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Thursday, April 8, 2010

Bradley Method Class #1

We attended our first Bradley Method class on Tuesday and I was a little disappointed to discover that we're the only couple in the 12 week class. Other couples can still join the class up until the third week but it's looking like this will be a private class. Enrollment is apparently down across Arizona, probably because of the economy and the fact that most insurances don't cover the expense of this class. There are benefits of a private class but at the same time I was looking forward to meeting other couples in the same boat as us. Because we're in a newer more rural area (well rural to me anyway), our class choice was very limited so I basically went with the instructor closest to us (20 minutes away)...not a good way to pick a Bradley instructor!

I honestly didn't get a very good first impression vibe off of the instructor. She's originally from NYC and a stereotypical New Yorker, which my husband hates me saying because he was born and raised in NYC but he actually agreed with me in this case. She's a bit abrasive, extremely opinionative and just doesn't shut up lol. When I originally contacted her back in December, I shared that I was deciding between a home birth or a hospital birth with a doula. I felt like she was trying to "help" me make my decision during class when we clearly told her that a decision for a home birth was already made. It wasn't that she wasn't supportive of a home birth, she just kept giving me referrals for hospitals, doulas and other midwives after I had already told her that I had made my decision regarding my midwife team. She recommended a book and when I told her that I had already read it she told me that I could find it at the library...umm thanks but I already read it and own it. She just isn't a very good listener and I found myself frustrated the majority of the time.

For the first hour I was thinking, "what the heck did I sign myself up for and how do I get out of it?!" but I relaxed a bit towards the end of class and was able to appreciate her candidness. This instructor is also a doula but she isn't very "doula-ish" in my opinion. The majority of doulas/midwives that I've met are very good at listening, advising and allowing you to have your own opinion/make your own decisions. I couldn't imagine her at my birth, I would probably end up yelling at her to shut up lol! I'm hoping that the classes will improve as we get to know her better and she gets to know us better. Like I said, by the end of the class she was much more tolerable and she does have a wealth of knowledge to offer. We'll see...

22 weeks & 5 days pregnant

1 comment:

  1. :( That sucks that your experience wasn't everything you wanted it to be. I too would prefer a group class and I can't stand it when people don't listen. Hopefully things will get better. Feel free to post on what you learn :D. I really wanted to take the class, but it's not in our budget right now.

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