How Does the Bradley Method of Childbirth Education Work?
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Kaely Harrod 0:02
Welcome back to Kaely Daily. Today's question is how does the Bradley method of childbirth education work? This is Kaely Daily, the Bi-weekly podcast about all things doula Tips and Tits where we answer one question about pregnancy, labor, postpartum, or lactation, in order to have your journey in this parenting world be just a little bit more informed and filled with consent. Hello, and welcome back to Kaely Daily. We are joined today by my lovely dear friend who is also a doula and childbirth educator, Irene Kim. And she is going to answer our question for today. So Irene before we dive into the question, I would love for you to tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do in the birth work world.
Irene Kim 0:56
Sure. Hi, Kaely. Hi, everyone. It's so nice to be here. So I am a doula as well as a childbirth educator. Specifically, I teach the Bradley method of childbirth. So I've been doing this maybe about I get asked this question so many times, and I feel like I have to calculate it every time. I guess, officially, I've been doing it for about seven years, and kind of unofficially, more casually a few years before that when I had my first baby, who I mean, he's now 11 years old. So it's been a little over a decade, which is crazy. Looking back, but yeah, I got really passionate and interested in the whole birthing world when I you know, had my own babies. I think a lot of us feel that way with their experiences. But yeah, so I have now four children. Three are biological ones adopted by birth three, and you know, but we have four, and we actually have multiple, because we've, you know, done adoption, foster care and things like that. But right now we have four.
Kaely Harrod 2:02
It's a transient number.
Irene Kim 2:05
It's changing every day. But yes, we have four. And so at the very beginning of you know, my first pregnancy, I really did not know what to expect, and really had very little preparation. And I was really just very oblivious, and, you know, found out very quickly, there was a lot I didn't know. And so I took a class of my own the Bradley method with my husband, and it really changed our whole perspective on birth. I don't even know if we had a perspective. We were just so innocent. We were the first of our friends to have babies. And so we really had no idea. But when we took the class, we were like, wow, what if we didn't take this class? There was so much I didn't even know I should know, you know. And so that really helped us and prepared us. I had a doula at my birth, who was also my Bradly teacher at the time. And that was awesome. Lovely. She's like an angel. And so she really inspired me and showed me what a beautiful positive birth could be like. And I mean, I didn't know anything else, because that was my first kid. But I did realize there was another end of the spectrum when I started to meet women who had really traumatic birth as some even being friends. And so very quickly, I realized what a difference education and support can make in your birth. And so that's kind of how I got started with this whole thing.
Kaely Harrod 3:37
Yeah, yeah. I do think a lot of us have that experience of like, unofficially, we started when we had our first kid. Right? Yeah. And, and I think it is very common to be like, I'm gonna teach you all the things I didn't know that I needed to know. Like, that's where this is gonna start. Because I want you to be more prepared than I was. Yeah.
Irene Kim 3:56
Yeah, exactly. But it could be a very sensitive topic. You know, sometimes you don't want to give like unsolicited advice and things like that. And, you know, it can be very personal, you know, it is a very personal vulnerable event. And so I felt like, I needed a place to do that, rather than just kind of going around. And so I think that's when I was like, okay, maybe I should make this more, you know, an official thing and, you know, people who want information. And so, yeah, they've signed up for information from me, right?
Kaely Harrod 4:29
Yes! Yeah. So, today's question is, how does the Bradley method work? So we're kind of exploring different forms of childbirth education and in hopes of helping people hone in on what method of education is best for them or fits kind of their like desires, etc. So I'm going to hand that over to you because I, I admittedly, know very little about how the Bradley method works,
Irene Kim 4:56
That's why I'm here, Kaely! no problem. All right. Right, so the Bradley method, there's so much I can say about it, let's just start by saying it encourages natural childbirth. But I'm going to start with that, but also debunk the myth that people, I think, think that when they hear natural birth, they feel like we mean, we don't want any interventions, we don't believe in any interventions, we don't want you to do anything other than just birth by yourself at your house. You know, that's not, that's not the Bradley method. When I say natural childbirth, you know, I just really mean that Dr. Bradley, the founder of you know, this whole method, he really believed in the process of birth, it being a natural act, and natural events, something that our bodies were designed to do, he had a lot of confidence in our body, the woman's body to be able to do this. So Dr. Bradley kind of grew up on a farm, he had many siblings, and he grew up watching his mom have kids like at their house, he grew up watching animals have babies, it was just a very natural part of his life. It wasn't a medical emergency where you had to rush to the hospital, like, that was kind of like, Wait, why are you going to the hospital, that's we're sick people, you know, like, we're just having a baby here, you know, it was a very natural thing. Yes, if there were complications and things like that, that's when you go, you know, but general bottom line is that birth is very natural, it's very beautiful. It's private, it's sacred. And there are some basic needs that women have in order to birth naturally. And so he saw, you know, his siblings being born these animals, and then he grew up and became a doctor, and in obstetrics, right, and so he was in the hospital, and he started to see these women rushed to the hospital, right, for for childbirth. And, you know, the husbands were kept out in the waiting room, you know, they were thought to be pretty useless, right? Like, you just out here, we got the, we got the mom. And so he would bring these women in, and they're just terrified, and they have no idea what to do. And so he began to coach these women, he began to kind of offer suggestions, in terms of just very basic things that he saw that a woman would need in childbirth, right. So just the support of a person, you know, by it peaceful environment, very private, you know, and then, you know, just bringing in all the things that would make you feel safe, and, you know, secure, supported, loved all of those things. And he would coach these women through birth, and these women would have children and be like, Oh, my gosh, like, Thank you, Dr. Bradley, like, I love you, I love you, like, you know, he really walked him through and he started to feel like, Wait, why am I doing this, you know, this would be so much better if the husbands were doing this. And so he, you know, slowly began to think about this. And then, you know, just over the course of time developed this method, where it's not just focus on natural childbirth and teaching, you know, what to expect what your body would normally do, but also teaching to the partner.
