• You have been chosen to carry life - two souls, two hearts, two brains...in one body.
• You alone can carry this person safely to term (for them).
• You are the only woman who can speak on behalf for your child.  And you will...you are willing to face down lions for them before, during and after their Birth-Day.
• You alone can decide to labor for them, and how you will labor for your Sweet Pea's best birth.

• You are not alone - you are embarking on the work that countless, amazing women have done before you.
• You are a legacy - you have the strength of generations of women before you in your family line that birthed before medicine got involved - otherwise your family line would have ended long ago.
• You are willing - you chose to see the pregnancy through to this date - you can see it through to the Birth-Day.
• You are not alone - you have a loving Coach and/or a Doula who are ready to be your voice when your voice is turned inward towards your child.

1. Exercise to build up your strength (especially the muscle groups used in labor) and stamina.
2. Whole food nutrition to serve as optimal building blocks for a Healthy Mom and Healthy Baby.
3. A repertoire of labor positions to manage different sensations and stages of labor.
4. A “toolbox” of comfort measures to manage different sensations and stages of labor.
5. Positive communication skills to ensure an open line of communication with your partner, your care team, and in your birth space.

Disclaimer: 
The material included on this site is for informational purposes only.
It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.

Here are Dr. Bradley’s "Keys to Labor", as per his book, Husband-Coached Childbirth.  I love these simple steps – they could almost be considered a “recipe” for labor.  

• Mom should eat the kind of food she is hungry for: a meal, a snack, or a nibble, depending on where she has progressed in labor. 

A laboring mother should eat to her appetite.  Early in labor, she may be ready for a full meal.  We have students who go out to breakfast after they know they are in labor just to pass the time away.  If she is hungry, feed her accordingly.  As labor progresses and the body starts to divert bodily functions exclusively to labor and birth, you will see her appetite wane.  Later in labor, maybe she will want a bite of something – and definitely not the full meal she was requesting before.  If labor has been on the longer side and she is refusing food, or if she is being denied food and she is still hungry, you may consider clear broths for the dual purpose of an energy boost and hydration.

• Mom needs to be drinking every hour.  Whether she wants a full glass, a few sips, or ice chips – keep her hydrated.

Dr. Bradley wrote in his book that a mother should “drink to thirst”.  We now know that thirst is a late sign of dehydration.  It is best to keep mom hydrated by offering her a glass of water every hour in the early stages of labor.  Again, as labor progresses, she may not want that full glass of water.  You can offer her a sip of water after every contraction, or maybe ice chips will be better.  Some mothers may even prefer sucking on a damp cloth.

• At a good pace to rock baby down and encourage labor to progress.

Walking is a great way to speed up labor.  It is always a great way to work yourself into exhaustion.  You need to gauge how it’s working for your particular labor.  When you walk, are the contractions getting harder, longer and stronger?  If walking is not having that effect on your labor, then maybe you should just go for a 20-30 minute walk to labor baby down into the pelvis and exert some pressure on the cervix to encourage it to dialate, and then move on to the next step.  If walking is clearly making your labor progress, go for it.  You could walk until mom needs more help with relaxation besides reassuring words and counter-pressure.

• Water has been called the “midwife’s epidural”. A warm shower or bath can do wonders to ease the intensity of labor.

Water has an incredibly relaxing effect.  It can literally wash the tension away.  Some mothers may like the full submersion and weightlessness in a birth tub.  Other mothers may prefer the soothing sound and the sensation of water flowing down her body.  If your birth place has the equipment, try both and see what works for her.  You may want to consider limiting your use of water to an hour at a time if mom is in the tub.  See THIS article from Penny Simkin for more information about how to use water in labor.

• Now that Mom has fueled, hydrated, moved baby, and eased tension, do a relaxation exercise to ease her into a rest period.  An unmedicated mother *will not* sleep through the birth of her baby.

Mom has done everything she can to ensure a healthy, low-risk labor. She has nourished and hydrated her body as it prepares for the athletic event of birth.  She has walked to move baby and help dilate the cervix.  She has used water to dissipate any tension she may have been holding onto.  Now it’s time to encourage her into a side relaxation position, or which ever other position is comfortable enough for her to enter a state of deep relaxation.  Optimally, you want the mother to get a good sleep.  If it’s nighttime, then maybe she can sleep through the night, or until her contractions wake her up again.  If it’s during the day, hopefully she can get a decent nap.

I have had the pleasure of connecting with Rhondda Evans Hartman, RN over the last few months, thanks to her new book Natural Childbirth Exercises for Your Best Birth Possible.

Jon Garza illustration + design

480-735-8986

[email protected]

Disclaimer: 
The material included on this site is for informational purposes only.
It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult her or his healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation.  Krystyna and Bruss Bowman and Bowman House, LLC accept no liability for the content of this site, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  This blog contains information about our classes available in Chandler, AZ and Payson, AZ and is not the official website of The Bradley Method®. The views contained on this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®.

Side note.1:  If you have any past birth or sexual trauma, it is so important to work through those feelings during pregnancy. Come to your current birth experience with a clean of a slate as possible.  The path to surrender is more easily paved if you aren’t trying to do it all in your present labor.

Accept:  There is no one right way to birth.  There is no one right way to feel.  The most important thing to evaluate is am I (Mom) okay?  Is our Baby okay?  If so, then accept that this is your birth and carry on.

Surrender:  Surrender to your thoughts.  Surrender to the sensations.  Surrender to the feelings.  Birth is much bigger than we are.  It is timeless.  It is the way our bodies were designed to work for childbirth.  Be okay with losing control over the process.

Give In:  Give into your thoughts.  Give into your sensations.  Give into your feelings.  Do you want to cry?  Cry.  Does moaning feel good?  Moan!  Do you want to rock, roll, walk, move, gyrate, sway, just lay still?  What are your body and your baby telling you to do?  Release all worry about judgment from outsiders, release yourself from your own judgment of what you can and can’t do.  Allow yourself to give into your birth and see where it takes you.

Let Go:  Let it all go.  Any preconceived notions of your birth.  Your timeline.  The clock.  Your plan A, plan B, and the other plans you had – let them go.  Focus on being in the moment with your partner.  Focus on being in the moment with your baby – you cannot relive or redo these sensations later.  Let everything go, and *go* for the ride. 

Let God:  Being a spiritual person, there was always an emotional component for me that involved prayer, and appealing to a higher power.  Once I gave up my control and turned it over to God, labor seemed to flow smoothly and resolutely to a birth.  The birth of another of His miracles, of which Bruss and I got to play a small part.  It is so humbling to realize that I am not in control, and I don’t have to be, in order for birth to happen.  

Side note.2:  Knowing what I know now about Pitocin, I wish we hadn’t asked for it with Charger’s birth.  I know the point when I didn’t need it anymore, and I wish I had insisted as the consumer that they take the line out.  I know where that emotional release happened and there was no turning back labor with or without “the Pit”.