The pioneering French obstetrician Michel Odent, who has died aged 95, spent more than 50 years passionately promoting understanding of the natural physiology of childbirth. From the 1960s onwards, “active management of labour”, using artificial oxytocin and other techniques, had dominated obstetric practice. Odent’s work flagged up its pitfalls, and offered an alternative view.
Daniela Drandić of the International Confederation of Midwives said: “In the 1970s birth was institutionalised and medicalised. Michel Odent reminded us that physiological processes during pregnancy and birth should be respected, which was very important as things had gone too far in the other direction. There wasn’t much discourse at the time and he showed us another way.”
