by Nancy Albrecht, RN, BSN, MA
On Sunday, March 11, Maureen Darcey and I and 200 other family, friends, and associates in the birth community gathered to honor the life of Svea Oster. She was a doula, home birth attendant, childbirth educator, and fierce advocate for maternal-child health for over 40 years. At the Celebration, many women and men spoke about the impact on their lives of their childbirth class experience with Svea. She gave them insight into birthing and parenting and a support network that many still rely upon today.
I took Svea’s class 30 years ago with my fourth child, even though my husband and I had taken Lamaze classes three other times and I was a childbirth educator myself. I wasn’t sure I had much to learn, but she helped me turn inward to fully nurture that baby and that birth. Maureen and her husband took childbirth classes with each of their three babies, even though she was a midwife and they had both trained as Bradley childbirth educators; her husband wanted to connect with other dads. My husband became more excited and interested in the experience during Svea’s class. Peter says, “Svea was serenely confident in every woman’s ability to birth a healthy baby safely, with little or no intervention.” A childbirth educator with that kind of confidence inspires all the parents in the class with invaluable lessons and creates lasting bonds between families.
Childbirth education in the United States developed in the 1970’s as a grassroots movement to give parents the knowledge and support they needed to be active participants in giving birth rather than being delivered by doctors. “The movement grew out of the realization that you didn’t have to be zonked out on drugs during labor, and that you could have someone you love in the delivery room with you,” says Henci Goer, a Lamaze International resident expert and the author of several books on childbirth.1 In 2012, according to the Listening to Mothers Survey III, 59 percent of first-time mothers took some type of childbirth class. Alternatively, 97 percent of all mothers used the Internet as a primary source, with up to 60 percent considering pregnancy and childbirth websites to be “very important sources”.2
More parents now rely on the Internet than a certified childbirth educator to learn about pregnancy and birth. Parents may feel that childbirth classes take too much time or money, especially if they are planning a hospital birth with an epidural and view childbirth educators as old hippies! Do the three percent of families who choose midwifery care in a birth center setting still benefit from childbirth education? Do you still need prepared childbirth classes if you have made the important choice to come to WBWC? YES! In a birth center setting, you are an active participant in your pregnancy and birth and taking a childbirth class is one of your responsibilities.
While you can read a book about the stages of labor, watch birth videos on YouTube, or peruse a discussion about birth options on multiple blogs, a childbirth class gives you all these benefits and so much more:
- an experienced guide to clarify your knowledge
- the ability to mobilize your coping tools
- time with your partner learning together
- a support network of other parents
- a sense of trust in your body and the birth process
Ask your midwife about childbirth class options. Make taking childbirth classes with your birth partner a priority in the third trimester. You can honor Svea Oster with a contribution to Women’s Birth & Wellness Center; you can honor her legacy with the continued support of childbirth education!
1 Dana DiFilippo, “Childbirth Classes: Why They’re (Still) Important to Attend,” American Baby, July 2008 https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/preparing-for-labor/childbirth-classes-why-theyre-still-important-to-attend/
2 Listening to Mothers III, Pregnancy and Birth, Childbirth Connection, May 2013 http://transform.childbirthconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/LTM-III_Pregnancy-and-Birth.pdf
Community childbirth classes available at Women’s Birth & Wellness Center:
ICEA Childbirth Classes
Wanda Sundermann, ICCE, LMBT
Four weeks on Saturdays for four hours each
Bradley Childbirth Classes
Susan Rotman, AAHCC
Twelve weeks on Sunday evenings for two hours each
http://rotmanbirthservices.com/
Birthing from Within
Andrea Denali CD(DONA), CLC
Six weeks on Monday evenings for two hours each
http://www.moondancebirth.com/
Candor Plaza
Weekend intensive: Thursday night 2 hours, Saturday morning 4 hours, Sunday afternoon 4 hours
http://www.birthwithcandor.com
Hypnobabies
Joanne Dahill
Six weeks on Friday evenings for three-and-a-half hours each
https://www.journeyofmotherhood.com/
I am so thankful for our Bradley Birth classes with Susan Rotman! She covers so much that helped us not only with the birth of our (now) 2 girls but also pre and post partum! My first labor was 40 hours and we were still able to have a natural birth! The knowledge and encouragement I received in her classes was such a huge help in that process and navigating different possibilities that were offered! She also really equipped my husband to be the greatest support and he felt so much more confident because he knew what was happening and a lot of what to expect. Highly recommend 🙂
My husband and I took Susan Rotman’s Bradley Method Class and learned SO much. We knew what to expect when labor came and felt as prepared as possible for such a variable thing. I loved how actively involved husbands are in this course and highly recommend it.
