Labor Union: The Story of a Bradley Dad

By Dimitri Kaasan

At the time I knew the many benefits that Bradley preparation offered my wife, Suneeta, and our baby. I knew, for example, that Suneeta had a better chance of delivering the baby without interventions because she had trained to work with her body, not against it. Since we would make our birth preferences known to hospital staff-as the Bradley class had encouraged-I knew that our baby would be set on Suneeta's chest right after birth, allowing our newborn to form an immediate bond with its mother instead of being hustled out of our sight to be bathed.

What I couldn't have anticipated at the time were the direct benefits the Bradley Method offered me as a father. Yet today, almost a year after the birth of our son, Sol, the skills and insights I gained through Bradley training are still a reference point for me-not just for the way I father my son, but also for the way I partner with Suneeta, and advocate for my family as a whole.

Husband-Coached Childbirth and Its Alternatives
The Bradley Method is the philosophy and set of techniques taught by the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth (AAHCC). Its simple aim, through relaxation, breathing, and visualization, is a birth free of the interventions frequently offered to women in the different stages of childbirth: fetal monitors, drug-induced labor, anesthesia, , and cesarean section. The Bradley Method's other defining feature, the husband's active participation in the delivery, is critical to this overall goal of an intervention-free birth. Through training, the Bradley "coach"-typically, the child's father, but really any person committed to the well-being of the expectant mother-plays an active role in the pregnancy; from supporting the mother's prenatal health and nutrition, to helping her relax and breathe during labor, to communicating her needs to the attending nurse, midwife, or physician at the time of delivery.

As with the label "natural," other birth methods also claim to be husband-assisted. For example, the Lamaze method-which deserves at least part of the credit for bringing the husband into the delivery room-pushed for this and other reforms by working within the obstetrics establishment. Today, many instructors from other childbirth methods provide classes under hospital auspices, often in the hospital setting. The drawback to fathers here, as Armin Brott and Ross Parke assert in their book, Throwaway Dads, is that "Although [hospital] classes ostensibly welcome men and teach them lots of valuable information . . . many inadvertently reinforce the idea that fathers are peripheral players."

By contrast, the Bradley Method is still regarded as something of an outsider approach to childbirth. Bradley-trained couples will commonly choose a place to deliver their babies based on whether or not their wishes for a husband-coached, no-intervention childbirth will be honored-even if that means delivering at home or in a .

One Couple's Story
This is not to say the Bradley Method is totally incompatible with hospital birth. In fact, there are situations where couples may want to experience a natural childbirth in a hospital setting. My wife's and my situation was, to our surprise, one of these. We were almost certain we would want a midwife-attended delivery, and possibly a homebirth. Then we learned that Suneeta was at risk for : high blood pressure related to labor.

So we decided, tentatively, to avail ourselves of what modern birthing technology had to offer. To offset the anonymity of our (and almost any) large urban hospital, we visited as many OB staff as possible, with the intention of choosing the one with whom we felt the most comfortable to do our regular prenatal check-ups. Our choice-and first surprise-was that this person was an old-fashioned . The second surprise was that our choice of was a he.

But after we met with Dr. T (as I'll call him), Suneeta and I were of one mind. I remember walking into the hospital lobby with her after our first meeting with Dr. T, marveling aloud at his demeanor. His energy was so reassuring, so nurturing, so . . .

"Feminine?" asked Suneeta.

"Yeah. I guess so," I said. "Feminine."

On a crisp November morning, the big day announced itself with mild in Suneeta's lower abdomen. Thanks to having practiced our Bradley exercises, I felt prepared. I grabbed the little notebook I'd been saving for the occasion and began jotting down the spacing and duration of the contractions. Hoping to keep the contractions moving along, we took our customary walk that afternoon. Suneeta's contractions were strong and close by this time, so I grabbed our little purple camping chair so she could stop and sit through them on the walk.