Husband – Coached Childbirth – Robert A Bradley (1)

If their only contact during the day is with their small children, they are bound to feel frus- trated. Have you ever tried to carry on an intellectually stimulat- ing conversation with small children? When the two of you get home at night, whether she works away from home or not, remember she is tired also. Don’t be an unthinking husband. Don’t just sit in silence and eat dinner, watch TV until you get sleepy, grunt, and go to bed.

How many jittery, nervous women have wailed tearfully, “If he would only talk to me”? Have some intellectual pursuits in common with your wife — have something stimulating to tell her about your day’s activities. She needs to talk and be talked to. Let’s dispose of another widespread misconception — that preg- nant women mustn’t travel. This ancient superstition dates back to the horse-and-buggy days; the springs in those buggies were not comparable to present-day cars. I sincerely doubt that even the jouncing of the buggy ever made a mother miscarry.

She would have miscarried anyway. We do advise that traveling a long distance should not be done in the last few weeks before the due date. It also should not be done at any other time of pregnancy if there is vaginal bleed- ing or cramping. Why? For the simple reason it’s deucedly un- handy to have a miscarriage or a baby out on the highway, miles away from medical care. God only knows when your wife is go- ing to have a baby. That assigned calendar date is utterly mean- ingless except as a rough guess.

I’ve never met a baby who could read a calendar. Stay home or nearby in the last few weeks. Most babies do come after their due dates, but as sure as you plan it that way, yours will come early. Highway patrolmen are not ea- ger to act as obstetricians. A word about due dates. Dr. Franz Carl Naegele made the rule doctors use to calculate due dates. He assumed that pregnancy lasted ten lunar months (or forty weeks).

Dr. Naegele died in 1851. It wasn’t until 1990, at Harvard University, that scientists checked his premise. Turns out the median length is forty-one and one-seventh weeks, not forty weeks. He was off by eight days! The actual due date is represented by a bell curve, you may have a normal full-term baby days or weeks either side of that assigned date. But the average mom, if not induced, goes eight days longer than the medical model predicts (R.

Robert A. Bradley, M.D Updated and expanded by Marjie, Jay, and James Hathaway, AAHCC BANTAM BOOKS I his book oontains general information, ideas, and techniques that have been MCCessfulrj used In many families to enhance their birth experiences. Please check with your own health care provider(s) and use your own good judgment in order to determine what information applies to your specific situation and which ideas and techniques are appropriate for you.

Every situation is different. We make no guarantees or assurances of any kind to anyone. Only you can make the important decisions you will face during pregnancy, labor, and birth. The information in this book is presented in the hope that it will inspire you to seek the best and safest options for you, your baby, and your family.

* HUSBAND-COACHED CHILDBIRTH A Bantam Book PUBLISHING HISTORY Harper &c Row hardcover edition published 1965 Bantam trade paperback revised edition /June 2008 For protection of the public, The Bradley Method and American Academy of Husband- Coached Childbirth have been registered in the United States Patent Office. Only those teachers currently affiliated (as listed on www.bradleybirth.com) with the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth may teach The Bradley Method.

For childbirth information contact: The Bradley Method, Box 5224, Sherman Oaks, California, 91413-5224, USA, or call (818) 788-6662 or toll-free (800) 4-A-BIRTH or visit the website: www.bradleybirth.com. Published by Bantam Dell A Division of Random House, Inc. New York, New York All rights reserved Copyright © 2008 by Martha L. Krehely, Marianne V. Lindemann, and Susan L. Nelson Copyright © 1965, 1974, 1981, 1996 by Robert A.

Bradley, M.D. Cover image copyright © 2008 by Tom Grill/Getty Images Cover design by Tom McKeveny Book design by R. Bull Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bradley, Robert A. Husband-coached childbirth : the Bradley method of natural childbirth / Robert A. Bradley ; Updated and expanded by Marjie, Jay, and James Hathaway.

— 5th ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-553-38516-8 (trade pbk.) 1. Natural childbirth. 2. Natural childbirth — Coaching. 3. Husbands. 4. Fathers. I. Hathaway, Marjie. II. Hathaway, Jay. III. Hathaway, James. IV. Title. RG661.B64 2008 618.4’5— dc22 2008005915 Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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