When to take Bradley Classes

cecemama1 · November 2012

We have signed up for Bradley Classes starting this Saturday, when I will be only 16 weeks. There is a break for the holidays, so we will be finishing up in February, when I will be 26 weeks. We signed up for the classes so early because it was the only class being offered in our area, but it is about a 45 minute drive from our house.

The instructor just emailed me and said she has decided to offer a second set of classes starting in February that is much closer to where we live. It will be held on weeknights, and will end in mid April, about a month before our due date.

Which class would you choose? Should we wait until we are further along, or would you recommend taking the earlier classes so we have time to "practice" the things that we learn? I have to decide by tomorrow, and I keep going back and forth! Thanks!

aylafsu88 · November 2012

I would take the class starting in Feb and ending one month before your due date. This way the stuff you learn in the class will be fresh in your mind for L&D. You will have homework every week so you can 'practice' the things you learned. If you take them to early you may forget things or be less inclined to 'practice' every week. I started my classes at @ 24 weeks and ended them at 36 weeks and I thought that way perfect timing, especially since I went into labor 4 days before my EDD.

abell77 · November 2012

I would definitely do the later class.

badbridey · November 2012

I agree that the later class would probably be best, especially since it is closer to your home. I do think some of the nutrition and exercise information is good to have early on, you could probably find this information online or get one of the bradley books on amazon if you really wanted to start them early. However, you'll have plenty of time to learn the birthing positions, visualizations, etc. while taking the class. We took the class really late into my pregnancy (My last class was 2 weeks past my due date) and DH and I still felt prepared enough to have a successful natural birth.

julyjennifer · November 2012

aylafsu88:
I would take the class starting in Feb and ending one month before your due date. This way the stuff you learn in the class will be fresh in your mind for L&D. You will have homework every week so you can 'practice' the things you learned. If you take them to early you may forget things or be less inclined to 'practice' every week. I started my classes at @ 24 weeks and ended them at 36 weeks and I thought that way perfect timing, especially since I went into labor 4 days before my EDD.

Pretty much exactly this. My class was on a similar timeline and it worked well. Probably more people in your class will be on this track, too, so you can meet people who are around the same stage of pg as you, which is kinda nice.

Mrs.AmyDylan · November 2012

I'm going to echo the later class. It really helps to be closer to your due date since a lot of the rehearsal and positions make more sense when you are bigger. We will finish our classes when I'm 36w. GL, Bradley is great!

cecemama1 · November 2012

Thanks for the advice ladies! We switched to the later class!

pepomntpat · November 2012

I would take the later class, mostly because it is closer to home. The classes are long and a long drive before and after makes it even longer. If you want to get a head start on some of the exercises/information you can ask your instructor.

They recommend the Brewer Pregnancy Diet, doing 100 pelvic tilts each day, and lots of kegels. The exercises between you and DH can wait, but there are some great scripts outlined in Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. HTH.

StefandTodd · November 2012

We started our classes when I was 15 weeks, and no break...so I don't think it's terrible to start them early (and I definitely think I retained the info...and there is no real negative to starting the nutrition and exercise stuff asap!!). That said, if I were you I would probably take the later class out of convenience based on proximity. Basically I echo what pepmntpat said. I'd ask for (or research) nutrition and exercise recs now and get a head start, but start your actual classes when they can be closer to your home. GL!

BLPL101 · November 2012

Definitely the later class. My class ends about 3 weeks before my due date.

sthomas1222 · December 2012

We actually have our last Bradley class this Sunday. We'll be finished 8 weeks before we're due. We have only the 1 instructor in the area and the next set of classes didn't end til almost March and we're due beginning of February. I would've liked one that ended closer to our due date but hubby has really absorbed & retained a lot of information. And we have the book to review as we get closer.

When to take Bradley Classes

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