hypnobirthing vs Bradley

[livinzoo]

I was all set to sign up for Bradley classes than today the midwife said she didn't really care for them. And recommmended hypnobirthing instead. She was saying that the bradley was to against the sometimes needed medical interventions. And made it sound like drs and midwifes were waiting with forceps at the door.

I have to have a hospital birth as homebirth is an underground thing and needs to be paid out of pocket in GA and we don't have the money. So I chose the closest hospital with the lowest cesarean rate and with the most natural approach to birthing. I have seen a different midwife every time I have visited the midwifery center so far.

I also have issues trying to find a class my husband and I can both attend. Most classes are in the evening and we work 2nd shift. The only day we are both off is Sunday. So it seems our choices are a Sunday Bradley class or an EARLY morning hypnobirthing class. By early I mean after we have only had 5-6 hours of sleep as we get off work at midnight.

So should we do the hypnobirthing or the Bradley?

[~Adorkable~]

you can also look into hypnoBabies, which is a different school from hypnoBirthing. they also offer a home course.

i personally would look at them and the particular class you are going to, i too have heard that Bradley gets a little preachy against medical stuff and that is not good for you if you know that is the option that you have and want to make the best of it.

one thing that makes me thing that hynobabies would be better for you than hypnobirthing, is that the birthing one seems to need more quiet and stillness that you often dont get in a hospital while the babies version is more a eyes wide open style that folks seem to feel works better in a large range of environments.

[Sihaya]

I would also recommend looking into a Hypnobabies home course. The woman who developed Hypnobabies was a Bradley instructor first. The course combines hypnosis techniques with Bradley ideas. Hypnobirthing is not a complete pregnancy education course, but Hypnobabies is. It is a bit of an expense up front, but it sounds like it might work better for you to do a class on your own schedule instead of trying to attend a class that cuts into your only free time together.

Adorkable is exactly right about the eyes-open hypnosis and Hypnobabies is meant for women who want to have a natural birth in the hospital, with lots of tips and ideas for working with hospital staff and regulations to meet your goal of a natural birth.

Good luck deciding!

[Aleka333]

I'm also trying to decide between these options. Thanks ladies for the information so far.
another thing I'm not too keen about Bradley is that it's 12 weeks and for my area, only on weeknights which makes it difficult for my husband and I to attend all of them.

I've heard really good things about Hypnobabies.

[caseykn]

I used the hypnobabies homestudy for my 1st birth and loved it!! It was so nice to be able to do it at home, when it was most convenient, and my husband could be as involved as he wanted. I found it to be a really complete childbirth course overall and the midwives and hospital staff I encountered were all impressed by how educated dh and I were, even with this being our first baby. I had a really wonderful hospital birth using the hypnobabies techniques and will be using it again this time around.

[Leonine]

I took Bradley courses, and did Hypnobabies homestudy too. It's not like you pick one or the other, both systems offer something different. With Bradley, the methods you learn are more about relaxation in general, but the core of the course was childbirth and newborn education. I'd say you shouldn't sign up for the Bradley class expecting this will be your way to manage contractions, it's more like educating you so you can make the best choices possible for a natural birth. Hypnobabies also includes some childbirth education in their manual, but it was honestly really poorly written, used a lot of CAPS and exclamation points, and just didn't seem that serious to me. The meditation tracks, on the other hand, are great. I used them throughout labor, but they weren't my only tool in the toolbox.

The best part about Bradley was how much dh has learned, and actually the class brought us closer together. Made me feel even more loved and supported because of how much he knows factually. During the births of his other children (not with me) he said he felt helpless and panicked and didn't know how he could help besides yelling for the epidural. Now he feels so empowered!

Even though it's a big-ish time commitment of 12 weeks, it was so worth it and I'm so glad we didn't opt for a quickie class. There really is a lot to learn about the ins and outs of giving birth, side effects of medications they don't explain to you, etc.

[DomestiKater]

i am 38 weeks now and have one Bradley class left. this is my first child and i don't have a lot of experience with the hypnobirthing but, to tell you about Bradley...

i just loved it! we just loved it i should say! yeah, i complained a bit about having to go every week but we have learned so much that i feel powerful now!

and as well, my husband and i are stronger than ever and he really feels like we are in this together. we are planning a home/water birth with midwife but after these classes, i really feel that if we had to, we could do it ourselves.

bradley is all about a good protein filled diet and RELAXING. it also reminds and teaches on what excercies to do to help in labor.

i highly suggest taking this class!

[~Adorkable~]

Folks that teach or have a lot of experience with hynobabies do actually recommend not taking two types of classed at once, since the hypno is a lot about changing your internal dialog about pain and thoughts and the "pain coping" techniques in Bradley and others contradicts that new internal dialog. YMMMV but I have heard that many times. I think that you can learn your options and how to be a informed women on labor from lots of places without taking a course, being on MDC is probably more info than most classes!