Elisabeth Bing facts for kids

Elisabeth Dorothea Bing (born Koenigsberger; 1914–2015) was a German physical therapist. She helped start Lamaze International. She was a big supporter of natural childbirth, which means giving birth without a lot of medicine.

Elisabeth became a physical therapist in England. She had to leave Germany because of her Jewish family background and the rise of Nazi Germany. While working in hospitals, she became very interested in natural childbirth.

Later, she moved to the United States. There, she taught parents about natural childbirth. To help spread these ideas, she co-founded a group now called Lamaze International. She also appeared on TV and radio and wrote books. Many people called her the "mother" of the Lamaze method in the United States.

Early Life and Moving to England

Elisabeth Dorothea Koenigsberger was born on July 8, 1914. She was born in Gruenau, a suburb of Berlin, Germany. Her birth happened at home before the doctor could arrive.

Her family had Jewish roots. Years before she was born, they had changed to the Protestant religion. As Nazi Germany grew stronger, her family felt it was dangerous to stay. So, they decided to leave Germany. Elisabeth was the first one to leave, going to England in September 1933.

Becoming a Physical Therapist

In England, Elisabeth Bing trained to become a physical therapist. At first, she worked as a student nurse. This was because physical therapy training was cheaper if you had already been a student nurse for a year. It was hard for her family to send money from Germany at that time.

She had to stop her nursing training early because she got sick and needed surgery. After she moved to London, her family finally sent enough money. This allowed her to pay for her full training. She studied for three years and became a member of a group for physical therapists.

Discovering Natural Childbirth

Elisabeth became interested in childbirth after working with new mothers in the hospital. Back then, mothers were often given a lot of medicine during birth. They also stayed in the hospital for ten days after their baby was born. Elisabeth's job was to give these new mothers physical therapy.

She talked about her hospital experiences with a patient. This patient told her about a book called Natural Childbirth by Grantly Dick-Read. This book talked about giving birth without much medicine. Elisabeth could not meet Dick-Read because World War II had started. So, she taught herself as much as she could about childbirth.

Teaching in the United States

In 1949, Elisabeth Bing moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, in the United States. Her sister had invited her to come. Here, she got her first chance to teach natural childbirth. An obstetrician (a doctor who helps with childbirth) invited her after they met at a party.

Elisabeth taught all of this doctor's patients about natural childbirth. She learned more about it as she taught others. After a year, she planned to go back to England. But on her way through New York, she met Fred Max Bing. They fell in love, and she decided to stay in New York. They got married in 1951.

Founding Lamaze International

Elisabeth kept teaching natural childbirth methods in New York. In 1951, Dr. Alan Frank Guttmacher asked her to teach at Mount Sinai Hospital. This hospital had just opened its first maternity ward. There, she learned about the psychoprophylactic method of childbirth. This method was created by Dr. Fernand Lamaze.

Lamaze's method used special breathing techniques. It also included the natural childbirth ideas that Dick-Read had developed. Mount Sinai Hospital could not afford to send Elisabeth to France to learn from Lamaze. But she met Marjorie Karmel in 1959. Karmel had learned the method directly from Lamaze in Paris. Karmel then taught it to Elisabeth.

In 1960, Elisabeth Bing and Marjorie Karmel together started a group. It was first called the American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics. Today, it is known as Lamaze International.

Advocacy and Legacy

Elisabeth Bing believed it was very important for mothers to make informed choices about their childbirth. She taught parents about childbirth. She also worked with doctors to show them natural childbirth methods.

She wrote articles and several books, including Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth. She also appeared on TV and radio shows, like those hosted by Barbara Walters and Phil Donahue. Because of her work, many people in America called her the "mother" of the Lamaze method.

Elisabeth Bing was featured in a 1975 documentary film called Giving Birth: Four Portraits.

Elisabeth Bing passed away in May 2015 in her New York apartment. She was 100 years old. She was survived by her son, Peter.