Birthing class - actually super excited now

rachyrach06 · November 2014

I'm a FTM but i plan on doing an all natural delivery. My DH is actually really excited about that since watching the "Business of birthing" by Riki Lake with me. I did a bunch of research and have decided on The Bradley Method for a birthing class. Its a 12 week long series that focuses on natural birth. They say that 90% of the women who take the class end up having a vaginal unmedicated birth. My DH is also super excited about it b/c they refer to it as "Husband coached birthing".

We met the instructor last night and she's awesome...makes me even more excited to get started. She said she's addicted to labor/delivery; she has 3 kids and wants more b/c she says she wants to be a rockstar at L&D but she has to keep practicing to do it lol.

Anyone else doing the Bradley Method? Or any other classes?

finallyourturn2 · November 2014

I'm taking the 4 week basic birthing class offered at the hospital only because they talked me into it. I plan on following the advice that I read on here and winging it the rest of the way. I want to have an unmedicated vaginal delivery but I recognize shit happens (figuratively in my friends case literally the baby went and she had to have an emergency c section) and am prepared for whatever. However I would like to research pain meds other than epidural a because that freaks me out.

rachyrach06 · November 2014

aylacbw I always get the name of the Riki Lake movie wrong...even the night we watched it i got it wrong but thankfully youtube figured it out.

TikTak brainwashed i definitely am not. I'm looking into all options basically and then choosing what i hope i can have for myself. I'm ocd and love being in control so i wish i could be more in control in this situation. since i can't, and things often do go wrong, i'm just doing my best to learn about all the different birthing methods...definitely not looking down on any of them, just choosing what i want for myself. Also, i'm afraid of needles, being cut open, etc...mostly b/c of being traumatized in almost all of the 14 or so surgeries i've had in my life...so i'd LOVE to have an unassisted labor as much as possible.

I totally see how the movie was one sided, but the side that it was talking about was the side i wanted to know about so it kinda worked out.

The Bradley Method is definitely not hypnobirthing...that was a method i researched too. The Bradley Method is about moving into different positions to help relax as much as possible so that there's less pain. it also teaches the coach about massasge, body cues, things of that nature. They also do alot of "dress rehearsals" so that you are more prepared when it comes time to deliver. the way they put it is that you can't train for a marathon a week before its supposed to happen...i totally get the birth vs. marathon analogy.

I'm very well aware that if its anything like my normal luck that my birthplan will go to shit, which sucks, but its why i want to know as much as i can about other methods as well which i'm just now starting to research. I'm going through a midwives program but i'm still delivering in a hospital...vanderbilt, that way if anything does go awry and i need medical intervention, i'll be at a pretty good hospital for it.

rachyrach06 · November 2014

finallyourturn2 said:

I'm taking the 4 week basic birthing class offered at the hospital only because they talked me into it. I plan on following the advice that I read on here and winging it the rest of the way. I want to have an unmedicated vaginal delivery but I recognize shit happens (figuratively in my friends case literally the baby went and she had to have an emergency c section) and am prepared for whatever. However I would like to research pain meds other than epidural a because that freaks me out.

also, the hospital where i'm delivering offers etonix which is gas and air mix (50/50 nitrous & oxygen). i'm excited to have that as a back up considering that its not something given introveinously (sp?) and if i don't like it then its out of my system in about 2 minutes. i'm thinking its really gonna take the edge of if needed.

i know what you meed about emergency c-sections...i've had several friends that this ended up being the case. fingers crossed for myself but i just want the healthy baby in the end honestly

eta b/c as always, words are hard

rachyrach06 · November 2014

earthian said:

finallyourturn2 said:

I'm taking the 4 week basic birthing class offered at the hospital only because they talked me into it. I plan on following the advice that I read on here and winging it the rest of the way. I want to have an unmedicated vaginal delivery but I recognize shit happens (figuratively in my friends case literally the baby went and she had to have an emergency c section) and am prepared for whatever. However I would like to research pain meds other than epidural a because that freaks me out.

also, the hospital where i'm delivering offers etonix which is gas and air mix (50/50 nitrous & oxygen). i'm excited to have that as a back up considering that its not something given introveinously (sp?) and if i don't like it then its out of my system in about 2 minutes. i'm thinking its really gonna take the edge of if needed.
i know what you meed about emergency c-sections...i've had several friends that this ended up being the case. fingers crossed for myself but i just want the healthy baby in the end honestly
eta b/c as always, words are hard
----quote fail ---- Kinda off topic, but is that the same gas the patients use in the show "One Born Every Minute"?

hmmm, not sure, i've never seen it. Nitrous is laughing gas but at the dentist its a 100% mix, no air. In my party days i've done whippits which are whip cream charges that come in little CO2 looking canisters that you crack and fill up into a balloon...again, 100% mix. The etonix is 50/50 mix so its truly only there to take the edge off.

