The Labor Preparedness Experts - Bradley, Yoga, etc...

So it's now time to find a childbirthing class. (I'm at 25 weeks).
Bradley method looks good, as we're planning a natural childbirth in a
birth center. Unfortunately, the Bradley instructor sounds like such a
know-it-all. Then again, so do most of the Pregnancy Yoga instructors
I've encountered. What gives? One would think that if these people
worked with pregnant women all day long, they'd learn how to be a
little flexible?!

Anyway, we still might take the Bradley class. I do like the Bradley
method quite a bit. I just didn't like the fact that this instructor
was obsessed with Pregnancy aerobics. While I know that aerobics are a
good thing, I also know that I've never liked them much, never really
done them. I have always done a lot of walking and a lot of cycling.
Now I just do a lot of walking, and I eat healthy, do meditation and
*very* gentle yoga. Well, I feel great, I don't feel that heavy,
really, even though I have gained weight.

So I guess I'm a little worried that if I can't deal with this person
and her aerobics obsession, then we'll end up flaking on the class...

Anyone else finding that all these labor preparedness people are a bit
too know-it-all for their taste? What scares me is when I tell this
lady I am looking forward to childbirth, she tells me I won't be able
to handle it without the aerobics, which seems like a pretty negative
attitude overall, considering she doesn't even know me.

Any thoughts? You all running up against the same thing?

Thanks,
Heather
Proud mother of either Eowyn or George, who will be born sometime in
September 2004.

I've never had a "know it all" instructor at all. My Bradley teacher was
fabulous. Pregnancy aerobics aren't partof the Bradley method so it doesn't
seem to me that she ought to be pushing them at you that way.

Is there no other instructor where you are? We had a choice between two
Bradley instructors I believe and of course there are tons of Lamaze
instructors. Having done both, though (Lamaze twice), I would totally
recommend Bradley over Lamaze, and I'd be happy to take classes again this time
if I could talk my husband into it.

Leslie

Anyone else finding that all these labor preparedness people are a bit
too know-it-all for their taste? What scares me is when I tell this
lady I am looking forward to childbirth, she tells me I won't be able
to handle it without the aerobics, which seems like a pretty negative
attitude overall, considering she doesn't even know me.

UGGGH. Run from that one. Ick.

Jenrose

Elric wrote:

Anyone else finding that all these labor preparedness people are a bit
too know-it-all for their taste? What scares me is when I tell this
lady I am looking forward to childbirth, she tells me I won't be able
to handle it without the aerobics, which seems like a pretty negative
attitude overall, considering she doesn't even know me.

Well, I've made it through three unmedicated labors
without any pregnancy aerobics, if that makes you feel any
better ;-)
I think what you do about it depends on your
personality. If you can blithely ignore such comments,
you can take the class and only pay attention to what
seems worthwhile to you. If comments like that get
under your skin, then you need to go elsewhere (and
you can supplement with reading on any information
you miss out on).

Best wishes,
Ericka

Elric wrote:

So it's now time to find a childbirthing class. (I'm at 25 weeks).
Bradley method looks good, as we're planning a natural childbirth in a
birth center. Unfortunately, the Bradley instructor sounds like such a
know-it-all. Then again, so do most of the Pregnancy Yoga instructors
I've encountered. What gives? One would think that if these people
worked with pregnant women all day long, they'd learn how to be a
little flexible?!


I like tha Bradley method, although I wasn't crazy about
our instructors. Look around and see if there is another
instructor in your area that you'd mesh with better.

For this birth, we've hired a doula and she teaches
Birthing from Within classes, we took an abbreviated
course from her for 2nd time parents and really liked
it.

Mary

"Elric" wrote in message
om...
So it's now time to find a childbirthing class. (I'm at 25 weeks).
Bradley method looks good, as we're planning a natural childbirth in a
birth center. Unfortunately, the Bradley instructor sounds like such a
know-it-all. Then again, so do most of the Pregnancy Yoga instructors
I've encountered. What gives? One would think that if these people
worked with pregnant women all day long, they'd learn how to be a
little flexible?!

