The Bradley Birth

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon
Published: July 1, 1996 by Plume
Originally Published: 1984
Early on while planning our wedding I read Celebrating Interfaith Marriages. I enjoyed it at the time, but it wasn't till I got closer to the big day and started writing our ceremony that I realized how helpful it was. I think that is definitely the case with this book. Yes, I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think I'll be able to truly appreciate it until I'm actually at the hospital giving birth.

While the is the second book I've read on this subject, this one is quite a bit different from Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. Yes, they do go over similar topics, and I do mean more specific than they're both about birth, but this one is far more of a how-to manual. There's exercises for both your body and mind to prepare you for the birth, and so far I'm finding them helpful.

I do think this book feels outdated though. Yes, this is the revised edition (published in 1996 vs. the original in 1984), but it's still almost 20 years old. I do think some of the hospital practices still apply, but it feels like a quite a few have fallen out of common use. Although there are several scenarios that seem quite similar to what I've seen friends go through, which does mean certain aspects are still quite relevant.

In some ways I feel like I've already read more about birth than most people, but I'm not quite done yet. (Although is that really that surprising since I also feel like I read more in general than most people would.) I'm planning on reading at least one more book on the Bradley Method, and then likely read one more besides that, not specifically on the Bradley Method, before I'm finished. I definitely think that was a great one to read fairly earlier on for me, and hopefully I feel the same several months down the road when I need to refer back to it!

4.5/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!