Episiotomies, VBACs, and doulas oh my!  That is what I am saying after reading this book.  It was written very much as a text book rather than a light read, but I learned a ton.  I am happy I read this after reading "Your Best Birth". 

The Bradley Method simply means husband coached childbirth.  This means that your husband is your main coach, and go to person, he is right there with you every step of the way during labor and he knows what is going on and knows how to rub your back, pray for you, and when to talk and when not to talk.  This isn't where the husband stands in the waiting room tapping his toe anxious to pass out cigars to all his friends and family with news that his baby has arrived.  In this situation the doctor/nurse/midwife is viewed more as a safety net if something goes wrong.  Birth is a beautiful part life...it is an emergence not an emergency.

With all that being said, I am going to look for a newer book on the Bradley Method of Childbirth, because this one was last revised in 1996 and in many ways it is really dated.  It had a ton of great information, but some of the stuff about a pregnant womans diet seemed a little off to me.  It was also kind of hard to get past the pictures of hippies giving birth.   

Brady and I are confident that when we do have babies we will use the Bradley Method.  There are others out there...most common is Lamaze, which uses planned breathing techniques are relaxation during childbirth.  There is Hyponobirthing, which uses self-hypnosis for pain management.  All I know is that Brady is the one person  who can calm me down during a freak out moment so the Bradley Method seems like the perfect fit. 

For more information on the Bradley Method you can click here to go to their website.  Also you can click on the picture of the book to buy it for yourself from Amazon. 

And little side note...I am doing horrible at my blogging twice a week New Years Resolution!  I will try to be better, and please help me stay accountable to this!

No we aren't having a baby...but I do love freaking everyone out with titles like that!  Maybe some rumors will get started?  I am referring to my monthly research topics.  January was marriage and February is babies...Godly marriage and natural childbirth to be exact.  I have learned a lot about marriage and I am exited to learn about birth next! 

I learned a ton about marriage in January and I don't even know how to put it into words (this explains why I haven't wrote a blog about it yet).  But a couple things I learned are below.  I used books, blogs, podcasts, and my life experience as a wife as my resources =)

-The best kind of marriage is one where the husband and wife are best friends with eachother
-A husband's role in marriage is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and a wife's main role is to respect her husband Ephesians 5:33
-Our spouse is to be our second priority after Jesus and our relationship with him, then kids come third, and career and everything else comes after that
-The bedroom is a sanctuary for the married couple...this means no television, no work, and no stress
-Make time for eachother to go on dates, talk, make love, and jsut enjoy eachother's company away from the craziness of everyday life

I have so many things to say that I can't even organize my thoughts...all in all marriage is awesome, it is hard work, and it is the most rewarding and special relationship with another human being on this Earth. 

Well I am rambling...but get excited to hear a ton about babies this month!  I have already read one book so a review of that will be coming up real soon!

Until then,