Natural Child Birth Class

Hi everyone!

I’ll be at the Healthy Pregnancy Class tonight at the Briar Patch Community roon from 6:30-7:30 pm. It’s FREE and open to anyone who is pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant and their families and friend.

See you there,
Autumn

I’ve finally set the dates for our 2009 Bradley natural childbirth class Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter series. I’m thankful for the enthusiasm I’ve been hearing from people interested in Bradley classes in the foothills!

12-Week Bradley Method® Series
Mondays from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Spring session: March 23, 2009 through June 8, 2009
Summer session: June 15, 2009 through August 31, 2009
Fall session: September 14, 2009 through November 30, 2009
Winter session: December 7, 2009 through February 22, 2010

During our 12-week childbirth education classes, you and your partner will learn:
• Good nutrition to keep yourself healthy and low risk during pregnancy
• Simple, powerful exercises to prepare your body for labor and birth
• About the stages of labor, knowing what to expect
• How to effectively relax to avoid unnecessary pain
• About breast-feeding, postpartum & family life

What: Husband/Partner-Coached, Bradley Method® Childbirth Classes

Who: Pregnant women in their 2nd trimester and their husband, partner or labor support person.

Tuition: $350 per couple (Payment plans and a sliding scale are available – please ask!)
A $50 deposit holds your spot in the class and will be applied to the course fee. The course fee includes the 125 page Bradley Method Student Workbook, a complimentary copy of Husband Coached Childbirth by Dr. Robert Bradley, M.D., access to our extensive lending library, and phone access to answer any questions you have or provide support to you before, during, or after your birth.

Where: Alta Sierra Drive – 10 minutes from Grass Valley, 20 minutes from Bell Road in Auburn

To Register: Call Autumn or Darren Barr-Engstrom at 530-575-4017 or e-mail Autumn@NaturalChildbirthClass.com

About the teachers: We gave spontaneous, natural birth to our son after attending a series of Husband Coached Childbirth classes. We feel we couldn’t have done it without the knowledge and confidence we gained in our Bradley class. Wanting to help educate other couples about the options that we have when pregnant, laboring, and birthing, we completed the Bradley Method® teacher training through the American Academy of Husband Coach Childbirth (www.BradleyBirth.com). We love teaching!

I’m re-reading “Husband Coached Childbirth” by Dr. Bradley in preparation for our upcoming class which will start January 19th… and every word of it is re-inspiring me! I wanted to share just a few passages…

“[Dr. Bradley] considered himself a medical lifeguard, watching, waiting, and staying out of the way when things were going well. He said he was there to manage any abnormality or complication while the parents were expected to know how to manage normality and birth. His philosophy was the opposite from many doctors today, who will tell you they pratice ‘active management.’” (Preface, pg. xiii)

“We have seen many childbirth methods come and go. Dr. Bradley simply told couples about the natural process that has worked for centuries. He advocated nutrition, exercise, education, relaxation, coaching, and feeling safe with someone who you want to be with you and protect you. What he taught is not complicated, just the simple truths, generation after generation. Through the years science has proved that Dr. Bradley observed (as a child on the farm): perspiring mammals giving birth.” (Preface, pg. xv)

“Many years ago, Thomas A. Edison stated: ‘The doctor of the future will give no drugs but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of human disease.’ This happy future has arrived, and today we have a new awakening of what is referred to as ‘holistic’ medicine. Natural childbirth, with its humanistic, undrugged approach to parenthood, is the epitome of holistic medicine.” (Dr. Bradley’s preface, pg. xvii).

“What Dr. Bradley is interested in is making the birth of a baby an experience that mother and father can look forward to with pleasure, experience with joy, and make the foundation of an ever-firmer bond between them. [...] This is a beautifully piratical book that potential parents can use as the compass by which to steer their way into the safe harbor of happily born children in a happy family where everyone is given the opportunity to inherit his birthright, which is development - without the obfuscating and damaging effects of outmoded and wrongheaded traditional obstetrics.” (Ashley Montagu, Ph.D., Forward, p. xxi)

I was astonished to see studies linking genetically engineered foods to poor fertility (though maybe I shouldn’t be)… for those of you trying very hard to conceive, it may be time to go all organic! Enjoy this article from the Organic Consumers Association. Read the rest of this entry »

My mother, who is rather petit, had two completely natural births; My father is a very well respected acupuncturist; And I’ve always been the type of person to avoid even taking Advil at all costs. This is to say that despite being pre-conditioned to having a natural childbirth myself, when I became pregnant I had many doubts. I recall a phone conversation with my mom, after a particularly firm bowel movement, during which I shared my disbelief that women could bear children vaginally – honestly, how could they fit? I also doubted my ability to handle the pain without my dad there to do acupuncture (we lived on opposite coasts). Thankfully my friend, Google, led me to the Bradley Method.

Going to the Bradley classes helped my husband and me understand my body, the changes it makes to accommodate childbirth, and the choices and agency we have in the birthing room. Though I was enthusiastic about the class and the prospect of having a natural childbirth, it was the consistency of the classes and the repetition of the information and empowering message that transformed this “prospect” into will and reality! Simultaneously the classes took my husband from a place of, “Well maybe I’ll be there, but just near your head where I won’t see blood,” to a place of confidence and deep desire to be an integral part of the birthing process. Sharing this connection, trusting each other more than we ever had needed to before, and believing in a common goal for the health of our first child was so powerful; it was enough to allow me to let go of the “need” for my father/acupuncturist to be present – in fact I wouldn’t have wanted anyone there other than my husband and midwife. Over the twelve weeks, our Bradley teacher took us on an irreplaceable journey that gradually built self-belief through education.
Read the rest of this entry »

Darren and I are very excited to be starting a new 12 week series of Monday classes on January19th. This class is open to all pregnant women and their labor support person, typically their husbands.

• You’ll learn all about you (or your partner’s) physical changes in pregnancy and labor that allow for birth to take place.
• You’ll learn about good nutrition in pregnancy to both benefit your growing baby and keep your risk factors low, increasing your ability to have a natural childbirth without medical intervention.
• You’ll practice deep breathing and guided relaxation together over the 12 weeks, training your muscles to relax when the time comes.
• You will also learn about some medical interventions so that you can feel better informed when talking with your doctor should an emergency occur.
• Finally we talk about postpartum care, breastfeed, managing family and visitors at the hospital and home, and a variety of other topics that you bring to the class.

We’ll be teaching in our home in Alta Sierra (10 minute drive from Grass Valley & Nevada City, 20 minute drive from Bell Road in Auburn).

Registration is $350 and includes all 12 classes for you and your partner, a copy of Husband Coached Childbirth by Dr. Bradley, a workbook filled with information about your body, relaxation exercises, nutrition information, and exercises to do during your pregnancy to prepare for the birth, and access to our comprehensive library of books and DVDs on pregnancy and birth. We also offer complimentary 24 hour phone support during labor and your first days with baby in case you have any questions.

If you’d like to register or have any questions, please just call Autumn or Darren at 530-575-4017.