My husband and I took Susan’s Bradley classes in 2014 when we were expecting our first, and took a “refresher” class with her in 2018 when expecting our third. She’s passionate and engaging, and the knowledge she shares combined with her confidence in every woman’s ability to birth her baby will leave you feeling VERY prepared! I highly recommend her!
Susan Rotman’s Bradley class was excellent preparation for birth. Both my husband and I felt so prepared that nothing was a surprise. We both knew what to expect through the whole process. Even though the contractions were hard, I had learned so many techniques in the class that I was able to fight through them well. Because of the Bradley class, my husband knew what to do and was a great support system for me. Both of our children were born at WBWC, and we are so thankful for the midwives at WBWC and for Susan’s instruction in helping us have the intervention-free birth we wanted.
I took Susan Rotman’s class before having my first baby. Every woman crosses their fingers for that active labor to be short but that was not my situation. Labor lasted 3 intense days and I do not believe I could have made it without taking Susan’s class! She prepared my husband and I for everything! She is also such a peptalker, she made me feel like a superhuman and I was ready to face labor head on!
My husband and I took Susan Rotman’s Bradley Method class and I cannot say enough about how wonderful a full-scope, LONG childbirth class prepared us for a LONG labor and birth. Her class taught my husband and I everything that was happening with my body and left him feeling prepared and able and willing to help me through the intense work that is labor and birth. As a nurse and student midwife, I appreciate courses that are concrete, detailed, and accurate. Susan provided the perfect blend of humor and facts so we felt prepared. My husband was able to help make decisions with me instead of standing idly by during labor. Susan is now a dear friend and one ofthe most encouraging, helpful souls I have ever met. I recommend this class to any pregnant couple!
I left this comment for Susan Rotman but she asked that I also post it here. In my opinion Bradley Childbirth Classes are not just a method of childbirth. They are so much more than that! The principles learned in this series of classes changes ones outlook on everyday life. The techniques learned become a way of life. I know that taking Bradley Childbirth classes changed the course of my life and thus altered the lives of my children and now their children. Bradley taught me to be a consumer of life not just a sheeple!
Susan Rotman’s class was incredible. It helped prepare me for my son’s birth from knowing absolutely nothing to being incredibly prepared and aware of the options available to my wife. I was knowledgable and involved in my wife’s delivery and when the medical professionals were asking opinions i was able to speak intelligently on the topic instead of knowing nothing. The class gave me ways to interpret my wife’s needs and apply the proper countermeasure to ease her labor. I would have been useless without Susan.
Susan Rotman’s Bradley Method course was incredibly helpful and wonderful because it included infant CPR, learning exercises and movements, nutrition, getting to meet and talk to recent moms and dads, and bonding with the other expecting families, sharing meals, and making friends. It prepared me mentally and gave my partner and I the confidence for delivery and the weeks to come!
I highly recommend Susan Rotman’s Bradley Birth Class! My husband and I went through it together and recommend it to everyone! We learned so much and were able to approach our daughter’s birth with confidence and education that helped us make wise decisions! The time was extremely valuable and would recommend taking the time to prepare for your birth with someone who can guide you in a gentle, safe and healthy way!
I highly recommend Susan Rotman’s Bradley classes. They are definitely worth the money and the time you spend. My husband and I looked forward to what we would learn each week and the knowledge we gained was invaluable from preparing for childbirth, husband coaching, nutrition for pregnancy, breastfeeding education and much more. My husband felt just as empowered as I did with what we learned and equipped us to have the childbirth experience we wanted even though we had a few unexpected things happen along the way. Plus, you meet other couples going through the same thing. 🙂
I highly recommend Susan’s Bradley class if you are planning an intervention-free birth, especially if you plan to have your partner be your support during labor. My husband and I felt more than ready to bring our little munchkin into this world the way we envisioned (with a few bumps along the road because birth is unpredictable!). Susan also doubled as our doula and she really helped me get through the hardest work of my life and helped my husband help me get through it.
I LOVED Susan Rotman’s 12 week Bradley course! She is an incredible teacher who is passionate not only about what she teaches but the people she is teaching. My husband and I felt super prepared and well taken care of after taking her class and we went on to have a wonderful birth!
