The Bradley Method®
Natural Childbirth Preparation
If you’re expecting, you probably have a mental or written list of oodles of things to research and get done before the baby arrives. High up on the list should be interviewing and choosing a healthcare provider and a location for your birth, avoiding anything harmful to you or baby, eating right and getting ample rest and exercise. One more thing that should get early attention is researching childbirth classes. You need to determine what you want out of your classes and when you can fit the classes into your schedule. Your choice of childbirth class is important, especially if you don’t want a typical medically managed or cesarean birth.
Have you thought about who will attend your birth? Do you want labor support? What role will the baby’s father have in the birth? Do you want to be actively involved in the birth process, working with your body and tapping into natural comfort measures? Do you want to avoid unnecessary medical procedures? Do you want the baby’s father or someone else close to you to attend classes with you? If you want to be well-prepared for your birth and be able to let your body work as it was designed to, you may want to look into local Bradley classes with a certified Bradley educator.
Founder, Robert Bradley, natural childbirth expert, grew up on a farm observing mammals giving birth with seemingly no pain or suffering. He eventually became an obstetrician. Baffled by all the suffering and pain women seemed to have in labor, Bradley took note of six basic things the mammals needed for a peaceful labor. The farm animals knew instinctively what to do, but Bradley saw that humans would need to learn these basic principles. Bradley described childbirth as the greatest athletic event most women would ever go through. He encouraged moms to have ample prep time with a trusted coach in order to achieve the maximum benefits of natural childbirth training.
Bradley set up a little research project to test his theories with expectant moms. He served as both labor support and the doctor, but once his method was determined to be a success, he stepped aside and let the dads serve as the primary labor support after taking his classes. He described the doctor’s role as “life guard,” only stepping in when necessary. He was a strong believer in letting babies come on their own schedule and not rushing “Mother Nature” along. Bradley authored Husband-Coached Childbirth, first published in 1965, written especially for expectant dads. Dr. Bradley became known for his extremely high rate of natural births. He began lecturing nationwide.
Eventually, Bradley was joined by Jay and Marjie Hathaway, out of state students of his who earlier, out of desperation, flew to Denver for one of their births. They soon became advocates of the Bradley Method® in their own community. Eventually, Bradley and the Hathaways formed the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth, the certifying organization for Bradley Method® instructors, equipping experienced natural birth moms and couples to train others for natural childbirth. Bradley’s book has since been updated and co-authored by Jay & Marjie Hathaway. Another book, Natural Childbirth, the Bradley Way, by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg is geared toward couples. Both are great reads for understanding natural, normal childbirth and the how and whys of preparing ahead of time for the big day.
As in the early days, Bradley classes still have a lot of unique features, but mindful of current trends in medicine and the demand for evidence-based techniques. Bradley classes are great for birth in any setting—hospital, birthing center and home. Bradley classes focus on normal, natural pregnancy and birth and natural strategies for discomforts of pregnancy, labor and birth, but do not ignore the need for intervention under special circumstances. A key feature is that expectant moms attend with their labor support (usually the baby’s father) to train together as a team, learning together how to work with each other and their health care team. Her labor support is trained to be her personal doula.
Bradley students learn how to recognize stages of labor based on signposts. They learn what is normal to allay unnecessary fear, achieve deep relaxation and tune into and work with your body. Emphasis on informed consent and effective communications helps Bradley students to work with their healthcare team in order to avoid unnecessary medicines, techniques or procedures that can be harmful to mother and/or baby.
Bradley classes are small, usually 2-8 couples per series, allowing for lots of individual attention. Each series is comprised of 12 classes, 24+ hours of learning via a variety of learning methods including videos and practice time for relaxation, positions, coaching, role play and labor rehearsals. The series is ideally begun in the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy in order for the mother to be in peak condition for birth. Each class reviews a concept of nutrition, exercise and relaxation and has a special emphasis on one or two major topics. The twelve-week series is time well spent.