Okay, so after 10 Bradley classes, I feel qualified to comment on them. If you hope to accomplish natural childbirth, I do recommend the Bradley Method; however, be prepared to consume some protein, keep a food journal weekly, attend a THREE HOUR class for TWELVE WEEKS, watch birth movies, and practice your labor relaxation techniques. I do believe we are very well educated at this point and most importantly Matt, my husband, is prepared. He has NOT read the baby books (previous post)--actually he's been consuming an unhealthy amount of Harry Potter (AKA all 7 since late Oct). Most comforting to me is that Matt will NOT look like a deer caught in headlights with any stage of my labor and he's fully prepared to be my loving coach and spokesperson throughout my labor. He's even planning to "catch the baby," as they say. He's educated and he knows what to expect thanks to our great Bradley teacher, Heidi. This confidence is truly important if you want success with natural childbirth! I know it's going to involve pain and it's HOW you both react to that pain which will be key (or so I think now). Bradley Method teaches and emphasizes RELAXING during contractions and allowing your body to do the work it needs to do to move that baby out into the world. It's truly a miracle of life, one which Matt and I are prepared for, one way or the other. We are pre-registered at the hospital but we are truly OVERJOYED to have the opportunity to give birth at home. If we have to go to the hospital it will be a necessity and I welcome their medical expertise in that case. Being at home will allow us to truly be ourselves in our own environment, relaxing and taking our time without the hustle and bustle of when to get in the car, a busy hospital floor with strangers. Additionally, we won't have to "fight" the system to have the type of non-intervention birth we desire (that having been said, we are flexible and know that it might not go perfectly as little does in real life). I will love to read this post after I deliver this child. It will be interesting. Next up is cloth diapers: my personal journey towards less landfill trash...
P.S. I'm 36 weeks and have gained 39 pounds. The midwives came for a home visit and estimated the baby to be at 6.5 pounds. She thinks we could have a 7 or 8 pounder!! She said everything looks great, feels great and my blood pressure is spectacular. It was a glowing review, which I'm happy about. She said to lay off the ice cream if I didn't want an 8 pounder.
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Sounds like you've got a good, level head about all of this. It's just so hard to REALLY be prepared for the feelings of labor - but for me (and for you, sounds like), being educated on all the possibilities is so comforting.
I don't think Robert did a very thorough reading of all the childbirth books I devoured, but he was well-informed enough. His attitude (and Matt's)was/is so important, and I'm so glad you have that strong support. You will need it!
Oh, cloth diapers. We use them (and wash them at home), but we do some disposables too - I wanted to do all-cloth and am still disappointed that we use disposables sometimes, but that's the way it's going for us. Every little bit helps.
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