Bradley Method....books v. classes

beckpreg

DH and I are due with our first LO in December. My mother is a (retired) at home midwife so I have grown up around a very pro-natural, med free, birthing lifestyle. My husband didnt have that experience but still is just on board with whatever I decide and backs me 100%.  I found local Bradley classes in our area but due to our baby coming in December, we would need to take our 12 weeks during the exact same time my husband coaches middle school football. Between his practices and games this schedule would not work out well and I am afraid even with him getting other coaches to fill in, we would end up missing some important information. I also commute between Greenville and Atlanta for work so I may be in Atlanta during some of the classes.

My question is this.....I ordered both Bradley books recommended and I am curious if he reads Husband Coached and I real Natural Child Birth the Bradley way, will we pretty much get all the good info...has anyone read just the books and accomplished this task or will the classes be vital?

phq2011

As much as I love his book, the classes were absolutely necessary IMO. Bradley is known for being very rigid and his book reflects that. Without discussion with an instructor, I feel that it is hard to truly accept variations and understand things like informed consent. What I would do is call your local instructors and see what their policy is for missed classes. We had to miss a few and were able to reschedule another time/combine classes. I love the workbook and the only way you can get access to the student resource center is through a Bradley class.

obeach8

phq2011:

As much as I love his book, the classes were absolutely necessary IMO. Bradley is known for being very rigid and his book reflects that. Without discussion with an instructor, I feel that it is hard to truly accept variations and understand things like informed consent. What I would do is call your local instructors and see what their policy is for missed classes. We had to miss a few and were able to reschedule another time/combine classes. I love the workbook and the only way you can get access to the student resource center is through a Bradley class.

I could not agree MORE! We ordered both books, but honestly, without the interaction of our classmates and our instructor, so much information would have been lost. The student workbook is AMAZING and our instructor also had a packed library of books and dvd's on childbirth, breastfeeding, etc. that were also so helpful. We practiced a lot of the relaxation talked about in the books, and we got to run through scenarios too (annoying nurses at the hospital, giving birth in the car, etc) that I know we never would've practiced at home on our own. The classes are SO WORTH IT. We did sign up late and missed our first 2 classes, but she had us come early to our first class (technically class 3) and she caught us up. Since our class ended last week and we're not due until October, she wants us to come back in September for more "refresh" to make sure we are comfortable and ready for birth.  

RingOfFire11

We read the books only and had a great med-free birth (in a hospital!).

BLuvsE

I had a friend that took the class and said it was useless - same stuff that was in the book or that she could have asked her MW. She said the only plus was being around other parents due the same time so they'll have playdates, etc.

When my husband finishes the book, he will decide if he wants the class based on how comfortable he is with the the information. I feel fine with or without.

beckpreg

BLuvsE:

I had a friend that took the class and said it was useless - same stuff that was in the book or that she could have asked her MW. She said the only plus was being around other parents due the same time so they'll have playdates, etc.

When my husband finishes the book, he will decide if he wants the class based on how comfortable he is with the the information. I feel fine with or without.

this is a great idea. We have time and our books arrive early next week so we will plan to finish the books and then see how comfortable we are at that point. Thanks for all your suggestions ladies!! I really appreciate your input.

mccrazy

Our local Bradley classes don't start until next week, but as of now we're planning on just sticking with the books. So far, DH is reading them and seems very engaged. We did attend a natural birth class (non-Bradley) just to check it out, and decided that while it was great to be able to ask questions and have interaction with other couples, the content of the class was nothing that we hadn't already read in our books. Overall, we felt like it was a waste of time/money. I'm hoping that we'll be successful without the classes.

quartz02

fellow coach's wife here! We didn't take the classes due to summer recruiting (he's a college basketball coach) but I read both books and now I'm having my husband read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I felt like the original book by Bradley had a lot of extraneous information that my husband didn't need.

laoch101

Remember too you will have access to the instructor. Their someone who can help with advice on when to go to the hospital or call during labor and say hey what do you suggest. And also help with breast feeding too. 

beckpreg

quartz02:

fellow coach's wife here! We didn't take the classes due to summer recruiting (he's a college basketball coach) but I read both books and now I'm having my husband read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I felt like the original book by Bradley had a lot of extraneous information that my husband didn't need.

 SO do you recommend he read one v. the other? I was thinking for him to read Husband coached and me read Natural Childbirth TBW but let me know if you think the Husband coached is the one you said was extraneous info.

ReichleyMama

I read these books and Ina May Gaskin's books on natural childbirth, took no classes and have had 2 natural births.  No problems with either.  My daughter weighed 7 lb 8 oz and my son 9 lb 9 oz. and both super healthy.  I still had the labor and birth experiences that I wanted. 

quartz02

beckpreg:

quartz02:

fellow coach's wife here! We didn't take the classes due to summer recruiting (he's a college basketball coach) but I read both books and now I'm having my husband read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I felt like the original book by Bradley had a lot of extraneous information that my husband didn't need.

 SO do you recommend he read one v. the other? I was thinking for him to read Husband coached and me read Natural Childbirth TBW but let me know if you think the Husband coached is the one you said was extraneous info.

Yeah, have him read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. *spoiler* It has pictures of actual births so that may be frightening but it's also good as an instructional. The book also has specific exercises for you two to practice together.I found this book to be much more straight-forward and easy to read.

Bradley's book (Husband coached...) gives some specifics but also talks a lot about the "why's" and refers to animals and the history of his method a lot.

LiebeMama

I would say if classes work with your schedule, then go for the classes. If classes would be to hard to fit, then book.

alimartinez

RingOfFire11:

We read the books only and had a great med-free birth (in a hospital!).

This. I read and shared with my husband. We did some relaxation practice on my strong BH contractions. He was an awesome anchor during labor and we had a beautiful med free birth!

I didn't completely agree with all of the Bradley stuff, like refusing baby monitors and IV's. My approach was that if the hospital or my OB said I needed it, I needed it. The book seemed at times very 'the hospital is the bad guy', which I thought was just too rigid and I didn't care for.

We didn't have time to commit to the classes and I think they may have rubbed me the wrong way in some topics anyway.

That's just me!