Book Review, part 3: Husband-Coached Childbirth

Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley was lent to us by some friends early in my pregnancy. On our road trip in June & July, we both were determined to get through the book. We know a few different couples that highly recommended the Bradley childbirth classes to us, which is based on this book and the philosophies of Dr Robert Bradley. This book is more of the Why of natural childbirth, without going to much into the How To. I believe Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way is more of a how-to guide (but I haven't read it, since I took a class with the same material).

After doing my own research prior to reading Husband Coached Childbirth, I was already convinced I wanted to give birth with a midwife in the city's freestanding birth center, but I don't think Josh totally "got" why I was so insistent about this- except he knew that I don't deal well with being in hospitals. After reading this book and taking the classes, he's 100% behind our decision, and a supporter of natural birth.

The book was originally published in 1965, and, despite updates since then, does have some "old fashioned" advice that sounds odd to us today. Many hospitals have changed their practices to become more family-friendly, so some of the warnings in the book no longer apply- but it is interesting to read what used to be "normal" and understand where older doctors or concerned family members might be coming from.

Josh's support has been and will be invaluable as we're doing this whole pregnancy-and-birth thing. This book, as well as the Bradley class with Amy Ferris in Fishers, has made him a better birth partner. We both understand that we have no idea how labor and delivery will pan out, and that there's only so much we can do- this book and the birth class has given us good tools to make the best choices we're able to, and understand the ramifications of those choices. Stay tuned- I'll let you know how it goes!