Seventeen couples participated in the Lamaze class that was taught by Terri Kahle at Southeast Missouri Hospital. The two-hour classes are held once a week for four weeks.

Amy Yamnitz, left, and her husband, Greg, took Lamaze classes. Their baby is due Sunday.

There wasn't any question -- Greg and Amy Yamnitz knew they wanted to learn the Lamaze technique before their baby came.

The first-time parents, whose baby is due Sunday, said their obstetrician encouraged them to take parenthood preparation classes offered at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. They traveled from Perryville one night a week for four weeks to learn all they could about delivering a baby.

Lamaze was included in those classes. The birthing technique, introduced by Dr. Ferdinand Lamaze in France, encourages mothers to breathe in certain patterns to reduce stress and pain. It also encourages them to concentrate on a focal point instead of contractions.

Expectant mothers begin the parenthood preparation course at 35 weeks, not very long before the baby is due. They find the classes are a little bit like ones featured on television sitcoms -- at times, numerous pregnant women lie around on pillows, practicing with their coaches.

"The mothers practiced getting into position and we all did the breathing," Greg Yamnitz said. "I got light-headed and thought I was going to faint. You have to take nine deep breaths in 60 seconds.

"My job during the delivery is to stay there, keep her calm and help with the breathing. I'm supposed to stay there no matter what she says."

His wife said she was a little apprehensive about attending the classes and didn't know what to expect, but learned a lot of helpful hints.

"I guess we'll see when the baby gets here," she said.

Terri Kahle, an obstetric nurse and an instructor for the classes, said the Lamaze technique is psychoprophylaxis -- conditioning of the mind to divert attention from the pain of birth to something else.

In addition to teaching mothers breathing patterns, Kahle encourages them to bring something into the delivery room that can serve as a focal point. It may be a stuffed animal, a photograph or even the Lamaze coach.

"We prefer something non-breakable," Kahle said. "Moms can get a little agitated."

Kahle used the techniques herself during the birth of both her children. Although she was administered some pain medication during her son's delivery, she went through her daughter's birth without any medication.

"Unless they have been through it, people can't understand how intense those contractions are," Kahle said. "We really encourage mothers to practice their breathing."

The planned parenthood classes also are based on the teachings of an English physician, Dr. Grantley Dick-Read. He learned women who didn't know anything about pregnancy and delivery had longer, harder labors. Informed women who knew what to expect had an easier time.

Amy Yamnitz said she thought her education would help her during the delivery of her first baby.

"I think just knowing what is going to happen will make a big difference," she said. "They tell you what's going to happen from the time you hit the doors until the time you have the baby."