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Natural Birth
ungraceful13
member
If only one is an option: Doula or Bradley Classes?
ungraceful13
member
I really would like to have a natural birth and am considering a doula or bradley classes. I am planning on giving birth in a hospital with an OB. Ideally I would love to be able to afford a doula and bradley childbirth classes but I don't think that is a possibility. If you had to pick one or the other in hope of having a natural childbirth which one would you pick?
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Re: If only one is an option: Doula or Bradley Classes?
I picked a doula.
I didn't want to spend the time on Bradley, though. I like my Saturdays.
The doula was fantastic. She was very reassuring and DH wants to hire her again for #2.
There isn't a right and wrong answer; for me, I was happy to read and educate myself on my own. I wanted someone with me on the real-deal day, not for the weeks and months before that and NOT on the actual delivery day.
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That's a really hard choice! I loved both our doula and our Bradley classes. If I had to choose only one though, I would have to pick hiring a doula.
Something to consider is that your doula might include a session or two to go over things before the birth. My doula will use this time as almost like mini childbirth session if the couple didn't take any classes. You could also look to see if any of the local Bradley instructors are doulas as well. Our doula was also our Bradley instructor.
ETA: GL! And let us know what you ultimately decide!
Reeeally hard choice for me to make. Hm. I feel like a doula probably overall can provide more help at the end game, but our Bradley classes were such a great bonding and growing experience for my H and me, and gave us SO much to think and talk about every week. I guess I would go with doula b/c like I said, I think it's ultimately what is more likely to help you achieve the birth you want. But I found so much value in Bradley classes too, so not an easy choice at all.
I would suggest going with the Bradley Method. I used the Bradley method with our first birth 2 years ago; this pregnancy we repeated a few of the classes as a "refresher" and will use the method again. I haven't used a doula, so I can't speak to personal experience on that.
I vote Bradley Method because childbirth is something you really need to prepare for both mentally and physically. For me, having had a natural (unmedicated, vaginal, no interventions at all) childbirth, I feel like it helps to do some things ahead of time to prepare yourself for the birth. I'm sure you're aware of all of what the Bradley method covers since you're considering it, but most importantly to me it taught me HOW to relax and how to mentally stay in control during labor. Although I'm sure support from a doula helps, and I'm sure they have great ideas on how to relax, I'm not sure it would give you the same mental preparation for birth that a 12 week course does.
I would recommend considering what type of person you are in terms of needs when you face a tough situation. Do you find strength from within? Or do you need support and encouragement from another person? Could you remember what to do and apply techniques for relaxation? Or do you need someone (like a doula) helping you through it (although with Bradley, technically the husband should be coaching you - but I found it to be a very "inside yourself" experience)
Finally, no matter how great a doula is, I just wasn't comfortable having someone else there during our special moment of the birth of our child. I personally don't like relying on ANYONE and so I liked the independence Bradley method offered me in terms of preparing myself for childbirth.
I already had a doctor and a nurse there. It's not like it was my husband and I in a magical forest all by ourselves.
Really, this is one of those "there are two kinds of people" things. The thought of 12 weeks of Bradley classes made both DH and I bored. I got the birth I was aiming for, and I think the doula helped that. Not taking classes doesn't mean I didn't prepare. I read a lot, I did prenatal yoga (I did some yoga before I was pg as well), and we had 3 prenatal meetings with the doula to talk about what I wanted and how to get that.
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With DS1, we had both and I think both were worth it because we were in a mainstream hospital with a mainstream OB. We benefitted from the education of the Bradley classes (esp. DH) and the doula helped us process through the options when things got hairy and helped sustain DH though my multi-day labor. In the mainstream hospital situation, I would see about minimizing other purchases (baby or otherwise) to afford both.
For a non-hospital birth, I would say Bradley over a doula. We didn't need a doula with our CPM because we were aligned on our views, trusting in the birth process, etc. we had two birth assistants there, DH was very confident in his coaching because he'd done it before and because the birth team was so supportive and trustworthy.
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We are getting both. Our doula is also our Bradley teacher. She is working on her certification, so she is not charging us for her doula services, only the classes. It really is worth looking around for a doula that might be working on her certification that will either do it for free or much cheaper.
If you had to pick one though, I would definitely go with a doula. The Bradley method (and other natural methods) have lots of books that you can read in order to educate and prepare yourself.
I think this depends on what you think your biggest challenges to natural birth will be. While I totally respect the Bradley method, teaching myself to relax through pain is something I've already had the happy experience of learning on my own. (yay?) So I didn't feel that I needed the classes for that, and I prefer learning the "fundamentals" of birth and stuff on my own, reading. At the same time, I found a midwife I trust in a hospital that is pretty natural-birth friendly and I am confident in my husband's abilities to coach and provide support. Having constant support is huge--randomized trials have shown it reduces the use of pain medications and epidurals to have a support person present the whole time. But that may or may not be a doula. All that to say--I chose neither.
So--I think it depends totally on you. I spent the "prep" money on books since that's how I learn best.
Out of curiosity--would a birth center or a hospital birth with a midwife be an option? Not that choosing an ob is wrong, but your question almost made it seem like you were trying to "make up" for being in a hospital with an ob with either Bradley or a doula--if that isn't really what you want, is investigating other options a possibility?
I would probably pick a doula.
I coped with my 3 natural births all in very different ways so I'd be worried that if I took a Bradley course but it wasn't working for me in labor, I'd be lost. A doula, however, would be more flexible and accommodating for however I need to cope through labor.
I chose a hospital and an OB bc I have a bicornuate uterus and there is a possibility of needing a c-section if the baby gets stuck in a breech position. I didn't want to have to switch last minute from a mw to an ob and from a birth center to a hospital. Ideally I would have loved a home birth with a mid-wife but due to my condition I thought it would be safer to go this route the first time. In hoping that I won't need a c-section I wanted to best prepare myself for a natural birth.
Doula and prenatal yoga!
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Agree. I read the Bradley book along with several others, took prenatal yoga classes, a birthing partner workshop with my H, and learned a lot from meetings with my doula. I was very well prepared without childbirth classes, and my doula made all the difference!
We met with a doula tonight we really like so I think we are going to go with a doula. I feel like we could use the extra support.
We did both and we thought both were worth it. Have you asked around, often times Bradley instructors are doulas. They may be willing to negotiate the cost with you.
What does your DH think? Is he even willing to go to classes?
DH was willing to go to classes. He was unsure in his ability to be everything I needed. We also would have to miss at least one class no matter which class we did. The instructors I found are not doulas.
Also, this. There are ways to prepare without taking a class. And while preparation is great, there is a lot to be said for having someone there in the moment...and the nurses did NOT help me like my doula did.