Bradley Method.. but I will probably want an epidural?

cd92007

I have a question for those of you who went through the Bradley Method classes. I never considered taking them until recently when I was talking with a friend of mine and I was saying that I really, really, really want to avoid induction and to have a vaginal birth and that it upsets me that almost ALL of my friends have had C-Sections. And I also want to labor at home as long as I can and then go to the hospital. All her births were natural and she did the Bradley classes, and she mentioned I should look into doing the classes. 

Here's the thing - As much as I want all those things (no induction, labor at home for a while, no c-section), I know myself and I know I will want an epidural. I had a really rough first trimester and I took Zofran until 20 weeks.. I wasn't one of those moms who could tough it out and I know it will be the same during birth when it comes to the unbearable pain. 

Anyway, I'm wondering if it would be a waste of money to take Bradley classes since I know they are pretty anti-epidural? Or do you think it would be beneficial for me to learn more about the process, relaxation, laboring at home, etc, even though I'm not anti-epidural? 

(and on a semi-related note... the classes timing works out that the last class would be the week before my due date.. I know that's cutting it really close.. would it be stupid to do them for that reason alone?)

wintersong

I've never taken a Bradley class, but I DO know that epidurals don't always work. It can't hurt to be prepared for how to manage the pain, just in case you get to the hospital too late to have an epi placed or if the epidural does not fully work.

alliejoe

Yes, labor hurts. But the pain was really manageable for a long time before it got super intense. From the ladies I know who had medicated births, most obs do make them progress to a certain point before they get the epidural, so pain management would probably benefit you for those reasons. Hopefully your epi will work, but I've heard a few stories about one side not really working, etc.

I don't think a birth class would hurt. It will probably also teach you a lot about what happens during labor and what to expect and I think that's invaluable.

aylafsu88

Honestly, my Bradley class was more about educating the mom than anything. Our instructor was not hell or high water you must go natural. Instead she focused on educating moms so that they would know what was normal and what to expect. This education is key to having the birth YOU want.  She never made it seem like an intervention was bad, if they were truly needed and it was a legitimate reason. We found the class to be very helpful in general as to know what was normal and what to expect about the whole process. I never actually used the relaxation stuff they taught in the class for my labor. I did use the positions though and it was nice knowing what was going on. 

nosoup4u

I would plan on staying upright and active as long as you can before getting the epidural. I think practicing some sort of relaxation method would be fine.

I never took Bradley classes, but I took prenatal yoga classes for most of my first pg, and it helped prep me for labor. I was able to relax and vocalize when things got tough. I ended up getting an epidural bc DS1's birth turned into a CS, and being able to breathe and relax during the needle insertion was invaluable.

natalie202

So, going into my births, I was never truly anti-epidural. If I'd gotten to the point where I truly felt the pain was unbearable, I would have been seriously considering the drugs. In fact, the first time around, my stated reason for going to the hospital when I did was because "either I'm 4 cm and there's no way I can do this without drugs and I want an epidural right now OR I'm in full on transition and it's almost baby time." I told my midwife that when I showed up, by the way. Yeah, it was option B. By the time I got to the hospital, I was complete and ready to push.

I don't tell you this to say that birthing doesn't hurt. It DOES. But I know that many of the women I know who birthed naturally by choice and after spending time learning useful coping skills (via Bradley courses or whatever else) don't actually describe the pain as unbearable or unmanageable. In my experience, with a few exceptions for super challenging labors (and those definitely do exist), the unbearable pain stories usually come from women who didn't really do anything to learn how to effectively cope and then they got caught up in a fear leads to pain leads to fear cycle OR women who did opt for the epidural and it didn't work right.

If you're okay with the fact that you may have to deal with a few people who are very anti-epidural in the class, I say you contact the instructor to see if they can give you a reassuring answer about having students who want to keep an epidural on the table as an option. Maybe contact instructors of a few different classes to get options. And then if you like what they say, take the class! I think most women could benefit from birth preparation, even if they want the epidural as an option. The understanding of the birthing process and pain management skills they teach are going to be quite useful to most any soon-to-be mama.

