Clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology
Natural childbirth pioneer and co-founder of Lamaze International
Elisabeth Bing, P.T.
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Born: July 8, 1914
Died: May 15, 2015
Elisabeth Bing began her career as a physical therapist, often visiting the maternity ward of the hospital where she worked to give new mothers massages, and encourage them to get out of bed and move around after giving birth. Thus began her crusade to improve the experience of childbirth, and champion natural childbirth methods.
Dr. Bing observed the methods developed by French obstetrician, Fernand Lamaze which incorporated breathing, relaxation, and emotional support from a partner in order to progress through labor pain without medication. She taught the Lamaze childbirth approach to women and their spouses for fifty years in hospitals and clinics, as well as at her apartment in New York City.
In 1960, Dr. Bing co-founded Lamaze International (formerly the American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics), a nonprofit educational organization which promoted informed childbirth decisions, including the Lamaze method. According to the organization, Lamaze educators have helped millions of women through childbirth. In 1967, she wrote a book, “Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth,” which is still in print today.
Dr. Bing taught in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Medical College from 1974-1988.
Elisabeth Bing, P.T., passed away on May 15, 2015, less than two months shy of her 101st birthday.