childbirth classes: bradley vs. one-on-one w/doula

MamaWomat · August 2012

My midwife's practice usually works with a particular group of doulas, who also offer one-on-one childbirthing classes in your home. However, their classes are composed of only four 2-hour sessions. While I don't need to make a decision for some time (only just found out I'm pregnant), I'm trying to figure out the pros/cons of going this route vs. bradley classes.

One one hand, since I think we are going to get a doula, it seems like having the person who will be helping me in labor also teaching me the techniques would be useful. On the other, 4 sessions just doesn't seem like enough, and I'm wondering if the 12 session Bradley classes might be better, since it allows more time for practice in between, even though there would be less individual attention. All advice is welcome!

alimaried · August 2012

We opted to take a bradley class because it was less expensive than hiring a doula to be present at the birth and my bf and i feel that we'd be more comfortable if its just the two of us. However, the woman who taught our class is a doula as well so if we panic last minute, she can be of service anyways. I can't compare to the doula experience, but i only have good things to say about the bradley method. Attending the classes over 12wks for 2hrs at a time really gives time to settle in with the info and as your pregnancy progresses, different questions arise so it's good to have lots of time for the info to sink in and become real. It was also nice to have other pregnant couples to relate to. If you're a good self-starter, and you are going to have a doula either way....I say get the best of both worlds and do the 1 on 1 class with your doula as well as buy 'Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way' as well as the workbook and do that on your own with hubby. Then you can build with relationship with your doula as well as boost your and hubbys confidence. Any questions that come up in your bradley studies can be directed to your doula. Good Luck!

perplexed59 · August 2012

We didn't have access to bradley and I don't know anything about it. We had 2 day long sessions with a doula with a group of people. We really liked it. I felt well prepared with the group doula class. There is no way we could have done 12 sessions as my husband travels for work. In fact he even had to miss one of the 2 days sessions. I did a lot of reading before and after my class and never felt like I needed more info. I really don't know what could be in the 12 sessions that we didn't cover in our 2 days.

tokenhoser · August 2012

It really doesn't take as long as Bradley takes to learn what you need to to have a natural birth. I'd do what fits your interests and budget. For me, the cost and length of Bradley totally put me off it. I don't want to spend 12 Saturdays in birth school.

mb314 · August 2012

I agree that the Bradley course doesn't need to be as long as it is. However, I did enjoy our Bradley course and felt like I got a lot of out of it. One thing I enjoyed was getting to know the other couples in our class and commiserating with them about being pregnant. Our teacher made the class fun, and I looked forward to it every week.

The Bradley course goes a lot into nutrition and exercise information, which can be helpful. Most Bradley courses are kept to 5 or 6 couples, so I felt that there was enough individual attention. And for DH and I, it was good to have one evening a week for 12 weeks where we focused on preparing for labor and discussed issues. For us, we needed a class to do that. I know other couples are better at reading up and practicing on their own.

I think that either choice would adequately prepare you. It's really about what you're looking for.

aylafsu88 · August 2012

We took the Bradley classes and really liked them. For us the 12 week class schedule was great because it made us focus each week for a few hours on our upcoming labor and delivery. It really depends on your Bradley class as for the amount of individual attention. In our class there was only 1 other couples (so 2 couples total including us), so we got alot of individual attention and always had the opportunity to have our questions answered and discussed. Our Bradley instructor limits that class at 4 couples which keeps the classes small in general, so I would ask the instructor in your area about their class size. We also hired a doula and during labor and delivery she was a big help. She reminded us of things we had forgotten and kept DH positive and supportive of me during the process. While the one-on one classes might be good becuase of personalized attention in the class, once labor starts you are likely to forget most of the information you learned anyways.

badbridey · August 2012

The thing I love about the Bradley Method is that it teaches your partner how to support you during birth. I know that I wouldn't have been able to make my husband read or study on his own, but through the class he learned the importance of good nutrition, birthing exercises, how to help me breathe properly, and how to be an advocate for me to get our ideal birthing experience. After we started the class, I didn't feel like I had to tackle any of those things alone, my husband was awesome in supporting me...and he knew how to do it.

MamaWomat · August 2012

Thanks everyone, for the advice, and for sharing your experiences. Initially, I hadn't planned to hire a doula, and so was definitely going to take Bradley classes, but my sister, sil, and midwife all very strongly recommend it, so I think we probably will. I'm considering trying to find a doula in training who might be willing to attend the birth for a bit less.

I haven't looked into specific Bradley classes yet, so I'm not sure of the price differential, between those and the doula classes, but in general, I think they're pretty close to the same.

I'm really intimidated by the idea of interviewing/choosing a doula or a Bradley instructor, so in that respect, only having to go through the process once is appealing! And since DH is trying to finish a dissertation before the baby arrives, knocking out one night a week for 12 weeks might not be so good.

On the other hand, if I do hire a less experienced doula, it might be helpful for dh to get a more thorough understanding of things through the Bradley classes. I guess the first step is to bite the bullet and start making inquiry calls.

I'm the type that massively over-prepares (I read half a dozen pregnancy books cover-to-cover the month we decided to start ttc

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childbirth classes: bradley vs. one-on-one w/doula

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