Anyway, we still might take the Bradley class. I do like the Bradley
method quite a bit. I just didn't like the fact that this instructor
was obsessed with Pregnancy aerobics. While I know that aerobics are a
good thing, I also know that I've never liked them much, never really
done them. I have always done a lot of walking and a lot of cycling.
Now I just do a lot of walking, and I eat healthy, do meditation and
*very* gentle yoga. Well, I feel great, I don't feel that heavy,
really, even though I have gained weight.

So I guess I'm a little worried that if I can't deal with this person
and her aerobics obsession, then we'll end up flaking on the class...

Anyone else finding that all these labor preparedness people are a bit
too know-it-all for their taste? What scares me is when I tell this
lady I am looking forward to childbirth, she tells me I won't be able
to handle it without the aerobics, which seems like a pretty negative
attitude overall, considering she doesn't even know me.

Any thoughts? You all running up against the same thing?

Thanks,
Heather
Proud mother of either Eowyn or George, who will be born sometime in
September 2004.


Incredibly, the Bradley method used to be obsessed about a position ("the
Bradley Classic") that closes the birth canal up to 30%.

Most babies are deemed "healthy" after being born through birth canals
senselessly closed up to 30%...

But I wonder about the 4.6% of "healthy" term babies born with unexplained
brain bleeds...

I wonder about unexplained minor motor and perceptual difficulties found
later in life...

I wonder about the babies who are born with unexplained paralyses...

I wonder about the babies who are born DEAD - unexplained: Australian
obstetrician Norman F. Beischer, MD once guessed that 10 to 15% of
stillbirths were just fine right before delivery...

Most babies are born "healthy" - and allowing birth canals to open maximally
obviously won't solve all birth problems - but WHY are we letting OBs and
CNMwives close birth canals?

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Todd

Dr. Gastaldo


PS Heather, the text above appears in another post...

See Bradley Method Students: Check your workbook...
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group...t/message/2581

I quoted your mention of the Bradley instructor's obsession with aerobics.

I'm a Canadian, so the American "thing" about choosing a "method" is
both intriguing and perplexing - like there is such a thing as one
best way to cope with birth for every woman, and that you do, indeed,
need a "system" cooked up by some male expert. Like, what happened to
the tried and true - faith in your body and good consistent labour
support (i.e. as per a midwife or doula who stays with a woman), which
seems to beat everything else, hands down, in study after study.

My observation about most of the methods is that they seem to be about
trying to distract you from something you can't really be distracted
from - and maybe you should be embracing and going with rather than
resisting.

I've had three kids, and ended up with a section during the first
labour, and the problem wasn't that I hadn't practiced patterned
breathing or mental imagery or whatever. It was really that DH and I
got exhausted and had a zillion hospital staff in and out of the room
over my long labour, so we lost confidence. Next two times, I had
unmedicated VBACs because I had a midwife by my elbow keeping me
going. I guess that was the "Wendy" method for #2 and the "Vicki"
method for #3.

Personally, what you should take away from any classes is some ideas
for your toolbox, but not the belief that any one "method" should be
the WHOLE toolbox.

Mary G.

In article ,
says...
I'm a Canadian, so the American "thing" about choosing a "method" is
both intriguing and perplexing - like there is such a thing as one
best way to cope with birth for every woman, and that you do, indeed,
need a "system" cooked up by some male expert. Like, what happened to
the tried and true - faith in your body and good consistent labour
support (i.e. as per a midwife or doula who stays with a woman), which
seems to beat everything else, hands down, in study after study.

My observation about most of the methods is that they seem to be about
trying to distract you from something you can't really be distracted
from - and maybe you should be embracing and going with rather than
resisting.

