I’m seeing now why people say that you can’t beat the Bradley classes in terms of education and information, and why they don’t regret spending $250 on it. It’s far more than a “here’s what happens in birth” class. It’s like getting an anatomy class, nutrition class, and weekly meditation sessions all in one. I am actually surprized that so far I’ve learned something new each class. Me being a research addict and all, there have been plenty of times where I’ve paid for a class and gotten nothing out of it because I’ve already read it all (this happened multiple times in college, it was very irritating). So yes, I admit, there was a part of me that was a little nervous that I was going to walk out of the Bradley classes thinking, I paid how much for that? I could have just read the book. I can now definitively say that is no longer a concern.

The first thing the instructor did when class started was hand us all a sticky nametag to put on. Den gave me a look that very clearly said, If you were anyone else, and this was for anything else, I would so murder you right now for putting me through this. I HAVE TO WEAR A FREAKING NAMETAG. Apparently wearing a nametag is a fate worse than death. He looked as if the nametag was going to bite him. It was too funny for me to feel stupid for wearing a nametag.

Then we reviewed some things from last week… the exercises we were supposed to have been doing every day. (Ummm, I forgot.) And you know… I really thought I would have remembered more from last week, but I was having a hell of a time remembering the names to the positions and the benefits of each. There are only 6 of them, so it shouldn’t have been THAT difficult, good grief. So I was both feeling a little stupid for not remembering, and very thankful that we were going over them again! Obviously the weekly repetition is a good thing during pregnancy. There’s not enough space in our brains, and the last thing I want is to go into labor and forget everything. (Which I have heard multiple other people who took “regular” birth classes say. And I can believe it, too!)

We talked some more about nutrition, unfortunately I hadn’t been tracking my diet last week. I am this week, and it has been a major goal of mine every day to hit 80g of protein, as well as trying to get in the other things. The diet that the Bradley Method promotes is the Brewers Diet.

Now this is something I found back when I first got pregnant (while researching the Bradley Method to decide if that’s what I wanted to do). And before I got sick with my morning sickness I was actually following it pretty well. Then of course it all went to hell, and I was happy just to keep down a bowl of cereal, lol. So this class has reminded me to go back to eating nutritious. Normally I can’t stand tracking my diet… I tried doing that to diet (a couple years ago), and it drove me bat-shit crazy.

But for some reason this is different. Instead of setting limits (you can only have X calories per day!) and restrictions, it focusses on what you SHOULD be eating, and the MINIMUM you should have of something. Which in my head makes a huge difference. And the funny thing is, it’s still having the same effect in cutting out junk foods… because my stomach is only so big, I can only eat so much, so in order to eat 80g of protein I can’t be filling up on junkfood that has none… every meal I eat has to count. When I get hungry I think to myself, Okay, what can I eat that has some protein? Or is there something else I can eat that I can check off my list today, like a fruit? I feel so proud of myself for doing better for my baby. I’m eating whole grains and fruits and good sources of protein.

One interesting thing the instructor said was that someone (I forget who) did a study of pregnant women and their protein intake… and his findings were that the women who ate at least 75g of protein a day had a 0% rate of toxemia (pre-eclampsia); the women who ate less protein had a 40% rate (or something like that). Now I haven’t found anything online to back this up, and from what I have seen there have not been any controlled, randomized studies of protein and pre-eclampsia. So I’ll file it away in my brain as something interesting, and just view the protein thing as something that may help prevent pre-e, not some sort of golden guarantee.

So then after the review on our nutrition she brought out a white board and asked us to brainstorm benefits of breastfeeding… for mother and baby. Pretty much stuff I knew… baby gets immunities, gets the right type of milk at the right time, there’s bonding benefits, even weight loss benefits because you burn so many calories…. and more. And of course the men all chorused, “It’s free!” ;) She also encouraged us to contact Le Leche League and go to their meetings, which I fully intend on doing!

They handed out some cards that had a question on each one. Open-ended questions to spark conversation. We were encouraged to pick one to read and even answer if we felt like it. Someone asked, “What scares me most about having this baby is…” I thought on my answer for a minute, because my big fears aren’t with the labor and delivery. I said that what scares me most is having the baby no longer be a part of me… no longer be protected inside me, no longer going everywhere with me. Once he’s born I lose that security, that constant reassurance… I have to let other people hold him! And to me, that’s really freaking scary. (I could also have said I’m scared about handling this mom thing, because that’s true too!)

