From: reid@metis.tti.com (Reid Kneeland)
Subject: Re: Bradley Classes
Organization: Transaction Technology Inc.
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 15:44:19 GMT

In article <92206.35249.L638615@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> L638615@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM (STAFFORD, KD) writes:
>What's the difference between "Bradley" classes and "Lamaze" classes?

Caveat: This is from memory; I researched this four years ago.

First, you have to understand that what gets taught in a "Lamaze" class
or a "Bradley" class may vary greatly depending on the teacher, and may
not really reflect the original theories of Lamaze or Bradley
themselves.  With that disclaimer, here's the gist of what each of them
originally said:

Lamaze beleived that women could reduce or eliminate the pain of
childbirth by distracting themselves from it; that by focusing her
attention on an external object and on her breathing, a woman could
escape much of the discomfort.  This distraction from pain is called
"psychoprophylaxis" (sp?), and is seen in soldiers and athletes, who
may not feel the pain of injuries because of their focus on the battle
or game.  Lamaze did not discourage the use of medication or other
medical intervention, and encouraged women to cooperate with their
doctors' wishes.  He referred to his ideas as "prepared" childbrith,
and not "natural" childbirth.

Bradley believed that most women could experience less pain if they
simply learned to relax during the birth process.  Bradley techniques
include some breathing exercises, but the focus is on relaxed, natural
breathing patterns, not the deliberately artificial ones that Lamaze
designed.  Bradley encourages unmedicated birth with minimal intervention,
and encourages mothers and fathers to question their doctors and to
take an active role in managing the birth.

Both methods require the participation of a "coach", usually the father.
Classes for both methods also include general information on pre-natal
health and nutrition, and may include information on caring for the
newborn.

Lamaze is the more popular; much of this is due to the fact that
Lamaze was much more aggressive in popularizing his ideas.  Many people
who know the name Lamaze have never even heard of Bradley.

We chose to use the Bradley method.  It worked for us, until Sarah
went into serious distress and the doctor advised a section.  It turned
out that Sarah simply didn't have enough slack in the cord to descend,
so no method in the world would have helped.  Ellen labored over 24 hours,
including several hours on pitocin, with no medication (and no amniotic
fluid!).  It was hard, but the training was a great help.

Many of the "Bradley moms" that we've met have used Lamaze previously
and found it inadequate.  I don't know if there's a similar phenomenon
in the opposite direction.

=====================================================================
Reid Kneeland
reid@ttidca.tti.com  (that's MISTER reid@ttidca.tti.com to you!)
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Transaction Technology Inc., Santa Monica, CA, USA (310) 450-9111 x2499
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