Irene Kim 8:08
So the other I guess, name for Bradley method is husband coach childbirth. And that's what it started off as. And, of course, your support person doesn't have to be your husband, it could be, you know, your mom, your sister, your partner, whoever it is, but the word husband, you know, like how you husband, your materials that you care for things. And so whoever your support person is, the method really teaches to both people, not just the mom, but the support person is very focused on that it really believes that it's not just a woman alone. And so he teaches very much to whoever is going to be there how to support a woman through pregnancy and childbirth. It's also a very comprehensive course. So whereas I feel like a lot of methods focus on like, you know, like the technique like breathing and deep breathing and relaxation, we definitely emphasize that throughout the entire course, but it's also very comprehensive and that we talk about exercise, nutrition, how to keep a low risk pregnancy, about postpartum breastfeeding, just like the entire journey, even variations that may occur, um, you know, we're not oblivious to that, for sure. We know that, you know, things can happen and interventions are out there. And so we talk about that, how to communicate with medical providers of having, you know, informed consent, all of that. So it's a, it's a comprehensive course that really believes in the woman's ability to birth and just the natural course of labor. But also, you know, is very mindful of all all the medical things as well.
Kaely Harrod 9:48
Yeah. Okay. So, so this would be a good method for people to explore if they're wanting an unmedicated birth for sure. I have a follow up question for you: what does it look like in your... I know that... Well, one of the things about all different childbirth classes is that regardless of what they have, like, what the curriculum entails, right, they're taught differently, of course, by different people. So I don't expect you to know how every Bradley method teacher is teaching. But for you and your class, how do you integrate in, like informed risk and benefit analysis of interventions and things like that? When that's not the emphasis of the class? Is that part of kind of like, not knowing if those things could come up in the midst of labor? Is that part of the process or no?
Irene Kim 10:41
Yeah. So there is like a class devoted to that topic. Okay. Yeah. So the full Bradley course is 12 weeks long. Well, we very comprehensive two hours each class, it's long, I did the full 12 week class. And so that's what I took when I was pregnant. Are there abbreviated version of the class? Yes, we definitely encourage the 12 week because it really I guess, drives everything home. I think if you're looking for a natural birth, and even if you're not, even if you're just looking to get educated, like we don't just take people who want to go without an epidural. You know, it's, you know, because you're going to experience a lot of the things regardless, right, so yeah, so it's normally 12 weeks, you get really prepared. I teach a lot of the condensed versions of it. So like, I can see, it's like a four week class, if there's like a couple who, you know, their due dates is less than 12 weeks away, or, you know, different situations. But yeah, so in the four week class, like class number three, we talk about variations and interventions. We're talking about informed consent, you know, and things like that. And, you know, there's so many things that can happen in birth, you know, it's impossible to cover everything. Yeah, like everything
Kaely Harrod 12:04
And also unhelpful, I would argue to cover every possible thing that could happen.
Irene Kim 12:09
Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. But we talk about some of the most common things, you may see that made up and how to kind of navigate through the process of dealing with these variations.
Kaely Harrod 12:22
You know, okay. And you mentioned that Dr. Bradley kind of started out with like, you know, seeing his mom give birth at home and that kind of thing. But one myth I think is that's around this method is that it is for home and birth center birth and not for hospital birth. That sounds like that's not the case for you, at least.
Irene Kim 12:40
Yeah, definitely not. Everyone it teaches to whoever's birthing wherever you are. I think that's a myth around even doulas as well because I feel like my friends are like, only people who want unmedicated births. Find doulas, right. I was like, Absolutely not like. And any woman who's had a baby will tell you whether you had an epidural or not, you know, you need the support. For sure. Yeah, yeah.
