Saturday, October 17, 2009

Bradley Students, I Need Your Help!

My Bradley series will begin in a little over a week. So far, I have one couple signed up. It is not a big class, but I am NOT complaining--the other two provisional affiliates have less students than I do, so I am counting my blessings!

It is very important that I do my best in this endeavor of Bradley teaching. That's where I could use your help. I am mostly directing this question to people who have taken Bradley classes, but I am happy to take suggestions from anyone, if you are willing to make them!

Is there anything that stands out to you about the Bradley class(es) you took that you found very helpful or wish had been done differently? It could be about the class or the teacher(s).

My hope is that I can get a few suggestions to tweak my classes to be more and more helpful for my students. No detail is too small. Even if it is that the thermostat was too high, or the floor too hard.

Please comment! Your two cents are appreciated!

1 comment:

  1. So, a couple things I thought of. Hopefully this isn't too late since you've already started. (I am not permitted by my husband to have a computer. JK:))

    Things that were helpful:
    I actually liked how our instructor checked our protein/food diaries more than just a couple times. I think she checked it around 4-5 weeks in a row. And I personally would have been okay with her doing it every week. It sure made me more conscious. I found that when I did not keep a record, I was only getting around half the protein and not a very balanced diet.


    Things that I think could have been covered a little more or would have been more helpful: (These are more appropriate for those planning a hospital birth, but even for those planning a home birth, transfers do happen and it would be helpful for them to know)

    1.) Discussing a list of routine newborn and postpartum interventions that are particular to each facillity's protocol (i.e. hep b, glucose testing, bath, "mandatory" time in the nursery, blood draws, pitocin, etc).

    2.) C-sections; what the procedure is like, photos & video. Despite our plans, (and regardless of whether or not they are TRULY necessary) we know they happen. I think it is good to talk about them in more depth than most of the unexpected outcomes since there is such a great statistical chance of one being performed. I felt like our Bradley class just treated them as "...and these are things to avoid, but of course, non of you will need one, so..." which was all true, however, a student might find themselves totally unprepared if one does actually occur.

    3.) not having a young dad who has poor attention to personal hygiene (not to mention fails in the course of situational awareness) and takes off his smelly shoes and leaves them right in the middle of the group in a small, poorly ventilated room. On that note, having a bowl of Lifesaver mints would be so helpful for the preggos in such cases as these.

    I blab.

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