"It didn't hurt. It wasn't meant to, was it, doctor?"

These words, spoken by a poor country woman after an unmedicated birth, changed the life of Grantly Dick-Read. As an English obstetrician practicing medicine in the 1920s, Dick-Read was used to birth pain being handled with chloroform, a drug that rendered birthing women unconscious. But on this fateful night, Dick-Read witnessed a woman deny chloroform and still birth her baby without a struggle.

The Past
Intrigued by this seemingly painless birth, Dick-Read went on to study, observe and write about birth as a natural process in a manuscript titled "Natural Childbirth." His findings brought personal and professional ridicule, but that did not stop him from sharing his beliefs. In fact, Dick-Read pressed onward and in 1933 his landmark book -- "Childbirth Without Fear" -- was published. He gained a following in England, but it wasn't until the late 1940s and early 1950s that his teachings found a receptive audience in the United States of America.

The Pain
In an excerpt from his book, "Childbirth Without Fear," Dick-Read explains, "There is no physiological function in the body that gives rise to pain in the normal course of health. In no other animal species is the process of birth apparently associated with any suffering, pain or agony, except where pathology exists or in an unnatural state, such as captivity."

Dick-Read hypothesized that the fear felt by a woman during childbirth caused blood to be filtered away from her uterus, so it could be used by the muscles that would flee the dangerous situation. As a result, the uterus was left without oxygen and could not perform its functions efficiently or without pain.

This belief led to Dick-Read's theory that fear and tension cause the labor pains in approximately 95 percent of birthing women. He termed this phenomenon "the fear-tension-pain syndrome of childbirth," and he believed that by eliminating the fear, women could return the uterus to its normal function, thereby eliminating the pain.

The Medication
Despite being prepared for labor through education and relaxation tips, some women could not shake the fears associated with childbirth. Because of this, Dick-Read understood and even believed that drugs were sometimes necessary for a woman to have a satisfying birth experience.

"Contrary to the view of some that natural childbirth equals stoicism, Dick-Read believed that medication is a useful tool when there is pathology in the birth, or when the woman -- for whatever reason -- is unable to relax adequately to make her birth bearable," says Kathy Nesper, a certified childbirth educator and the president of Apple Tree Family Ministries. "He was, however, opposed to the routine use of medication or other interventions, preferring instead to prevent pain from occurring in the first place by the use of relaxation."

The Future
Dick-Read died in 1959, but his philosophy of birth lives on. His ideas are rehashed and quoted in books and papers by some of the top names in childbirth education. His impact on the lives of women around the world is the subject of the book "Post-War Mothers: Childbirth Letters to Grantly Dick-Read" by Mary Alvey Thomas.

In addition, individuals and organizations around the world have been profoundly influenced by Dick-Read's work. One such organization is The National Childbirth Trust, which has chapters throughout the United Kingdom. The organization was founded by Dick-Read after he placed a newspaper advertisement looking for women interested in childbirth education classes. The National Childbirth Trust has grown to be the preeminent organization for childbirth choices in the United Kingdom.

An increasingly popular group inspired by Dick-Read is HypnoBirthing Childbirth Education. The group, founded by hypnotherapist Marie Mongan, is based on the fear-tension-pain syndrome and how understanding leads to relaxation and a painless birth.

Hypnobirthing is taught in classes throughout the world. According to the HypnoBirthing Institute, in four two and a half hour classes, pregnant couples learn relaxation techniques to eliminate fear, tension and pain, so that they can achieve birth fulfillment -- awake and alert -- in a totally relaxed state of mind and body.

Even if a woman does not choose a childbirth method that publicizes the explicit use of Dick-Read's theories, she will find that most natural childbirth classes, including the Bradley method, have their roots dipped into his teachings.

On that fateful night long ago, when he witnessed his first natural birth, more than the life of Grantly Dick-Read was changed; the face of childbirth for millions of women and their babies would never be the same.