Ive done a ton of research on it as well and its used in most other civilized countries except for the US...along with midwives being used more predominately in those countries.

rachyrach06 · November 2014

finallyourturn2 said:

I'm taking the 4 week basic birthing class offered at the hospital only because they talked me into it.

***stuck in a quote box***
i think it will be smart to take a hospital offered class as well since they will prob talk more about the more medical centered types of births...while i may not want to do it that way, its very likely that it can be how i end up and i don't want to be surprised by what that entails.

Adele 1981 · November 2014

I think you should be excited, (unmedicated) birth was the best experience of my life. I did hypnobabies with my first, and I think a big advantage to classes like that are that you are actually excited instead of scared. The business of being born, imho, is a great movie that just counterbalance "normal"portrayals of birth in things like a baby story. Also, people forget that in the movie, the camera woman went into labor early and had to have an emergency c section. That wasn't vilified, it was shown as a medical necessity.

With this baby I'm hoping for the same kind of birth (natural in the hospital) but I have a low lying placenta. Is it doesn't move, I'll have to have a c section. I really don't want one, but I'd rather that than bleed to death.

Good luck in your Bradley classes!

mangomimosa · November 2014

I do like BoBB & I feel like I've seen the birth conveyor belt scenario play out a thousand times in L&D. It's important to be aware. But it is a seriously biased documentary & that's important to accept, too. You can't just waltz in full of evil thoughts about the hospital and expect to have anyone take you seriously. (Not saying you're doing this. Just musing.)

After doing my own research, I was shocked to realize that epidurals DO. NOT. increase the risk of c-section. That's per a Cochrane review -- the gold standard. BoBB suggests the opposite! I totally get the theory -- and you can damn well bet I'm going to avoid it/delay it as long as possible -- but it's a useful tool. That's not to say Bradley method isn't useful or worthwhile -- just that *if* it's not working out for you, you need to be gentle with yourself if you decide to go another route. And it's ok to do that.

Clobert · November 2014

bradely classes look great! Unfortunately there wasn't one in my area that lined up with my due date and was close by. I am deciding between the hospital "Mindful Birthing Class" and an outside class with my doula. Good for you for taking that time to prepare! The Business of Being Born is really not as biased as some people think. It shows all the options and doesn't vilify any one. I really liked the book "Your Best Birth". I am just like you and want to do everything in my power to avoid surgery and an epidural.

Lmsq1611 · November 2014

I also plan on taking Bradley Method classes though mine will be shortly less than 12 weeks due to an out of state move. My plan is to learn the pain management techniques of a non-medicated birth but in the end if I need or want an epidural than I am okay with that too.

@Adele 1981‌ how was hypnobabies? Were you able to use what you learned in class during labor? I would be interested in hearing more about this.

@mangomimosa‌ From the research I have seen as long as you are dialated more than 3 or 4 cm than an epidural doesn't increase your likelihood of a c section. That was a reassuring fact for me to hear bc I used to be afraid that just having an epidural would make it more likely.

@rachyrach06‌ It's great that both you and your husband are excited about the classes! When do you start your class? My friend finished her Bradley classes a couple of weeks ago and said she feels very prepared and even excited for labor (which is any day now for her).

Adele 1981 · November 2014

I did the self study hypnobabies program, and I highly recommend it... although I didn't end up using it in actual labor! My poor husband kept trying to hand me my headphones to listen to the recordings and I would just yell at him. But the relaxation techniques I learned were amazing. I think the most important part was these recordings would ALWAYS put me to sleep, so when I was in early labor I was able to relax enough to sleep. I've heard from several friends that they ended up getting the epidural because they didn't sleep the night before labor and were just too exhausted to continue without some rest. Being able to sleep early on is crucial, I think. Anyway. .. highly recommend!

Jparisi926 · November 2014

We had our first childbirth class last night and it details several different methods. My husband really benefitted the most from the class as I've been doing research for some time but this was his first comprehensive experience. He loved it! I was especially happy to know that in the event a c section is necessary for us, he can do the skin to skin with LO until I'm patched and ready to breast feed!

rachyrach06 · November 2014

@aylacbw I'm totally considering getting our own doula but don't know if we'll be able to afford it. Thankfully we will be provided with a free one thru a volunteer program which is better than nothing, that's for sure.

@happymamax2 the thought of an episiotomy gives me some serious heebie jeebies... I'd rather tear if it's gonna happen.

