Bradley Method After

It's about time I follow up on my thoughts about the Bradely Method. If you remember, I first wrote about it here, before I actually had our baby.

So in the end, how did the Bradely Method work out for us?

I had a completely unmedicated labor, so I say it worked pretty well! Seriously, I don't think I would've had the labor and birth I wanted without out taking the class. Rob would probably say he wouldn't have played the amazing role he did if it weren't for taking the class. And, being that our instructor was so awesome and encouraged us to call her if we needed her, we would've had a completely different labor.

When I first went into labor, sure we were excited, but we were calm too because we knew what to start doing and what to expect. We called Susan and asked for advise since my water broke and contractions didn't start. If it weren't for her telling us to stay home and try a few things on our own first, we would've been at the hospital hours before and mostly likely have been induced. But we followed her advise and were able to start labor on our own. Rob was always on top and made sure I was eating and drinking and going to the restroom. When contractions started, we knew to keep me moving, but also take it easy. We knew when it was time to go to the hospital by the frequency and strength of my contractions. And the first time we tried going into the car and my contractions had stopped, we knew that was normal and just the adrenalin slowing things down.

When we got to the hospital we knew exactly what to ask for. Also, having a hospital that supported natural birth greatly helped for we never felt pressured. At the hospital is when Rob really shined as a coach. He was always there at my side listening to me, helping me and giving me love and support. He made sure I kept moving and reminded of the different positions that made labor easier. He let me scream and cry as loud as I needed to. I told Rob exaclty what I needed and not felt demanding. And the moment that never would've happened if we never took the class is when I wanted to give up and Rob looked at me and told me that I could not give up because this is what I wanted and I am strong enough.

All the while, I knew what was going on and what to expect. I told myself to relax as best as I could between contractions, which really helped during pushing. I knew when I was in the different stages of labor. I knew that transition and pushing only lasted a couple hours each. Knowing that in the back of my head didn't make me scared that it would last forever. I remembered how to help my body push when I had my pushing contractions. I remembered that when pushing, it would be one step forward and two steps back at times. Because knowing all that, I just went with it, not worrying myself.

Overall, what the Bradely Method did was give us knowledge, confidence and courage during labor. Again, I highly recommend taking some sort of class, it helps tremendously.