Janie Grace Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 When I was pregnant for the first time 14 years ago, dh and I took a Bradley class. It was expensive and long but it was great preparation for a natural birth. I went on to have 4 more babies using the relaxation and visualization methods I learned through Bradley. I am now exploring the idea of being a natural childbirth instructor, but I have no idea if Bradley is still a method people want to learn and value. What say you -- do crunchy young folks still take Bradley classes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I personally liked the "Birthing from Within" classes. I am not sure that I could have tolerated a husband led birth...his energy was too nervous (poor guy) ; still he came through and caught our first DD. Does that help? I think it will depend where you live and what demographic population you are trying to reach. Do you know if you want to work through a birth center or hospital? Privately? Those questions would have a lot of effect on your choice I would think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 I personally liked the "Birthing from Within" classes. I am not sure that I could have tolerated a husband led birth...his energy was too nervous (poor guy) ; still he came through and caught our first DD. Does that help? I think it will depend where you live and what demographic population you are trying to reach. Do you know if you want to work through a birth center or hospital? Privately? Those questions would have a lot of effect on your choice I would think... Mmmm, I forgot about the "husband-coached" part (I don't think they would have said "led"). My dh definitely did not LEAD my births. He played a major role (timing, encouraging, reminding me of things, telling me to listen to what my midwife was saying, massaging, letting me hang on him, etc) but he definitely let me and my needs set the pace. My area is sort of weird. There are MAJOR crunchy/natural folks around here but it's also a university town where the medical community is very, well... medical. I haven't had a baby here but it seems hard for people to find good natural-birth options besides home births (there aren't many or any midwives who deliver in hospitals or OBs who are natural-friendly). So I guess my vision would be to teach privately in order to equip those who lean towards a natural birth but want to use the hospital... how to advocate for themselves, how to be confident about the stages of labor, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 My homebirth midwife still includes Bradley as one of her recommended childbirth courses. It's not what I chose, but I did read a couple of Bradley method books. My SIL had her first baby using Bradley 5 years ago and had a successful med-free birth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I learned far more from my doula with my 3rd baby than I ever did in the classes (I wasn't specifically any one technic just a general class cover a little bit of each). And while I plan completely natural births, my husband's major job is to keep the medical staff away from me. Coaching, timing, breathing, I don't need him for that but I'm not a first time mom anymore so it's a bit hard to remember back that far as to what exactly I "did" want then. But if that is something you are interested in, I would ask around at doctors offices, midwives offices, contact local doulas, if they are any crunchy baby stores etc and talk to staff and see if they can share what patients are asking/looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I taught three different types of natural childbirth classes (no method, HypnoBirthing, and Hypnobabies) over a span of 8 years. Hypnobabies was by far the most popular. My classes always filled and I had to add additional groups on a different night or turn people away. What students liked about Hypnobabies was the up-to-date consumer information, variety of tools, partner involvement (or not--it works either way), and effective hypno-anesthesia techniques. Bradley has lost popularity where I am. Hypnobabies and Birthing from Within are the most popular. Most of the women I know who have certified with and taught Bradley have had very negative opinions about the organization. I had poor professional experiences with HypnoBirthing and excellent experiences with Hypnobabies. I've heard unsavory things about some of the founders of Brio Birth, too, but I don't know much about that controversy. I retired fom birth work two years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Mmmm, I forgot about the "husband-coached" part (I don't think they would have said "led"). My dh definitely did not LEAD my births. He played a major role (timing, encouraging, reminding me of things, telling me to listen to what my midwife was saying, massaging, letting me hang on him, etc) but he definitely let me and my needs set the pace. My area is sort of weird. There are MAJOR crunchy/natural folks around here but it's also a university town where the medical community is very, well... medical. I haven't had a baby here but it seems hard for people to find good natural-birth options besides home births (there aren't many or any midwives who deliver in hospitals or OBs who are natural-friendly). So I guess my vision would be to teach privately in order to equip those who lean towards a natural birth but want to use the hospital... how to advocate for themselves, how to be confident about the stages of labor, etc. I took private classes hosted in my home with a midwife who taught Bradly she definitely used the word led (lead). This was a poor dynamic for us immediately, what I like about Birthing from Within was the strong roll the woman played in her own birth. I am not anti-Bradley, but I had a very hard time with a lot of outside stimulus in labor. I did best closing my eyes and blocking out everyone and