opinions on *birthing from withen* classes? - Page 2

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I read Birthing From Within, and I liked parts but overall it's not my favorite. Maybe the classes are different. I'm not an artsy type. I took Bradley w/ my 1st and taught for 2 years. I think it's an awesome class for hospital birthers, and can probably benefit some homebirthers as well. What I did for my homebirth with my 2nd was the Hypnobabies home study, and I loved it. I just wanted some time to focus on the new baby, and some new ideas for coping w/ labor. It was really good (and has a very thorough notebook w/ it, which I didn't really use, if you also want to brush up on the factual side of things).

[dynamicdoula]

Hi, BFW Mentor here.. I mentor BFW classes and have for two years now. I'd be glad to answer questions but wanted to also clarify a few things...

* Not every system will work for everyone. You should explore your options and find the thing that resonates with you the most. That is the right method.

* BFW does not focus on art, per se. The emphasis actually, in my opinion is more on coping with the things that arise during labor, coping with the stories you bring into your labor and what they mean about you, and coping with pain. Pain coping practice is covered at every single class.

* It's not about the art. It's about the process! You can do the art process and never show it to anyone, that's not why we do it. There is a lot of information out there that shows that the process of creation gets you out of your left brain where you analyze and process things. It gets you into a part of your brain we don't often get a chance to use, and the process of putting color to paper or holding clay in your hand can help you access things in a different way. I have never had a class where the couples didn't say, "I'm not a good artist." Guess what- you aren't doing the art for approval! Stick figures and blobs of color mean something to you, and that is the point. Tell me the story you uncovered in your process, but don't feel like you have to share your art unless you want to!

* It's not about success or failure. It's about being in this moment and making decisions based on what you have/know/think/need right NOW.

* The ice, I see this part come up in discussions about childbirth classes and I want to clarify that the ice is a *sensation* for you to work with, nothing else. It's obviously not intended to simulate a contraction- it just gives you a feeling of intense discomfort (or even pain for some) to use the pain coping techniques with. It's like practicing haircuts on a mannequin. You know it's not a real person or real hair or whatever but it gives you a tool with which you can practice your skill. Same thing!

I hope that is helpful. Blessings all,

[CharleneH]

Originally Posted by dynamicdoula

* The ice, I see this part come up in discussions about childbirth classes and I want to clarify that the ice is a *sensation* for you to work with, nothing else. It's obviously not intended to simulate a contraction- it just gives you a feeling of intense discomfort (or even pain for some) to use the pain coping techniques with. It's like practicing haircuts on a mannequin. You know it's not a real person or real hair or whatever but it gives you a tool with which you can practice your skill. Same thing!

Right. It's very easy to relax and breathe and self-hypnotise or whatever, when you are sitting comfortably, in a calm childbirth class. There's no effort to it, because there's nothing interfering with your ability to relax.

Pop that ice in your hand, and suddenly relaxing is *work*, just like it will likely be in labor. You have to dig in and make focus happen, it doesn't just waft in on soft music. Holding ice for most people is uncomfortable, so it challenges your ability to *use* pain coping practices in reality, not just in theory.

And by practicing with ice daily, those pain coping skills become life skills. They won't need to be something you have to dust off and remember in labor, they'll be near-reflexive.

~Charlene Hamilton~BFW Mentor~

[sjb]

opinions on birthing from within classes

I also am a BFW mentor and I wanted to give feedback to some of the things I have read so far.
About the birth art- like previously stated the art is about the process and not the final product. In many ways, the art process is very parallel to birth. For many folks who do not have a background in art, jumping in to the art process is like entering the unknown, you don't know how it will be, you don't know how you'll respond to it, and it works best if you create your art moment by moment, step by step rather than focus on the final product. All of the same is true for birth. You can't know how your labor will be or feel, you don't know how you will respond, and it is best to take labor moment by moment, step by step. So, essentially, art is preparation for the birth process. Art can also be messy. Birth, too, is messy.
The pain coping techniques in BFW are awesome too. There are several that are taught, so while in labor you have a great bag of tricks to choose from. It is really important to practice the pain coping through pregnancy though so that they come very familiar. Like one woman who posted earlier stated, you cannot expect to learn the pain coping techniques one time in class and then remember them in labor without ever visiting them in between. Reading about them in the book is not the same experience as doing them! Just like reading about labor in a book is not the same as being in actual labor.
Another thing unique about BFW classes is that there is also a focus on preparing for the postpartum period which is very important as well. It's not all about the birth, it's about being born as parents too!
You will also find that BFW classes take a very interactive approach. Not only do you have a chance to learn from the mentor, there are many opportunities to learn from each other! And many opportunities are created so that you can find answers and learn from within yourself. In BFW classes, you play an active role, just as in birth, you will be an active participant.
I guess one last thing I would like to add is that BFW is for EVERYONE. It's suited for all religions, all races, for first time parents, parents with more than one child, for same sex, opposite sex, and single parents. It is also not only for women only interested in natural birth. Birthing from Within is about doing what is best moment by moment during labor and it gives many tools so you can live your labor.
I know one woman who did hypnobirth who also read BFW. She like BFW very much. At first she wasn't big on the art stuff either, but after she read all the pain coping stuff through to the end, she then warmed up to the art ideas. She said that she always recommends that to women to read the pain coping first before the art. So, if you are (or anyone is) hesitant about the art, maybe rearranging the order in which you read the book could be helpful.
My husband and I did the BFW process together with my second pregnancy and we felt it really helped our relationship, our communication, and the way we worked together in birth and postpartum.