Kaely Harrod 13:08
Yeah. I mean, even in C sections, I feel like
Irene Kim 13:11
Oh, yeah.
Kaely Harrod 13:11
The more support you have the better and like most things in life, especially birth.
Irene Kim 13:19
Yep. Yeah, exactly. So as a doula and as the educator, it's with people who want homebirth who wants to present a birth center who want a birth at a hospital, some people just feel better birthing at a hospital, but they want to try maybe for a natural birth, or maybe they want to start as much as they can, you know, they're open to different things, you know, wherever you are. Yeah, so I feel like education and support is really key to having a better positive, you know, low risk, healthy pregnancy and birth for sure. Yeah.
Kaely Harrod 13:51
Yeah. That's awesome. So one of the things that I like to ask as we kind of wrap up this episode is how people can connect with you or follow your work or any of that. So what where would you like people to seek you out?
Irene Kim 14:09
I am not so great with like, what is it social?
Kaely Harrod 14:14
Social media, you're like, not so great with what's it called?
Irene Kim 14:17
Like, No, I, I'm pretty old school. But I do have an account. I do have an Instagram account, and a Facebook account page. I'm not like so active on it. But I tried to put it here and there. So I'm Irene the Doula so an Instagram @irenethedoula and I believe that is the same with my Facebook or it's like birth classes and doula support by Irene or something like that. I can type it out for you.
Kaely Harrod 14:47
Yes, I'll make sure that it's in the show notes so people can connect with you. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. And I am excited to get to see you also because that's a lovely It's just fun thing in this world that we like work by ourselves so often. Yeah, okay, well um Stay tuned for the next episode we're gonna be diving into a couple of different other methods. And until then I wish you consent filled, well informed. These episodes are edited and produced by Kaely Harrod as I'm sure you can probably tell, and our amazing music is credited in the shownotes as well. So we look forward to seeing you on the next episode, and in the meantime, have a wonderful and consent filled birth.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
I’m joined this week by my dear friend and colleague, Irene Kim who is a doula and Bradley Method Instructor. She dives into the ins and outs of the Bradley Method. What is it, how it got started, etc. This is a common type of childbirth education so I wanted to be sure to cover it so people have a good understanding of what the philosophy is behind it.
I would like to note that The Bradley Method is originally designed for Husbands and Wives so that language can be triggering for some and often lacks inclusivity. We value inclusive language and work in birth on Kaely Daily, so I want to acknowledge that significant drawback to this method.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Bradley Method is originally designed for unmedicated labor between a laboring person and their primary support person
This method is always a series of classes, traditionally 12 weeks total
There are some abbreviated versions of the Bradley Method, but not all are taught that way
MEET OUR GUEST:
Irene Kim is a certified Bradley® Childbirth Instructor and Doula with experience teaching over 300 parents-to-be. She has attended over 100 births as a birth doula and has provided postpartum support to many of these families as well. Along with ongoing Bradley® education each year, Irene has completed trainings for Spinning Babies, Rebozo training, and Comfort Measures training.
Irene was born and raised in the DC metropolitan area and is very experienced with the local hospitals, birth centers, midwives, and over-all best birthing practices and resources. She takes great joy and pride in connecting with expecting parents in her hometown to be a stepping stone on their way to building their beautiful families. She and her husband Daniel journeyed through three amazing, empowering, and natural births of their own and were later blessed with a fourth child who they met through the foster care system. Since then, Irene cannot help but to prepare, encourage, and teach other parents about the beauty of family, life, and birth. When asked to describe Irene, her former clients would say peaceful, calming, warm, knowledgeable, fun-loving, genuine, direct in the nicest way possible, and full of faith, hope, and love.
RESOURCES
CONNECT with Irene
https://www.instagram.com/irenethedoula/
https://www.facebook.com/irenethedoula
Bradley Method Site:
https://www.bradleybirth.com/irenekim
FREE OXYTOCIN GUIDE:
6 Ways to Increase Oxytocin for Labor Progression
https://www.harroddoulaservices.com/free-guide-6-oxytocin-tips
CONNECT with Kaely on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/Harroddoula/
This podcast is hosted by the Birth Prep Blueprint - comprehensive Childbirth Education for expectant parents to feel calm, prepared and confident about labor and birth. Podcast listeners (that’s YOU!) get 10% off! Use the link below to get that great deal!
https://thebirthprepblueprint.com/offers/884d5a56-9089-4482-a944-6bb7c26c9b04
If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me @harroddoula
Kaely Daily is produced by Kaely Harrod of Harrod Doula Services
It is sponsored by The Birth Prep Blueprint Childbirth Class
Music by Madirfan: Hidden Place on Pixabay