everything. I definitely think it would work and work well for some couples, it didn't for us. There have to be some midwives in the area, is it possible that you could work as a birth educator/assistant with one of them? That might be the way to go. Perhaps you could get some MW referrals through NARM (North American Registry of Midwives)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELITEANDLOVINGIT Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 The mothering.com forums have a subforum for birth educators where you could get tons of info if any of the old members are still around (many left the boards because of some changes that were made). Best wishes on the process! I agree. Also, Midwifery Today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 My mom was a Bradley instructor in the 80's and 90's! Sorry, I don't have an practical advice. I just got excited that someone else knew of the Bradley method. I was a teen and young adult at the time. I did secretarial duty for Mom's business. FWIW, my mom was my doula 12 and 9 years ago using the Bradley method and I had wonderful natural births. If it isn't popular right now, maybe it should be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 You might want to google Brio birth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I am a natural childbirth momma that never followed any particular method. I just thought of all those thousands of generations of women who popped out their kids without the benefit of expensive classes. While I appreciate modern obstetric practices (as it applies to saving women's lives), I just reject the majority of interventions science says women need in order to give birth. If you want to be a childbirth instructor, I'd say to channel the survival of the human race without modern obstetrics. Yes, I thank God for modern obstetrics and the many lives they save each year. I just don't think any births are exactly alike. IMO, a good childbirth instructor will focus on empowering women, not selling a particular brand of birthing. Just my humble opinion, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I don't know about "in" but I loved my Hypnobabies births. Comfortable right up until pushing. I liked that they stressed the no pain during labor instead of managing pain during labor. That's what won me over in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Meggie, labor is not clinically painful. "Pain" indicates something is wrong. Labor is incredibly intense. It is real and in your face. There is usually nothing wrong with a laboring woman. Usually. I think a good childbirth instructor teaches a woman the difference between "pain" and "intense". Finally, after 2 natural births, I had a midwife who recognized the difference. She was amazing. I want to give her a trophy for talking me through the birth of dd5. That birth was my most empowering. I just wish more obstetricians would empower women. Yes, I am absolutely a complete believer in interventions if necessary, but I just wish medical professionals would not discount the power of a woman's body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Meggie, labor is not clinically painful. "Pain" indicates something is wrong. Labor is incredibly intense. It is real and in your face. There is usually nothing wrong with a laboring woman. Usually. I think a good childbirth instructor teaches a woman the difference between "pain" and "intense". Finally, after 2 natural births, I had a midwife who recognized the difference. She was amazing. I want to give her a trophy for talking me through the birth of dd5. That birth was my most empowering. I just wish more obstetricians would empower women. Yes, I am absolutely a complete believer in interventions if necessary, but I just wish medical professionals would not discount the power of a woman's body. They were very empowering for me. Nothing like the rush after having them. My heavens, I felt ready to take on the world. After my first home birth, I'm pretty sure I went on for two months, at least, about how awesome I was. (and this is not to say that women who have medicated or CS births aren't awesome. I was just riding the high) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Hypnobirthing is "the thing" in my area. Anyone I know personally either had medical birth all the way or used some kind of HypnoSomething. I couldn't stand anyone talking to me during my labor so Bradley would've gone right out the window had I taken those classes or any at all actually. I'm convinced that birthing is natural and the woman can trust her instincts, however I think most people need some instruction in some kind of coping techniques because there's no way to really explain how "intense" the non-pain really is. I totally panicked and got an epi I was totally against up until that moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violamama Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I took the Bradley method classes both times and used a midwife practice that is part of a major teaching hospital. It worked out great. I'm almost certain that with my first I would have been forced to have a c-section if I had been with a traditional obgyn. I'm glad I didn't have to, but also glad I was in a great facility with every kind of specialist on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhomemaker25 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 We used Bradley with our first baby. It's really not a good fit for my husband or my OB. LOL However, the class was full and she always had a waiting list. She was a great instructor though. Very passionate about natural child-birth. The book says "Husaband Coached" and my instructor always said "Husband Coached" so I think that the instructor who used "led" might have been using her own term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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