Bing, Elisabeth Dorothea

Elisabeth Dorothea Bing (nee Koenigsberger) was born 8 July 1914, in Gruenau, a suburb of Berlin. She trained as a physical therapist in England after her family fled Nazi Germany due to her Jewish ancestry. Her interest in obstetrics began after working with new mothers.

In 1949, she moved to the United States to practice and promote natural childbirth methods. She co-founded the American Society for Psychoprophylaxis in Obstetrics (now Lamaze International) and is known as “the mother of Lamaze”. Bing advocated for the importance of mothers to make informed childbirth decisions and was regarded as a pioneer in pregnancy and childbirth education. She wrote several books, including “Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbrith”, and she was featured in the 1975 documentary “Giving Birth: Four Portraits”.

In 1951, she married Fred Max Bing and had a son, Peter, at 40, to which she wrote about her experience as an older mother.

Elisabeth Bing passed on May 15, 2015, at the age of 100.

Berlin -- Germany
New York -- United States of America

June 5, 2024, TK

Elisabeth Dorothea Bing's obituary.