Our Story -- And Why YOU Should Consider Natural Childbirth!

W hen we were pregnant with our first child, we were like most people -- not very well educated on birth issues. My husband had heard of the Bradley Method ^® from some friends and knew there was more than one way to give birth, so we started studying.  We read every birth book we could get our hands on.  We concluded that we did not want to take chances with labor and delivery drugs. They had too many inherent risks to mother and baby, and they seemed to interfere so much with the beauty and simplicity of normal, natural childbirth. 

We also did not want to deal with the "puffing and panting" approach.  Almost everyone we spoke with said it did not work for them, and our study indicated that this unnatural breathing had its own inherent risks.  The Bradley Method's ^® safe, natural approach made the most sense, and its success ratio of more than 86% natural spontaneous births was impressive. 

So we set out to find a doctor who was familiar with the Bradley Method^® and would support us in a safe, natural childbirth.  Easier said than done!  In Long Island, NY in 1984, we found doctors almost wholly committed to the high-intervention, medical approach to childbirth.  Some gave lipservice to the ideals of natural childbirth, but seemed patronizing or ignorant of the techniques or philosophies of the various natural childbirth methods.  We interviewed one doctor who told us, "They're all the same; Bradley uses dim lights."  OK, so that was not our doc.

Eventually we found someone who agreed with our perspective -- a Certified Nurse Midwife who was doing home births with a physician back-up.  Everyone says, "Oh, you must be very brave to have a home birth."  Really, I'm a chicken!  I didn't want drugs, and I certainly didn't want a cesarean if I could avoid it.  I wanted the safest possible birth for my baby and for me.  My choice was really pretty easy: Hospital statistics with an unsupportive doctor indicated an 85% chance of drugs, including a 25% chance of a cesarean, while the Bradley Method^® (regardless of where we chose to give birth) meant almost 90% chance of a safe and natural childbirth.  We decided to go with the midwife and transfer to the hospital if there were complications.

Result?  We had a beautiful, 9 lb, 4 oz. baby girl in 3-1/2 hours of labor.  Even the midwife was pleasantly surprised with how quick and easy the birth was.  Michal Lisa was given a 10/10 on the Apgar score.  We were so excited about how it went (it was so different from all the horror stories we'd heard about birth), we decided to teach others how to have a sane, safe, natural childbirth as well.  We became certified Bradley Method^® instructors. 

Four years later, this time in Harrisburg, PA., we had another baby girl, Jackie -- 8 lbs, 8 oz., 2 1/2 hours of labor, and another 10/10 Apgar.  And 10 years later we did it again, with midwives Lori Wilson and Jan Eklund in Colorado Springs, CO.  We had a baby boy, 8 lbs, 11 oz.;  David was our longest labor at 6 hours.  Michal Lisa and Jackie assisted in the birth of their baby brother, while dad did the "catch" -- it was a wonderful family experience.  From the start, the Bradley Method^® helped us learn what is truly normal, and safe, and enabled us to experience childbirth the way it naturally should be.
 

Why We Teach The Bradley Method ^®

	It is the most comprehensive and informative method we know of.  12 classes cover nutrition, exercise, anatomy & physiology, beginning and advanced techniques for both 1st and 2nd stage labor, coaching, emergency childbirth, and more, so you are fully prepared for the birth of your new baby.
	Bradley ® classes are a "known quantity".  Standardized classes by all Bradley ® instructors make sure you get the information you need.
	Proven record of success -- Dr. Bradley personally had over 90% of his couples achieve spontaneous, natural childbirth without drugs or unnatural interventions;  AAHCC records show over 86% of all Bradley-trained couples achieve natural births.  No other childbirth method has a track record of success like that in helping families achieve the birth they want.
	Family-centered.  The BradleyMethod ® led the way in bringing fathers into the delivery room and making childbirth a natural, family event rather than a medical procedure.
	High degree of respect for what has been called "the wisdom of the body" -- appreciation for the natural design that God built into the amazing and beautiful process of pregnancy and birth.  Interfering with the natural process leads to unnecessary complications and interventions, while understanding, accepting and working with the natural process brings the most rewarding results!
	Scientific backing.  Evidence that the natural way is the best way for all normal labors is supported by research and articles published in the most respected scientific and medical journals.
	What it's not:   As Christians who appreciate the wisdom and beauty of God's design in birth, we appreciate that The Bradley Method ® does not venture into New Age or psycho-spiritual areas or techniques -- just normal, sound, practical information and effective relaxation methods.