Use the bradley method of child birth to birth your child naturally. Understanding the physical and emotional stresses your body is going through during labor can help to manage the pain.
Embracing nature during birth is the greatest way to end pregnancy and the healthiest way to begin your baby’s life. In the late 1950s, natural childbirth began resurgence after a half a century of delivery interventions. By the end of the 60s, Dr. Robert A. Bradley had begun teaching Husband – Coached Childbirth. This new method rivaled the more popular Lamaze technique.
Husband – Coached Childbirth is known today as the Bradley Method. Partners are encouraged to get involved beyond cutting the umbilical cord and passing out cigars. In the Bradley course of study, mates are trained to coach mothers through childbirth using hands-on techniques like massage and praise.
Dr. Bradley grew up on a farm and spent his formative years observing how animals birth in nature. Fascinated by the process, he set out to lead families toward a healthy labor. Opposed to the Lamaze’s theory of blocking out pain with breathing, Bradley emphasizes nutrition and knowledge.
A nutritional diet is key. Required vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, and iron can reduce birth defects and abnormalities. Adding a high protein intake can also reduce those chances. This should be achieved naturally. A prenatal vitamin is all that’s needed when an unprocessed, fresh food diet is implemented. Whole foods like grains, greens, nuts, and cheeses offer bountiful rewards.
Exercise encourages a healthy pregnancy and prepares mother and baby for the work out ahead. Yoga, swimming, and walking are great low-impact choices. Some exercises in particular are perfect preparation for childbirth. Squatting, pelvic rocking, tailor sitting, and leg lifts strengthen and stretch the groin and lower back area where most labor pain occurs.
The Kegel exercise should be at the top of the work out. It’s done by contracting, holding and releasing the vaginal muscles. This technique produces a strong pelvic floor, which is necessary for a controlled birth and quick recovery. This exercise is important to ensure the integrity and preservation of the vaginal muscles.
Understanding the labor process is equally important when following the Bradley Method. The three stages of labor – early, active, and pushing exert different physical and emotional stresses that should be addressed individually.
Early labor is often a time of excitement. The long-anticipated labor has begun the expectant family is well ready to happily dart off to the hospital and officially commence the games. Too often couples admit themselves to the hospital too early. Doing this encourages prolonged labor, which regularly ends with interventions. The answer is to stay home and stay active. Stay upright and keep moving by taking a leisurely shower or walk.
Contractions are exactly that. The uterus actually contracts to open the cervix and to later push the baby out. When contractions start to have some regularity they should be timed. Timing contractions offers a yardstick to measure labor. It’s a great help and added with watching moods it’s easy to tell how far labor has progressed.
Active labor is when things will start to get tough. During this very serious time it’s good to remember the seven things that Dr. Bradley says a laboring woman needs to get her job done. They are darkness, quiet, relaxation, controlled breathing, closed eyes (or the appearance of sleep), and emotional support. As the road gets rougher, reminders to drink water between every contraction and go to the bathroom every hour can be helpful.
Embrace the pain and work it through with activity like walking, swaying, leaning, and squatting. Most women can handle all the stress quite well, until transition occurs. Transition is a short window at the end of the active stage, just before the pushing stage and it can be very difficult. Contractions are harsher and more erratic, forcing many women to scream for relief.
And then it’s time to push. Although this stage can be very taxing, it usually brings some relief because the end is in sight. Slowly the baby travels through the birth canal until the head crowns. This is when the widest point of the head is at the vaginal opening. Squatting, side-lying and even sitting on the toilet can help the progression.
Relaxation is the drug you should be thinking of. Natural childbirth is associated with the absence of pain medication. With painkillers the mother and child are often put at a disadvantage. Sedatives dull the senses and confuse natural instincts.
For example, when the pushing stage begins, the baby will push with his feet against the top of the uterus during contractions to help the job along. If the mother is taking any pain reliever, the child is more than likely drugged as well. This will prevent him from doing his part. The same goes for mom. If she has an epidural or spinal tap, she feels nothing, including when to push.
Massage and breathing naturally helps to consciously relax the body, a skill that’s needed during the childbirth. Early and active labor can especially benefit from massage. It relaxes the muscles and mind, allowing the body to take over. Letting go can be the hardest thing to do, but it will bring control. A body is designed to endure this process if it is permitted to go about its business.
The birth is complete when a newborn baby is suckling from his mother’s breast. Skin to skin contact provides baby with security and support. During this time the umbilical cord should be allowed to finish delivering the last of its nutrients and antibodies to the child. When the bluish cord stops pulsating and maintains a white color, the cord can be cut and recovery can begin.
Childbirth classes are very helpful and especially so with the Bradley method. Certified Bradley Method instructors are qualified to teach the guidelines of natural birth. Classes often center around important concerns like interventions, pain and aftercare, while also touching on subjects like diet, breastfeeding, anatomy and massage techniques.
By Heather Lyman