BShreeve

I took Hynobirthing under the possibility I would want an epidural but would need pain management tools in my toolbox. I liked Hypno because while they advocate for med free labors and their benefits, they are open if an intervention might be medically necessary or last resort.

I'm overdue though and a FTM so I have no practical experience.

Chichigo

My Bradley instructor was not anti-epidural. She was very informed on benefits of various interventions, including medical pain relief. A large part of the time was spent knowing potential interventions, what had a natural alternative, and help in recognizing when they are medical necessary rather than a convenience to speed things up. I did consider getting the epi 3 times, but not seriously enough to even discuss it with my husband.

I say take the class. I am a huge fan of the classes, although not 100% on board with all aspects of the method. I do believe in the pain with a purpose idea. In fact, I turned to my mother at some point after my son was born and said it wasn't as bad  as I expected.

shiway

Absolutely it would be worth it. Knowing as mic as you can I'd so important. That is a huge problem with our maternity care system. Moms go in so uninformed ad just do what their doctors say instead of advocating for themselves. I would also recommend a doula. Most "emergency" c-sections are not an emergency and when you look back on your medical records it'll actually say elective c-section. Just know the longer you hold off on an epidural the better. So having tools and comfort measure you can use to do that will definitely improve your odds of avoidin an epidural. Also because that you don't just lay flat on your back with your epidural. Try To keep moving positions a best you can I bed. Have the nurses help you move from side to side and ask for a peanut ball for pushing. The a big problem of epidural a is now you're immobile. Labor goes so much quicker when you keep your body moving so baby can move down the birth canal. And laying flat your back is the least effective position to push. Your pelvis is at its smallest in this positions. Try your side with someone holding your upper leg. Or even the squat bar with support.

jess9802

Due to my chronic hypertension I suspected I would be induced (and I was), and I decided early on that I would get an epidural. I took a childbirth class through my OB's clinic, and while it was a short class, it did cover some pain management techniques other than medication. I found those somewhat helpful when I was in labor. I was trying to wait on getting an epidural until I was 4cm (though there is good, recent evidence that waiting to a certain point of dilation is not related to an increased risk of C-section - if I'm ever induced again I'll request the epidural immediately), so I spent time on the birthing ball (hated it) and in the jacuzzi tub (loved it). Even though the dose of pitocin was slowly being increased, the pain was intense. Although I could have walked around my room with the telemetry monitoring unit and the IV poles, I had absolutely no desire to; the pain was exhausting. The epidural was great. It took a bit of time to get placed, but when it was, it was heavenly.

DS was suspected to be OP, so the nurses positioned me on my side with a birthing ball between my legs. About an hour after getting the epidural I'd progressed from 4cm to 8cm, and was complete shortly after that. The nurses turned down the epidural when it was time to push. I pushed for less than an hour, faster than average for FTM, medicated or not. I have absolutely no regrets about getting induced or having an epidural. The nurses had tricks and tips and were willing to work with me on effective pain relief and positioning.

NYGirl02

I think you certainly can do the Bradley classes if you'd like, however I think a lot of hospital may offer shorter classes that cover a lot of good information. I took a Lamaze class at the hospital for my planned epidural. It was great. They really gave us a lot of tools and questions to ask about how necessary interventions are if we get faced with that. Also went over relaxation techniques. I thought it was a good, informative class if you are looking for an epidural.

NoeliaV

I think our Bradley classes were valuable for a couple reasons related to your feelings.
1) it was a great education on the process of labor and delivery, standards in hospital care, and what the benefits are to the different options in L&D and newborn care

2) our instructor repeatedly said that, even if one chooses pain relief or needs a c-section, *any* amount of natural labor is beneficial to the fetus/baby.

Plus, as PP mentioned, epis can fail to take or it can get too late for one, so best to prepare for a pain-med-free birth, imo, even if you decide to take the pain-med option.

cd92007

Thank you all SO MUCH for the input. We've decided to proceed with the classes! We begin classes at the end of this month, I'm excited!