When we were handed those cards Den started sniggering to himself. I couldn’t see what his cards said, so I was in the dark until after class when he informed me that one of his conversation starters was, “The reason I am attending this class is…” Quite obviously Den knows what his answer would have been! (“She made me!”)

We went over more anatomy as well. She had a big board with a uterus-with-baby cross-section and a bunch of terms to fill in for the different parts. It seems childish, sure… but it was actually quite helpful. I now know that the official medical term for the tailbone is the coccyx – who knew? Some were pretty obvious, like the rectum, vagina, cervix, uterus. The amniotic fluid was labelled as the “forewaters” and the “hindwaters”… seeing how the head acts like a little cork. It was something Den had mentioned after our first video last week… how little gushes keep happening when the baby moves, and then a big gush when the baby finally emerges… the hindwaters being released. And she mentioned how the body will keep making more amniotic fluid all through labor… it’s not something that will ever empty until that baby comes out! (That was one of the things a friend told me about… all the fluid and how it just kept on gushing all through labor!)

This class’s video was a Nova video, not a Bradley one. It started with an embryo dividing, becoming a little multi-celled organism… and all I could think was, “That was Devin, in a little petri dish.” It showed it “compacting” and then becoming a blastocyst… my mind on how in the operating room they told us our little embryo was “compacting” and that it was a really good sign. It was really amazing to stare at that image of an embryo and try to comprehend how it becomes a fully functional human being. Just amazing how far Devin has come since July. Wow.

The movie then showed the embryo implant and develop in the womb… growing and changing. Then it showed a fetus in the womb… I have no idea if they actually got a live look at that, it looked pretty real, or if it was some sort of model, but it was… freaky. Den later told me that was the COOLEST thing EVER.

The end of the video did show a baby being born, and I still think that watching a baby’s head emerge from a huge hair-covered vagina is just really not pretty. At all. So I’m glad I get to watch this every week, maybe by the end of this course it won’t give me such an “ick” reaction, lol! It is interesting, however, seeing how the baby’s head comes out, then the body corkscrews around to fit out of the birth canal easier. That’s weird.

Lastly of course we practiced our relaxation. After I ran to the bathroom to pee… yeeeesh, 2 hours is hard to sit through. lol Den got my pillows all set up for me, this time I brought two big new pillows, and I managed to drape myself over them much more comfortably than last week. I’m even getting used to having my lower arm behind me (rather than laying on it, which I cannot do anymore due to decreased blood flow making my arm fall asleep when I try!). It was so nice and relaxing. I love listening to those meditation CDs. I’m starting to think I need to bring one to my L&D room with us. Den thinks they’re cheesy, but I love them.

Den does really well during class. When we left he expressed some concern that during “relaxation” his natural reaction is to crack jokes. I think it’s funny during practice… but he knows I probably won’t find it funny when I’m actually in labor. I think it’s just worrying for no reason, though. Sometimes he does crack jokes at an inappropriate moment… though it’s usually when I’m just having one of my moodswings and he doesn’t KNOW it’s an inappropriate moment. But when the shit is really happening he snaps into serious mode. I mean that other morning when I crawled into bed near-crying because of back pain all he could do was comfort me and rub my back, even though I’d just woken him from a dead sleep way too early in the morning. So I have no doubt that, when I’m actually in labor, he’s going to be completely devoted to doing what I need. It’s hard to act the same way when it’s just a practice run, as it were.

The instructors actually told us that in all the people who have come through her class, only one recently has hired a doula for the birth. They pointed out that the purpose of the Bradley classes is to educate your husband (or whomever) to be your birth coach… to give them enough tools and information to effectively be a doula. It’s not just asking them to stand at your side and hold your hand… it’s training them with all the medical knowledge to help you make good decisions, practicing with them and showing them what you need. I am feeling really encouraged by all of this. This is the reason I chose the Bradley class: Den didn’t want a doula, and while I knew he would be a good support I needed more than simple emotional support. I needed Den to know what’s going on and be able to effectively translate for me. I needed him to not panic. And I really really hope this class is going to give him the tools he needs to do that. I know he has the desire to, that’s not an issue… as much as he’s doing it because I asked him to, he also was the one wanting to be the labor coach (though he didn’t say it in those words, of course).

I am just really encouraged at this point. And pleased.