parenthood.
- Pregnancy provides an opportunity for parents to begin forming lifelong bonds with their babies.
- A good support system and healthy lifestyle promote a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby.
- The health-care system and care provider can increase or decrease a your confidence in your pregnancy and ability to have a healthy baby.
- Lamaze education helps women to be confident, trust their innate ability to give birth and make informed decisions about pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding and parenting.
Lamaze Philosophy of Birth
- You have an innate ability to give birth.
- Birth is transformative in the life of a family.
- Your confidence and ability to give birth is either enhanced or diminished by the care provider and place of birth.
- You have the right to respectful care and continuous support.
- You have the right to give birth free from routine medical interventions.
- Birth can safely take place in homes, birth centers and hospitals.
- Evidence-based care helps improve birth outcomes.
- Lamaze childbirth education empowers you to make informed choices in healthcare and take responsibility for your health, and to trust your ability to give birth.
Lamaze Philosophy of Parenting
- Positive parenting is vital to the physical, emotional and spiritual health of children, parents, and our society as a whole.
- A safe, healthy birth experience provides a strong foundation for parenting.
- Parenting is joyful, important, challenging and deeply satisfying work that is worthy of everyone’s best efforts.
- Parenting begins before birth. The intimate connection between children and their parents must be respected and protected throughout life.
- Parents play unique, irreplaceable roles in the lives of their children.
- Babies and children thrive in close, consistent interaction with their parents.
- Parenting is a learned art; our most important teachers are our own parents, our family and our children.
- Good parenting requires the support of family, friends and community.
- Knowledge and support enhance parents’ confidence and ability to make informed decisions that meet both their own needs and the needs of their children.
The Instructor
Wendy is the educational coordinator and Lamaze Instructor for Lancaster Lamaze and the Program Director and Instructor for Family Trees Birth Programs. Her exciting and dynamic teaching style make classes fun and energetic.
Wendy holds a Masters degree in health science with a concentration in midwifery and women's healthcare. In 2015, she was inducted into the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Certified Childbirth Educators and earned Lamaze Accreditation for the Family Trees Lamaze Educator program. She became a certified doula through DONA International and worked as a birth assistant in the local Amish and Mennonite communities. She has supported hundreds of mothers as they've welcomed their new babies into this world. |
As a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator and Program Director for Lamaze, Wendy provides empowering education to parents and professionals. She consistently receives glowing reviews from her students and co-workers. Wendy has taught at major hospital systems throughout the United States and has trained childbirth educators from around the world.
Professionally, Wendy was involved with published research at Towson University School of Nursing and has guest lectured at several universities, hospitals, and organizations. Wendy was the featured speaker at the regional AWHONN meeting, Nurse Family Partnership state conference, regularly presents at Lamaze International conferences and has ben published in the Journal of Perinatal Education. Wendy is the Chair of the Education Council at Lamaze International.
She proudly represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lobbying for better maternity care on Capitol Hill in 2017 & 2020, holding appointments with countless members of US congress. Wendy is passionate about addressing the healthcare disparities that exist within the United States maternity care system. She thoroughly enjoys sharing her love for labor support and education with other birth professionals.
Above all else, she is most proud of her four children.
QUALIFICATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS
Professionally, Wendy was involved with published research at Towson University School of Nursing and has guest lectured at several universities, hospitals, and organizations. Wendy was the featured speaker at the regional AWHONN meeting, Nurse Family Partnership state conference, regularly presents at Lamaze International conferences and has ben published in the Journal of Perinatal Education. Wendy is the Chair of the Education Council at Lamaze International.
She proudly represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lobbying for better maternity care on Capitol Hill in 2017 & 2020, holding appointments with countless members of US congress. Wendy is passionate about addressing the healthcare disparities that exist within the United States maternity care system. She thoroughly enjoys sharing her love for labor support and education with other birth professionals.
Above all else, she is most proud of her four children.
QUALIFICATIONS/CERTIFICATIONS
- Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
- Fellow of the Academy of Certified Childbirth Educators
- Lamaze Program Director & Trainer
- Chair of Education Council, Lamaze International
- Birth Doula
- Postpartum Doula
- Doula Trainer
- Certified Lactation Counselor
- Lactation Education Counselor