Childbirth the Bradley Way

Jill Yanke of Sun Prairie, Wis. got her money's worth out of Bradley childbirth classes. It was important to her that she became more educated for her second child's birth. When the big day rolled around, Yanke was knowledgeable and very relaxed. The Bradley Method prepared her well. So well, in fact, that she was able to remain calm when her baby made a surprise entrance in the family's bathroom.

In 1965, obstetrician Dr. Robert A. Bradley wrote Husband Coached Childbirth. He believed that birth was a natural process, that women could handle without drugs or interventions. And he believed that husbands were a critical factor in the birthing equation.

As a result of his book and medical practices, Dr. Bradley is often credited with paving the way for fathers to be present in the delivery room. To many, he also changed the face of childbirth throughout the world.

Eventually, Dr. Bradley, along with Marjie and Jay Hathaway, participants in his method of childbirth, founded the American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth.

According to literature, Bradley instructors teach the following ideals:

Natural childbirth

Active participation of the husband as coach

Excellent nutrition is the foundation of a healthy pregnancy

Avoidance of drugs during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding unless absolutely necessary

Training should consist of early birth classes followed by weekly classes starting in the sixth month, continuing until birth

Using relaxation and natural breathing techniques

Tuning in to the body

Immediate and continuous contact with a new baby

Breastfeeding, beginning at birth

Consumerism and positive communications

Parents taking responsibility for the safety of the birth place, procedures, attendants and emergency back-up

Parents prepared for unexpected situations such as emergency childbirth and Cesarean section

The Classes

"A typical Bradley method class is 12 weeks and held for two to two and a half hours one night each week," says Amy Madtson, a certified Bradley instructor in Spokane, Wash. "I personally teach a 10-week series that lasts around two hours each week. Classes are usually held in the instructor's home, since we are independent instructors. Some teachers do teach for doctors or in other locations."

Bradley classes include information about the physiology of labor and birth with a strong emphasis on getting mothers to believe, wholeheartedly, that birth can be achieved without drugs and intervention. There is also no patterned breathing involved with this method. Instead, Bradley instructors teach their students to breath deeply within the abdomen. Other class topics include exercise, nutrition, birth plans, communication, natural pain coping methods, coaching techniques, positioning, Cesarean sections and postpartum and newborn care, including breastfeeding. Bradley instructors also stock lending libraries and employ the use of birth videos to further prepare their students.

The Strengths

For women like Jill Yanke, the incomparable knowledge that the classes offer is a large draw to the Bradley method. Following birth, most students exclaim how in control and prepared they felt.

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