Bradley

      I was privileged to share some of my knowledge about natural childbirth with a new friend last night over dinner.  She's due next month and hasn't taken any classes or done any reading, but she's interested in trying to have a natural birth.  I lent her a couple of books and an internet article to read and we talked for a couple hours.  

      I LOVE talking about natural birth!  I feel like I have a bit of a different perspective than some women, because I had a decent to good experience birthing in a hospital with a wonderfully supportive doctor who really facilitated my natural birth experience.  I know how important finding the right physician is, and I also know that they are out there!  I think there's a lot of bitterness and malice toward the medical community from moms who want to birth naturally and especially the advocates and teachers of methods like Dr. Bradley's.  Being that I have a husband who is a doctor, and since I had a good hospital experience, I feel like I am better able to marry the two perspectives... the safety aspect of NEEDED medical interventions and the personal aspect of directing your own birthing experience.  

      Somehow, one has to enter the hospital environment understanding that interventions are the norm and often encouraged unnecessarily, knowing that you (and your husband) will have to be actively involved in your care, but still respecting the knowledge and training that the medical staff assigned to you have to offer and not disrespecting them just because they tend toward using what's available to them.  After all, they aren't really there just to sit around.  As someone birthing in a hospital, you've chosen to place yourself in the care of people trained to fix problems, in a building with medicines, machines and operating rooms.  I don't think you can go into that environment with an attitude as if you were at home in your own bed and the hospital staff invaded your home with needles and monitors asking if you wanted an epidural.

      I can also chuckle a bit at the hardcore natural birthing community because of their tendencies toward new age, feminist empowerment, and all the pride that comes with grasping at the control of doing it yourself.  I laugh to myself when I hear women talking about trusting their bodies.  I'm trusting the God who made my body to do this.  I don't trust my body.  It didn't make itself.  Puhlease sister!  Bodies can malfunction.  (helllloooo!  back to why the hospital is there with all those nurses and doctors)  

      With my exposure to modern dance and all the "weird" word pictures I've heard about sand draining from your body and releasing tension in balloons or breathing out colored air, I understand and can appreciate the use of metaphor to take the mind somewhere specific and direct the muscles of the body.  I also sympathize with the husbands who are having to come up with relaxing words to say about rainbows and meadows and how it all sounds so silly.  

      Don't know why I'm writing all this, other than it was on my mind from last night.... and I suppose I'm reminding myself to begin preparing for November.

      

      On to the title and intended subject of this post:  Chuck and I have begun our review and re-learning of the Bradley relaxation techniques we learned a couple of years ago.  I dusted off our student workbook and pulled out the huge binder of articles and exercises from our classes.  Slowly, but surely (hopefully) we'll get into a routine.  We did our relaxation work two nights ago, then forgot last night.  I also completely forgot yesterday the exercises I'm supposed to be doing a few times a day.  

      Maybe I'll try to give a favorite quote, either informative or amusing from the reading I'm doing each week.

      Here's your quote for this week from the Bradley Method Student Workbook:

"Giving birth to a baby is a physically active event, involving many special muscles and a lot of hard work.  Other animals, including dolphins, prepare for birth by exercising during pregnancy."

Wow, including dolphins!  (you must hear the facetious tone...)  I guess as someone interested in natural birth, I'm supposed to be inspired by the fact that I'm not alone in this.  I'm doing my exercises right along with the dolphin community.  I feel better.  I feel empowered.  In fact, I'm going to pretend I'm actually a dolphin in my next water aerobics class.

Ok, that's enough Sara.