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Bradley Method classes?

Zelly72Zelly72 member
in Natural Birth
Hi!  I posted this on the 2nd Trimester board, but haven't had any responses.  Realizing now I probably should have posted here in the first place.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Thank you!!!

Hi!  Has anyone taken the Bradley Method classes, and if you have, do you feel that they helped a ton?  Or do you think you could've gotten the same info, etc. out of the book?  I am reading the book now, and we are undecided on the classes.  We would have to start them in about a month.  It's $350 for the classes, which isn't a ton, but there are other things that we could really use the money on (cloth diapers, etc.).  Since this is our first, I really am having a hard time making this decision.  I guess I'm torn because I keep thinking that people do this every day without classes, so it can't be that hard to figure out.  It's going to happen whether I take classes or not, right?  Argh!  I just can't decide.  Opinions??
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Re: Bradley Method classes?

  • aylafsu88aylafsu88 member
    edited September 2013
    We took the Bradley class and loved it.  I could have gotten the material/information on my own but not my H.  My H was not into reading up on child birth in his free time so the classes were essential for him. He learned a lot for the class and it was a huge help in my L&D.  It taught him how to look at the signs to know where I was in labor (early, active, transition).  It also gave him ideas about what he could to do help me, pressure points, positions etc.

    I think you need to evaluate how you and your H would learn and what would work best for you. Do you do well with classes?  Can you prepare in your free time?  Does your schedule allow you to attend classes?  Like I mentioned I could have done it without taking the class.  I was motivated to read/prepare on my own time.  However, my H is not into reading in general and did not want to read a ton of birth books in his free time.  The class was great for him because it gave him the essential information and it came from a child birth instructor.  Many women have read just the books or prepared on their own so it is possible.  Evaluate your situation and then make a decision on what would work best.

    I will say that I do think you do need to prepare for birth in some capacity (whether it is a class, reading books, birth stories etc).  Labor is unlike anything you have ever experienced.  It is painful, it is hard, and it is emotional. I think women who are unprepared do not always end up having the experience they wanted.
    GL!

    ETA:spelling
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  • robyn2201robyn2201 member
    I agree with aylafsu88. It was more beneficial for DH than myself. I read lots of books and I bugged him over and over to read up on NB but he didn't. If it had not been for the Bradley classed he would have been clueless.
    Ivy: July 2010  |  Stella: Dec 2012  |  BFP#3: MMC at 11Wk's, July 2017 | Wyatt: April 2019 | BFP#5: Twin Girls due Sept 2020

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  • Zelly72Zelly72 member
    Thank you so much for all of the feedback!  I will sit down tonight with my husband and explain to him that it's more for him than for me (of course, it'll help me too), and see what he is more comfortable with.  I really want to take them!  This instructor does everything in 10 weeks, and we will literally be taking the classes up through our 38th or 39th week - depending on when she starts them.  Here's to hoping I don't go early!
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  • abell77abell77 member
    We took the classes, and I think it was extremely helpful.  Perhaps it depends on you and your husband.  My husband is not the type to do his own research on this topic so having him in a class helped him to become a great coach in the end.  For me, as much as I was doing my own reading and research on my own, I still think it was helpful knowing that we had an instructor who was going to hold us accountable for what we had done/not done in between classes.  If you think you and your husband will be extremely motivated to do the exercises and relaxation practice on your own, then perhaps you will be ok, but I would be cautious about thinking things like, "it's going to happen whether I take classes or not".  Yes, your child will be born one way or another, and while you cannot control every aspect of how your labor will progress, the kind of preparation you do beforehand absolutely will have an impact on your birth experience.

    Good Luck!
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  • aracelylunaaracelyluna member
    We took the classes and are hoping to do a refresher for this one. I will say the classes were very helpful to my husband and myself. To be honest my DH was the one pushing natural birth. He was very interested in it and wanted our son to not be exposed to drugs etc. I didn't and don't to this day worry about that aspect of it. But, I did the research and decided that if I was going to attempt natural then a class would be the best route. When we started I was just hoping to learn about labor and it turned into such a great experience and in the end convincing me that a med free birth would be the best thing for me and baby. My DH learned so much as well and he was amazing. We also took the class upto our 39th week. I remember because we switched doctors at 37 and our instructor helped us find a new doctor.
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