CONGRATULATIONS
As young first time parents, surrounded by other first time parents, my husband and I were both excited and perplexed by the world we were about to enter into: childbirth and parenting. Yet, with conflicting advice, lack of support, and c-sections all around us, this excitement of adding to our family, quickly turned into fear. We couldn't believe how fast the panic began to set in......but deep inside, we knew that there had to be a better way. It was then that someone mentioned looking into The Bradley Method®. At first, it sounded to be quite an investment of our time and finances, but it was the only thing that resonated with what we were already thinking.....the ability to simply give birth, without needing to be "delivered" with fancy techniques or major abdominal surgery.
Weekly lessons placed the value and importance of support from a loved one, nutrition, relaxation, and making informed decisions, high on the list of priorities. The comprehensive and repetitive nature of classes helped to greatly reduce the "fear of the unknown", although there were no guarantees or assurances things would turn out well, and gave so many practical and useful "tools" for coping with the process. We also met other couples who were in our very same life stage of excitement and uncertainty and was a safe place for us to have excellent conversations and make new friends.
My husband and I went on to have 4 healthy, wonderful, "overdue" experiences, producing big, healthy 8&9 lb babies, and having mastered the technique of arriving at the Hospital just in time for the birth!
Furthermore, I have had the wonderful and amazing privilege of birthing full term twins vaginally as a surrogate, and have fully experienced a highly medically managed pregnancy and birth, with very positive results! The surrogacy proved to round out the imbalance of our previous "all natural" experiences, as we navigated in vitro, extensive monitoring and ultrasounds in pregnancy, being scheduled for a c-section for fetal malpresentation, being induced with Pitocin, artificial breaking of the bag of waters, a "required" late in labor epidural, and a highly manipulated birth of the second twin.
Knowing how to ask excellent questions and work together as a team with the medical professionals, proved invaluable. All skills that were attained all of those years previous, in classes and our other births.
I have been teaching couples and walking alongside many as a Bradley®Birth Doula since becoming certified in 2009 and have learned a myriad of valuable lessons along the way, through hands-on experience, as well as receiving feedback from the hundreds of couples I have instructed. What an experience! Here's to you and your story......I look forward to sharing in it with you!!!