So we attended our first Bradley Class last night and it was really nice! It is just us and one other couple at our teacher's house. It was nice to meet someone else about as pregnant as I am (she is due 10 days after me). They seemed really nice and we liked our teacher too.
The Bradley Series (also known as "husband-coached childbirth) is 12 weeks of classes, so we'll finish just before my due date. They think that this is how long you need to really learn the things they are teaching you, which they expect you to practice at home--things like relaxing on cue, different pregnancy exercises, etc.
This first class we learn about how to take a relaxing cue from our partner, and different pregnancy exercises such as squatting, kegels, butterfly stretching, etc.
Another thing I learned about Bradley is that it is really into the "Brewer Pregnancy Diet", which believes you should be eating 100 grams of protein a day, including several servings of milk products, 2 eggs, etc. Wait until they find out we are vegan . . . it is pretty difficult to eat that much protein as a vegan, though we get more than most people think. I counted up my protein from yesterday and I think it was about 50 grams, and I didn't even eat anything that protein-rich--I would say that was a VERY normal eating day for me. So I'm not doing too bad.
After the other couple left at the end of the class, we were chatting a bit with our teacher and told her we were going to have a homebirth, as she mentioned in the class that she had had a homebirth with her youngest son, and she freaked out on us (in a good way). She was SOOOO excited for us that she kept talking to us and didn't let us leave for another 10 mins or something, heheh. It seems like everyone who does homebirth just loves it, so that is really good to hear.
Anyway, we'll have our next class on Labor Day. Stay tuned.
4 comments:
Sounds like a great start! I read the Bradley Method book and enjoyed it! We didn't take the classes though. I look forward to hearing how your classes go!
Glad you're enjoying it so far! I think 100g of protein is hard even for someone who does eat meat!
On a somewhat related note, I was reading "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week" (I bought it just so I know what's going on with Baby G), and they had a section on how homebirth is completely unsafe, etc., etc.. I was appalled. I haven't really been enjoying the book, and only read the parts that are relevant to me each week, but when I saw that my opinion of the book went way down.
I just got to that section, too, Alyssa, and it definitely effected my opinion of the book!
I think it is important to take it in context--the book is older, and there is a lot of recent research about the safety of homebirth. Also, anyone associated with the American Medical Association is required to "toe the party line" so to speak, meaning that if the AMA says homebirth is unsafe, then all doctors have to "agree" or risk losing their license or getting sued. Really it's something that the AMA needs to change its policies on so that related groups can be free to form their own opinions.
Okay, rant over.
everybody kegel.
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