Doula Adventures: Bradley Class is Done!

{Oops, I totally did not do a two/thirds done post. Forgive me and blame the summer's sunshine!}

Bradley Birth Class is over. It was a fantastic twelve weeks, and when the last class was over, we were all hugging and planning a reunion after the babies are born. Yipee!

The biggest lesson I learned from the Bradley class is how long it takes to practice and get comfortable with the different techniques. Honestly, I think you could go through any birth class and find a method or six that will work for you, but the real key to success is to practice. Stephanie said it many times: labor is a marathon, and it takes time to train for a marathon.

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The Bradley method touches on every aspect of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The two couples had lots of questions, and Stephanie was prepared for everything. No question was outside her scope of knowledge, or if it was, she found an answer the next week.

I really appreciated how there was no "normal" standard for a labor and delivery; all the information presented was "some women experience this and some women experience that." I think the couples found that helpful so they could know all the possibilities but also know that nothing was wrong if they did or didn't experience something.

The Bradley method is awesome at including dads. Dr. Bradley's book is actually written to dads, which I think dads appreciate with so many other pregnancy books geared towards women, obviously. The book was a little annoying to read, and Dr. Bradley has some funky, perhaps out-dated ideas, but overall good information.

If you want to learn more about the Bradley method, you can ask me anything or check out their website. Also, thanks to multiple babysitting jobs this week, BAI certification should start by the end of October at the latest {I'm hoping}. Thanks for all your kind and enthusiastic comments - you help me stay excited when the process seems slow. You are all wonderful!