The classic guide to an unmedicated childbirth, fully revised for the twenty-first century--with updated information and attractive new illustrations and photos throughout. For women birthing vaginally, 90% of Bradley births are drug-free! The Bradley Method(R), used and praised by women for almost seventy years, prepares you for drug and surgery-free childbirth and puts you in control by providing the tools to navigate evidence-based care. Certified childbirth educator Susan McCutcheon, one of Dr. Bradley's first students, now makes this natural approach to childbirth more accessible than ever. You will learn:
- Exercises and nutrition to get your body ready for birthing
- To defuse fear by understanding all aspects of laboring
- How to involve your partner as a birth coach and a fully engaged participant
- What's driving the induction epidemic and how to avoid an unnecessary induction
- What's driving the cesarean surgery epidemic and how to reduce your risk
- How to get the information you need to make informed decisions about your birth
"The Bradley Method's simple objective, through relaxation, breathing, and visualization, is a birth free of the interventions frequently offered to women in the different stages of childbirth: fetal monitors, drug-induced labor, anesthesia, episiotomy, and Caesarean section. (Its) other defining feature, the husband's active participation in the delivery, is critical to this overall goal of an intervention-free birth."--Mothering
