When I became pregnant with my second son, I was a full-time stay-at-home-mom.  I was really excited to be having another child, and I loved watching those shows on TLC about women having babies.  I had birthed my first son naturally, without any natural childbirth method or learned relaxation techniques.  However, as I watched those shows more and more, I began to doubt that I would be able to stand the pain of natural childbirth this time around.  Every woman on there was begging for the epidural, and many of them were only two centimeters dilated at the time.  I thought that maybe my first easy birth was a fluke, and I began to search for methods of coping during childbirth.

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I came across the Bradley Method in some online forum about natural birth, and ordered two books Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and Husband-Coached Childbirth: The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth. The Bradley Method of natural childbirth is based on what animal mothers do in labor, and it teaches natural breathing, visualization, and relaxation techniques.  There are also sections about the benefits of natural childbirth, nutrition and health during pregnancy, and exercises for you to do during pregnancy to prepare for labor.  I love this method, because it tells you exactly what will happen to you during labor, so that you are prepared for what you will experience.

The aspect of the Bradley Method I enjoyed the most, was that “Dad” is encouraged to be an active participant in the process before, during, and after the birth.  You really need the loving support of someone you trust to help you through labor, and who could be better than the one who got you in this position in the first place?  (You can use anyone, though, and you can birth by yourself if you have to)  You work with whoever your coach will be throughout your pregnancy, and they are prepared to be your advocate in the hospital, your runner, and your full-time back rubber and Chapstick applier.  Basically, they will know what you need and do it, so you can concentrate on relaxing and laboring.

The other thing that I like, is that the Bradley Method takes the hard stance on medication.  They do not ever say that it is okay to get the medication if you need rest or if you loose control.  It seems to me, that if you set out with that mindset, you will probably throw in the towel when things get tough.  And, the irony is, that when things start to get tough during labor, that is a signal that you are almost done!  Many, many women ask for the epidural when they just have a teeny bit longer to go.  When I got to that “I don’t think I can make it” point with my births, I was usually no more than 45 minutes away from pushing!  (That is the easy part, too, by the way).  But, had I read things like “it is okay to use the drugs” and story after story about women who set out for a natural experience, but gave up half way through, I may have not made it, either.

As it turned out, I had to be induced with my second son, due to supposed pre-eclampsia (which I now think was untrue).  For those of you who don’t already know, inducing labor with Pitocin produces stronger, longer contractions.  It was like night and day compared with my first easy birth.  At one point the contractions were so close and so long that there was no more than a second between them.  I breathed, I visualized myself riding the waves, and I sweated and trembled.  The contractions were violent and seemed unending.  I looked at my husband, who had been rubbing my back for about an hour, and I said “I don’t think I can make it.” Most husbands would have ran out and grabbed a nurse and brought in the drugs.  But knowing what we knew from The Bradley Method, we smiled and kept going.  We knew that we were almost done.  Within thirty minutes we were holding our son.

Click Here to find out more about the Magic of Natural Childbirth.

Without a doubt, had I not learned The Bradley Method, I would not have made it without the medication.  They have a great success rate; around 80% of Bradley Method students go on to birth unmedicated.  They have classes, which would be great, but if you can’t find a class or don’t have the time or money, the book is just as good.  Whatever you choose, good luck, and let me know if you have birthed naturally using The Bradley Method or any other method.  I would love to hear your stories and/or link to you!