Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I haven't heard of the Gamper technique.  I had to chuckle as I
    read the basenote however.   It struck me as funny (okay, I've
    had a bad day....) that there are lots of different "methods" of
    child birthing.   Seems to me there's only a couple tried and true
    ways to get that baby out of there!!
    
    8-) 8-) 8-)
    
    On with the discussion,
    Carol

    
    re .1
    
    I also thought it was funny having different "Methods". Oh well, its
    nice to know I'm not the only one having a bad day.
    
    Desryn
    

    Most U.S. childbirth classes that call themselves "LaMaze" are not
    really strict LaMaze technique anyway.  They combine the best of
    many different techniques -- I wouldn't be surprised if many of
    us learned the Gamper method and didn't know what it was called.
    
    LaMaze is strictly the replacement of the body's "natural" pain
    response of fear with the "conditioned" response of "breathing
    pattern."  The relaxation techniques that most classes include are
    not part of strict LaMaze because their goal is to reduce the pain
    in the first place.  The exercises in visualization are not
    LaMaze. I think they may be LeBoyer (not sure I have that right).
    
    I'm not familier with the Gamper technique by that name. Do you
    have any idea what it involves?  
    
    --bonnie

    We have several friends who have done husband-coached childbirth via
    the Bradley Method.
    
    Bradley teaches natural relaxation and has the husband doing a great
    deal of the participation.  They also scoff at the use of drugs or
    other unnatural things (i.e., forceps) during birth.
    They also start preparing you for childbirth early in the pregnancy.
    Bradley believes that Lamaze is unnatural because it teaches you
    unnatural breathing techniques (i.e., panting) that can cause
    hyperventilation and deprive the baby of oxygen. Bradley claims that
    94% of people using their method go through childbirth without any
    drugs.
    
    While our friends swore by this method, I've done some researching on
    my own.  A lot of the Bradley stuff is excellent and I think I've
    learned a great deal of things that will help me in childbirth. 
    However, I also think that some of it is radical and extreme.  I would
    recommend reading a book called "Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way" (I
    forget the author) and using what pointers you can from there.  But be
    careful not to take everything literally.  I also think there are other
    husband-coached childbirth books out there.  I kind of do like the fact
    that my husband play a greater role in all os this.  My
    hospital told me that their childbirth course uses a mixture of
    methods.   I definitely don't recommend a book that Bradley himself
    wrote  (I think it's called Husband-Coached childbirth).  It's a bit
    outdated and the guy sounds like a chauvinist.  It's written for the
    husband, not for the woman.  For example, he tells the husband that he
    recommends hiring a female helper for the wife because the husband
    wouldn't be able to do the household chores as well as a woman.
    
    This is just my opinion.
    
    Nancy

Dr. Bradley's _Husband Coached Childbirth_ is indeed rather embarassing.  
It helps to remember that Bradley is an old-time Colorado country doctor
who, decades ago, was advocating unheard-of ideas, such as that the father
might have a contribution to make during childbirth, and that the doctor
didn't necessarily always know best.

The main features of Bradley childbirth education are husband-coaching
(which has since been adopted in almost all childbirth preparation methods),
relaxation (versus distraction), a deep distrust of medication, a heavy
emphasis on the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, and an 
advocacy of "patient rights".  One of the virtues of Bradley teaching 
is that the name "Bradley method" is owned by the American Academy of
Husband Coached Childbirth, so when you take a Bradley class, you are
guaranteed that you are getting the Bradley curriculum from a AAHCC-
certified instructor. 

By contrast, as Bonnie observed, Lamaze today is basically a generic
name which is used to mean almost any sort of prepared childbirth
class.

	-Neil

    One MAJOR disadvantage of the Bradley method is that when they say
    husband-coached childbirth, they mean *husband*.  It is NOT a good
    place to go if you aren't formally married, if your partner is not
    male, or if you want someone else such as your mother or sister to
    be with you. 
    
    One of my friends was married to a Navy officer who was going to
    be away on a six-month assignment when the baby came, so obviously
    couldn't be the coach.  The Bradley instructors refused to let her
    attend with anyone other than her husband.  (No, I don't know any
    more particulars about where, etc. except that it must have been
    about 1982 in southern Cal. somewhere.)
    
    --bonnie

    
    Since when is "panting" during childbirth "unnatural"???
    
    I watched my cat have her kittens and PANT LIKE CRAZY during the last
    stages.  I found that fascinating that animals (unlike human animals
    who have to be "taught") do this stuff naturally!
    
    

    re: .7
    
    Panting is natural.  The other breathing patterns aren't. 
    
    Which reminds me that one of my biggest problems was during the
    pushing stage, when they tell you not to breath because you won't
    be able to push as hard?  Well, it didn't work that way for me.  
    Before Steven was born I had been doing some semi-serious weight
    training and had learned that not breathing when you're straining
    pushes your blood pressure sky high and deprives your muscles of
    the blood they need to carry the waste products away.  If you
    breathe in and out slowly and steadily you can lift more weight
    more easily and more often.  And I found that using that kind of
    breathing during the effort of pushing kept me from getting tired
    nearly as easily as I did with Kat, when I followed directions.
    
    --bonnie