[McMandy]

I purchased the BFW book, and have done the artwork and such she recommends. It sounds nutty, but it's been helpful. It never occured to me that doctors and others may inform us about birth, but its from the outside perspective- their view.

It's important to have a good inner view, as a laboring woman needs to draw within herself, lose herself inside her body, during labor.

Get the book- it will help! Just dont be afraid to do the work, dont be embarrassed to test it out!

[Lauren82]

I recently completed a Birthing From Within immersion and I cannot imagine taking any other sort of "class". BFW is important because it makes you open your mind to all the possibilities.. it makes you think and find answers from the heart and soul.

The class prompted my normally shy and quiet DH to talk to me about all sorts of stuff related to the birth experience we hope to have and that was a miracle in itself! We didn't make any art at the immersion and that was okay with me. I have the BFW book and it has inspired me to journal and really contemplate my thoughts and feelings. I've yet to draw anything! But I do plan on creating some items to have with me during my labor.

BFW is what you take from it. It's not an absolute set of instructions like other childbirth classes. You can take the ideas and run with them or leave them.

Overall, it's been a breath of fresh air for me. The first time I read the book, I knew that it was what I had been looking for since my first baby.

[NaturalTXMama]

Last time, I started Bradley at 26 weeks and was able to finish the class. It really educated us, but the pain coping techniques didn't work for me.

[JessicaE]

Bradley worked for us (I'm also an instructor now), both with our hospital birth and with our home birth. It's about deep relaxation and tuning into your body, there's aren't any specific "techniques," other than to relax during contractions and try not to white-knuckle it through labor. A good instructor will teach all kinds of coping and comfort measures, so that moms can find the ones that work for them in labor (you can't know beforehand).

The ice technique isn't part of the Bradley curriculum, but some instructors choose to include it on their own. I don't use it with my students.

As some others have mentioned, one of the best things about Bradley is the education for your DH or DP! There are no "helpless hubbies" after Bradley, and they know they're playing an important role even if mom gets to the point where she doesn't want to be touched or talked to.

You may be right about the inability to relax holding back your dilation. It's also possible that you were experiencing a natural alignment plateau (a normal variation where dilation stops for a period of time but labor is indeed still progressing). You may have gotten the epidural when you were entering transition (the most common time to ask for drugs), then your NAP ended (as they usually do) with rapid dilation. Just a possibility, about 30% of the women in my instructor training had experienced NAPs, some for many, many hours! All ended with rapid dilation and a natural birth.

You could always touch base with the instructors in your area, you're not too late if one has a class starting soon. Or they may also be willing to teach a private class. Best wishes!

[jessitron]

I want to take a BfW class! I can't seem to find an instructor in my area, though (the one on the web site is no longer teaching OR returning calls/emails). You'd think in a city of 2 million plus people there'd be one BfW class available!

A couple of you mentioned weekend intense courses... where are those?

[Lauren82]

Originally Posted by jessitron

I want to take a BfW class! I can't seem to find an instructor in my area, though (the one on the web site is no longer teaching OR returning calls/emails). You'd think in a city of 2 million plus people there'd be one BfW class available!

A couple of you mentioned weekend intense courses... where are those?

The one day immersion was something that the mentor offered. I'm not sure if all mentors offer that. You could try contacting someone "higher up" the chain of command there to see if maybe that mentor moved or something and has yet to post phone/email changes.

[GooeyDay]

This thread is great! Thanks to everyone for the information... Would love to hear more.

~* Laura