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Natural Birth
KorieAngela
member
Bradley Method...Are the classes important?
KorieAngela
member
In my area they charge around $300 for the classes and I cannot afford that. I was wondering if classes like this are important to attend or are there books or videos online I could check out for free or for a lot cheaper. I think $300 for a class is ridiculous...
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Re: Bradley Method...Are the classes important?
I did HypnoBirthing but I think for both methods the classes are VERY important. I paid $375 for a 5 week HB class and yes, that's pricey, but it's a lot cheaper than anesthesia
It's also a small price to pay to really get the practice and information you need to have the natural birth that you want. I'd pay for it again in a heartbeat because I had an amazing birth with DS. I'll also use what I learned with each subsequent delivery, so if you think about dividing it between the # of kids you hope to have, maybe it'll seem more manageable.
If it's a financial hardship, talk to your instructor about working out a payment plan. I know that most would rather have you there and work with you on the $ than you not attend at all.
The classes are 12 weeks long, about 2.5 hours each, and there are hand outs, books, etc. The teacher has to go to training (that she paid money and time for) to learn all the material AND how to teach it to others. The cost/hour for that person's time is actually pretty small for a $300 class actually.
I might have been able to do Bradley from a book, but I don't think DH would've been able to. Bradley is all about an equally educated partner/coach, so your partner's learning style is key. Like PPs, I though the price was worth it. Our class was $350, which panned out to $29 per 2.5 hour session. In your area it is $25 per session. That is about on par with what we spend on weekly dates for eating out, so I think that subbing in the class for a traditional kind of date is a good way to think of it. We are baby gear minimalists, so I also suppose that is another way we afforded it--instead of loading up on stuff, we loaded up on education. All of that said, if you truly cannot afford it even if you minimize other fun money and baby costs, could you talk to the instructor and see if they can take less, see if you have a service you can barter, etc.?
I am pretty sure that there are no Bradley videos, but someone correct me if I am wrong. In terms of books, the one wriiten by Bradley himself is not that great. The one written more recently with loads of pictures is the one that is better for self-education. I can never remember their names or keep them straight other than those descriptions, LOL!
More Green For Less Green
We paid $250 for our Bradley classes and they were worth every penny. I knew I wanted my Hubby to be involved in the birth process and I also knew there was no way in hell he'd read a book or watch a video. The classes forced him to learn the material. Although he hardly looked at the student handbook he reatined so much info and was the most active dad in the class. Our instructor also allowed us to sit in on the class after ours if we wanted a few "refresher" lessons which we did because Hubby missed the last two lessons of our class due to work.
Also keep in mind that when you read a book you can't ask questions or get clarification on things you're unsure about. In a class you can ask the instructor questions and see what the other students are planning. Sometimes the other students will have questions or will bring up something that you had never thought of or considered.
In the class we did a lot of role playing which really helped to prepare us for labor. Our instructor would play the part of a pushy dr or nurse so we could practice saying no to pain meds or pratice asking questions about interventions. This really helped me when my dr mentioned that she might have to use the vacuum to help deliver my LO. I asked if we could try cathing me first to empty my bladder before using more extreme measures. The cath worked and I was able to deliver w/out the vacuum.
My DH and I are currently taking the Bradley classes. Our class is small, only 3 couples and one of those couples is retaking the class as they are expecting their second child. They said the class was essential to having the natural birth with their first child and they could not have gotten all the info from reading the book alone.
Another benefit from actually taking the class is that it actually makes you do the exercises and the techniques they talk about. Yes, you can read about them but it is nice that they make you practice and the instructor checks that you are performing them correctly.
It is also really nice for asking questions that you may not remember when you are at your OB check ups. It is fun time to talk about birth and pregnancy with other expecting parents and the instructor. I would defiantly ask the instructor about working out a payment plan as other people have suggested.
Ditto the others about the importance of getting your DH onboard. If yours is the type to sit there and read books and look at videos with you, yeah, you'll probably be fine going that route. Mine is not that type
We did the Hypnobabies home study with DS... well, *I* did the Hypnobabies home study with DS. DH didn't really participate, because that's not his style. He still did great during labor (probably because he was falling back on the knowledge he'd picked up in Bradley classes with DD...) but I definitely felt like we weren't quiiiiiiiiiiite on the same page. It's hard to describe. But I really think the classes made a huge difference in that respect.
I also really enjoyed being able to talk with a woman who had been through med-free birth before, and ask questions of her. That's something you can't get out of a book.
When it came down to it, I didn't want to end up getting an epidural, or a c-section, and look back and say, "Gee, I wish I had spent the money on Bradley classes. Maybe that would've made the difference."
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)