Classes
Couples learn to be informed decision makers who make the best choices for their family during pregnancy & childbirth. Learning about nutrition, exercise, the natural process of labor & birth, the pros & cons of medical interventions, relaxation techniques, laboring positions, how your partner plays an active role during pregnancy & birth, and basic postnatal care are just some of the benefits of these classes. The ultimate goal is for an unmedicated vaginal birth though we discuss variations and complications where intervention is helpful or necessary.
Classes are:
- Held one day each week for a consecutive 12 weeks, each lasting 2 hours. *Classes lasting less then 12 weeks–such as a “crash course”–are not Official Bradley classes.
- Small in size with no more than 6 couples (which helps the learning process, ensures everyone is involved, getting questions answered, and allows for class camaraderie)
- To generally consist of lecture, interactive learning & discussion, video, and exercise & relaxation practice
- Taken with the person you intend to have with you during labor—typically the husband or father but a committed friend or other family member is great too. Your “coach” will be also be very involved in learning about pregnancy, labor & birth, and how to best support you
- Are held in Seattle’s Eastside; in Sammamish and easily accessible from Redmond, Issaquah, and Bellevue
Classes will teach couples:
- To trust their own bodies in the natural birthing process
- How to work with the body to make labor most efficient through relaxation and various laboring positions
- Good nutrition and how it can affect outcomes
- Physical preparation through exercises helpful during pregnancy, birth, and into postpartum
- The birth stages and what is happening for mother & baby during them
- Controversies in childbirth: pros & cons, how to make informed decisions
- Variations & complications
- How the “coach” or partner can play an active role
- Basic postnatal care
Crash Courses
A “Crash Course” is a shortened series, typically lasting 4 weeks and intended for:
- couples who are closing in on their due date and do not have time for a longer course
- couples who have already signed up for a hospital affiliated course but would like to learn from a non-biased class as well.
- and couples who have other valid reasons for needing this type of series.
