For those of you who took bradley method classes, did you find it to be very different from other natural birth ideas? I was looking at the course outline and a lot of the classes seemed focus general well being rather than on the actual birth prep itself. Just wanted some feedback on if its totally worth taking that12 week class or if its pretty much the same stuff as other natural childbirth classes
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BUMP!!!
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I never took any of the classes. I read a book on the Bradley method and also read a book about self-hypnosis during labor. I liked the Bradley method better when I was actually in labor because the hypnosis was the exact opposite of what I wanted when I was in labor. It was all about being calm and thinking of colors and whatnot, and all the calming things made we want to throw something out of the window! The Bradley method was more about encouragement, support, and participation from your partner, which was what I really needed. But that was just me and my personality.
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I didn't take any classes either, but I did a lot of reading online and a few books. I picked up the Hypnobirthing book in the beginning of second trimester and really liked that they showed you pain coping mechanisms as well as ways your partner can help you manage. The book also does a good job at explaining each stage of labor and why you feel certain things - this helped me since knowing why it hurts helps me put things into perspective. In the beginning of third trimester, I read a lot about hypnobabies so I got the CD's and have been listening to them as a way to learn how to relax my mind. Both hypnobirthing and hypnobabies seem to center around relaxing your body and letting it do it's job (tensing up is described as counterproductive). I'm 37 weeks and I plan on using a combination of these relaxation methods to get through labor. I'll let you know how it works out! =)
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@ElisaT: I actually used the hypnobirthing techniques during early labor and it worked well. But as I got closer to transition, it was not my thing. I remember one of the techniques was imagining a head pulling through a turtle neck and I used a visualization of me trying to put on my rain boots instead. It was nice for awhile, but then I kind of hated the world and was not very good at hypnosis when things got rough. Hopefully it works better for you!
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Thanks for responses!! which books did you buy?
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That was the only class that I took and I thought it was worth it.
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I looked into Bradley classes, but I wasn't willing to spend the money on them in addition to childbirth preparation classes. I have the Bradley book and this is also my first week starting Hypnobabies. My doula said that most of her clients who use Hypnobabies or Hypnobirthing find that it helps them up to a certain point and then it becomes this primal/animalistic feeling where hypnosis is thrown out the window and the support of husband/birth partner/doula takes over.
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Those are the books I used.
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I'm very interested in hypnobabies as well, and if anyone has done it I would love to hear about your experience!
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i had a successful 9.5 hour labor/delivery after taking bradley classes and also hiring my teacher as my doula. she was worth every penny and more!! my husband tells everyone about bradley classes too (he's like a walking advertisement) because he got so much out of it.
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@Rock n Roll: thanks for listing the books. I ended up ordering one of those
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