I love this post and wholeheartedly agree! I am a WBWC mama (our son Silas was born there 3/18/2016). I had an amazing natural childbirth without medical interventions or complications. I know I owe a debt of gratitude to my wonderful WBWC midwife and nurses, but also to our wonderful Bradley method childbirth educator and doula, Susan Rotman. She armed my husband and I with so much knowledge, confidence, and assurance that we could have the birth that we wanted. We knew our options and what to prepare for. And one of the best perks of her classes was the commraderie with like-minded new parents. Out of the 5 other couples in our class, we still keep up with 3 families and regularly see one of them (our kids are close friends!). I don’t even want to think about what my birth would be like if we hadn’t taken birth classes with Susan. The investment in childbirth education was certainly one of the smartest things we’ve done, and I highly recommend that all expecting parents do the same!
Susan Rotman’s Bradley class was not just instrumental in a successful drug-free birth for our first child, but the refresher course helped us regain knowledge that we thought we had lost and enter into the birth of our second child with extreme confidence.
We left the class making friends with the other couples enrolled and still stay in touch years later. Susan has been an invaluable resource for us as we’ve begun our journey into parenthood and I couldn’t imagine going through it without her giving us the foundation she did as we were just beginning.
I give a lot of credit to the wonderful Susan Rotman and her Bradley Method Class for my successful (44-hour) first birth at the WBWC and two subsequent “easy” births, all in the green room! Not only did my husband and I connect with our baby as we learned how she was growing and changing, but we became confident in our ability, as a team, to bring her into the world without the stress and uncertainty of medication or other interventions. We give a lot of credit to the wonderful staff at the WBWC, also, but we learned more in 12 weeks of Susan’s class than we could have ever gleaned from forums and YouTube! We had classmates with whom to share our journey and learn from our varied experiences. Our daughter was a ‘sunny side up’ baby and we are both completely certain our success in an unmedicated birth was due to our training and preparation, the doula services of Susan Rotman, and the wonderful women who helped us welcome a new life to the world.
We loved The Bradley Method with Susan Rotman. It is a longer class than some others BUT it gives you so much power and knowledge not just for childbirth but co-parenting as well. We treated each week as a date night and grabbed dinner before or after and went over check lists and to-do’s for our upcoming birth of our daughter. It was fun and educational and we met so many other parents. Susan is a joy to know and makes the class fun and full of the really important stuff you will be glad you took the time to learn thoroughly! I can’t recommend this class and Susan enough!
My husband and I took Bradley classes with Susan Rotman in preparation for the birth of our first child. What I appreciate most about Susan’s classes are two-fold: 1. Partners are included and encouraged as a huge part of the birthing process and 2. The classes aren’t about birth only, but about nutrition, CPR, infant care, and so many other intangible things. I had a few complications with hypertension and decelerations during birth, and while I wasn’t able to be intervention-free, I gave birth vaginally and was able to “adjust fire” based on the knowledge I gained through Bradley classes with Susan (and the midwifery skills of the AMAZING Belinda LaShea). I highly recommend Bradley method classes with Susan!
Yet one more recommendation for Susan Rotman’s Bradley Method class. I cannot imagine laboring and birthing with the confidence I had had I not taken her class. Yes, it’s 12 weeks, but it is well worth the time to become educated and prepared to bring a human into this world. She prepared me for what my body was going to do and she prepared my husband to help me through it. The support we received from Susan’s class and the wonderful nurses and midwives at the WBWC was instrumental to succeed at one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
I highly encourage folks to consider the Bradley Method and what a gift to have Susan Rotman available to teach it here in the Triangle. I view birth like a marathon — something you have to train for — and the Bradley class we took with Susan was just that training. My husband and I felt prepared, knew what to expect, had natural pain management strategies to utilize, and confidence as we went into the process. Our first labor was really long but all of that helped us to trust the process (did not hurt to have Susan as a doula present as well!) and our second babe was an unplanned home birth but the best experience of my life because of the knowledge and confidence we had through Bradley. I’d encourage people to view the time commitment as an asset rather than a burden — scheduled time for you and your partner to bond and prepare and grow as parents before babe’s arrival.
I had done a lot of research about birth and birth methods before we were expecting our first. I knew I wanted to give birth naturally and signed up for Susan Rottman’s Bradley method class the moment we found out we were expecting. She taught us everything we needed to know on how to achieve this goal along with the wonderful WBWC staff. I felt so strong with all the knowledge she gave us. I knew what to expect and that my body was fierce and could deliver. Knowledge is power and she gave that to us. Our birth story was perfect and we had such a great experience.