@mangomimosa it's so nice to have someone giving such an honest opinion. While I can't help but to look at all options its good to know that if I wasn't then there'd be someone helping me to see all sides. that its absolutely okay to only do what you are able to do and to not stress over what ifs.

@Lmsq1611 glad to hear I'm not the only one taking the class and glad to hear your friend had a good experience with it. My class starts on Dec 6th.

@Jparisi926 I never considered my husband being able to do the skin to skin, what a great idea if mama can't do it.

glad to hear so many ladies shooting for the unmedicated births!

Eta for spelling and grammar

Whitfry · November 2014

I'm studying Bradley as well as hypnobirthing. The only thing to be cautious of regarding the Bradley method is that there can be a lot of fear-mongering about medicated birth. This can result in moms having a harder time and panicking if everything doesn't go right. So just make sure you also educate yourself on things like epidurals even if you don't plan on having one. It's always best to be prepared and most Bradley coaches won't adequately educate you on that. I'm sure there are some who do, of course.

And I am totally jealous you have the gas option. I really want it, but it's not available where I'm at. I was under the impression it wasn't approved in the US at all, but I'm probably mistaken. I heard about it years ago and always thought it sounded like a better option than narcotics or an epi.

Joon+ · November 2014

@happymamax2‌, I'm curious as to what about the epidural made you panic? I'm a FTM with panic disorder and was planning on an epidural as much in hopes of avoiding panic attacks during labour as for actual pain management. Was it the feeling of disassociation? I'm more scared of the panic than the pain, so this gives me pause...

rachyrach06 · November 2014

happymamax2 i can imagine there was indeed some resentment there. the obgyn that i had originally was like "i always do it b/c its easier". when i mentioned to him that i had read that it could make the healing process harder he mentioned something about he can control how big the tear is that way. i totally got the feeling that he always does them b/c its easier on him.

i agree with you that the sandbag feeling would probably make me panic...i so badly want to be able to move around and stuff during the whole process so i'm hoping it goes my way.

Whitfry the instructor actually told us that they will talk breifly about epidurals and c-sections more or less to know the cues better so that we can know for ourselves when it is actually needed.

regarding the gas, when i mentioned it to my original obgyn he said that nobody uses it at all anymore which i didn't understand b/c i thought it was common based off of the little research i'd done at that time. when i asked him what other options i had besides the epi he said i could have morophine...needless to say i was speechless on that one b/c in my head i was thinking "so i can't have advil but i can have morophine!" lol. when i did more research i found out that vanderbilt in TN is one of the very few in the states that offer it (i think there's like 10 all together or something like that) and when i found out that vandy had their own midwives team on top of that i was pretty much sold. I'm gonna try to go as long as i can w/o gas or anything so that if it does start to get to bad with the completely natural thing i'll have the gas that i can go to.

DM718 · November 2014

I'm jealous you get access to the laughing gas - one Boston hospital just started offering it. The hospital I'm delivering at is affiliated with BWH, it would be awesome if they start using it as well, but I'm not expecting that. That said, half the L&D suites have tubs to labor (but not deliver) in. Hopefully that will help before the epidural.

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2014/07/30/brigham-womens-hospital-will-offer-laughing-gas-labor/

rachyrach06 · November 2014

@DM718 there is ONE L&D suite with a tub and its a first come first serve basis. They too will let you labor but not deliver in it. thankfully all of the L&D rooms have private showers so if i don't have access to the tub, at least there's that. i would like to try laboring in the tub though...the fact that you are more bouyant just sounds like it would help to relax.

Joon+ · November 2014

happymamax2 said:

Joon+ said:
@happymamax2‌, I'm curious as to what about the epidural made you panic? I'm a FTM with panic disorder and was planning on an epidural as much in hopes of avoiding panic attacks during labour as for actual pain management. Was it the feeling of disassociation? I'm more scared of the panic than the pain, so this gives me pause...
Hopefully this gives you less worry but I personally didn't like the lack of feeling in my legs. I felt like I had sandbags. It freaked me out. Like I know that's what the epidural does, it numbs from the waist down but I hated the way it felt. So I kept having to use an oxygen mask to relax me.

But my sister who just had her baby last month has an anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder and the epidural made her feel actually relaxed. She said she preferred to feel like sandbags than to feel the pain. Where as I felt the opposite about the epidural. She did so well during the pushing and she seemed really relax. So just know not everyone has the same experience with those medications.

Yeah, I could definitely see that part of it going either way... I guess I'll just have to roll the dice in the moment and hope I make the right decisions for my particular case! Thanks for the input though - I hadn't considered how disconcerting it might be to feel that disconnect/sandbag feeling.

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