Actually the Bradley method is more about staying active and fit (not
necessarily thru aerobics tho) and eating right during pregnancy to
prepare for labor, and then using relaxation techniques during labor
that are supposed to allow you to be more in tune with your body rather
than tensing up and fighting contractions. (I say "supposed to" because
I haven't gone thru labor yet!! Their philosophy is that women who
haven't practiced relaxation are more likely to be tense, freak out and
want drugs for labor, which they don't look at as embracing the
childbirth.


I've had three kids, and ended up with a section during the first
labour, and the problem wasn't that I hadn't practiced patterned
breathing or mental imagery or whatever. It was really that DH and I
got exhausted and had a zillion hospital staff in and out of the room
over my long labour, so we lost confidence.

The Bradley method (not to sound like a Bradley cult member or anything
acknowledges that there will probly be times in anyone's labor where
the woman loses confidence, and tries to prepare the couple for this.
This method really relies on a coach (the husband if applicable) to
support the woman thru the labor.

Next two times, I had
unmedicated VBACs because I had a midwife by my elbow keeping me
going. I guess that was the "Wendy" method for #2 and the "Vicki"
method for #3.

Personally, what you should take away from any classes is some ideas
for your toolbox, but not the belief that any one "method" should be
the WHOLE toolbox.

I totally agree with that. Although I don't think I could deal with the
weird breathing thing in Lamaze!

-kim

In article ,
says...
So it's now time to find a childbirthing class. (I'm at 25 weeks).
Bradley method looks good, as we're planning a natural childbirth in a
birth center. Unfortunately, the Bradley instructor sounds like such a
know-it-all. Then again, so do most of the Pregnancy Yoga instructors
I've encountered. What gives? One would think that if these people
worked with pregnant women all day long, they'd learn how to be a
little flexible?!

Anyway, we still might take the Bradley class. I do like the Bradley
method quite a bit. I just didn't like the fact that this instructor
was obsessed with Pregnancy aerobics. While I know that aerobics are a
good thing, I also know that I've never liked them much, never really
done them. I have always done a lot of walking and a lot of cycling.
Now I just do a lot of walking, and I eat healthy, do meditation and
*very* gentle yoga. Well, I feel great, I don't feel that heavy,
really, even though I have gained weight.

So I guess I'm a little worried that if I can't deal with this person
and her aerobics obsession, then we'll end up flaking on the class...

Anyone else finding that all these labor preparedness people are a bit
too know-it-all for their taste? What scares me is when I tell this
lady I am looking forward to childbirth, she tells me I won't be able
to handle it without the aerobics, which seems like a pretty negative
attitude overall, considering she doesn't even know me.

Any thoughts? You all running up against the same thing?

I am currently in Bradley classes, and our instructor is totally sweet
and not a know-it-all at all. She certainly believes in the natural
method tho, and makes no apologies for that, but I would imagine that
someone not interested in natural childbirth would not be taking a
Bradley class! Since this is my first I like the classes because they
take the time to inform you about a lot of things that I just don't
think they would have time to in a one-day lamaze class.

What do you mean that your instructor is obsessed with aerobics?
Walking and cycling *are* aerobic exercises. The Bradley method
encourages staying active, but not thru jazzercize or anything! I've
actually found that the exercises that we are assigned to do are too
easy! I would look to see if you have any other instructor in your
area. We had 2 to choose from who were offering classes in our area
over the summer. We got the name of our instructor from the Bradely
website, and she gives classes in her home.

-kim

"Mary Gordon" wrote in message
om...
My observation about most of the methods is that they
seem to be about trying to distract you from something
you can't really be distracted from - and maybe you
should be embracing and going with rather than resisting.

That is how my Bradley books describe the Lamaze method. Bradley is
not about distracting yourself at all.

For the OP, Bradley worked great for me and I had an instructor I liked
a lot (so much I invited her to be Julie's support person had Julie been
there during Jaden's birth), but it definitely varies from instructor to
instructor. Try to find one you like better. FWIW my main form of
exercise during pregnancy was walking, not aerobics, and I got through
both labors naturally, no problem.
--
Cheryl S.
Mom to Julie, 3, and Jaden, 9 months