Some Bradley Questions
jsillyfun
member
I have some questions about the Bradley method. DH and I are planning to do that and have read "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way". We are not planning to take a class because they are just way too expensive for us. The book says that I should be laying down and relaxed during contractions, but I've read so much about how movement during contractions speeds up labor and I kind of like the idea of swaying with my husband, using a birthing ball, walking, etc... Is this stuff that you just don't do during Bradley? Or is the idea that once you get to the point where it is too painful to move around, then you lay down? Couldn't you still be fully relaxed on a birthing ball leaning on your DH?
The other question is about making noise. I have heard that vocalizing low during contractions can help and I feel like I will probably want to vocalize. Is this okay during Bradley births or is vocalizing not relaxing your vocal cords, so to be avoided?
Thanks for any advice you can give!
Re: Some Bradley Questions
i teach a different method, but i did take a bradley class with my first. hopefully, others will chime in if i have gotten anything wrong in my response!
1. i believe bradley promotes movement in labor. there are positions for relaxation, which are to be used when needed, but active movement is supported in bradley.
2. yes, you can be fully relaxed while moving! especially while your weight is being supported by DH, a birthing ball, a chair, etc. the best movement you can do is wide swaying of your hips, like you were belly dancing.
3. bradley supports vocalizing. if you feel you need to, use deep, gutteral sounds. avoid high pitched sounds as this means you are sending your energy up and out your mouth and you want to send it down, towards your baby. this is how you end up with gutteral sounds. don't feel like you HAVE to vocalize though. i wasted a lot of energy in my first birth b/c i thought i was supposed to be vocalizing. when i stopped, i felt a lot better and i barely vocalized at all in labor #2 (different method, but still didn't feel i needed to vocalize).
HTH!
I think the emphasis on laying down during labor is a little old school and my Bradley instructor didn't really encourage it. When you're in early stage labor and if you can still sleep between your contractions, then it's recommended that you make use of that opportunity to rest as much as possible - you have a lot of work ahead of you - and that may mean laying on your side or at least sitting.
When you're in active labor or transition, or if it just feels good to move around, the Bradley method encourages that and in the class, we practiced contractions in different positions - move in & out of different positions as it feels good to you. The whole idea of relaxing & staying mobile (=one of the biggest benefits of being med-free IMO) is that it should make labor easier for you & baby and help labor progress more quickly. So go ahead and use the birthing ball, stool, a tub, get on all fours, etc.
In terms of making noise - in my class, we were just encouraged to be free to go either way - if it feels good to make noise, go ahead but the main focus of Bradley is to breathe deeply & relax so hopefully these are relaxation noises/releases, not shouting that would expel unnecessary energy & make you short of breathe. Again, the idea is to save your energy for the pushing part.