bradley method

we're taking bradley natural childbirth classes for the next 12 weeks, and we had our first meeting last night. I've heard that some bradley instructors can be quite militant (to the point of preaching that all doctors are out to kill you), but our instructor is quite level-headed and we're very excited about the class.

check out their site for the rundown of what they teach, but bascially it comes down to learning about and trusting the process, and learning to relax through it. we are not vehemently opposed to modern medicine (like some of our classmates), although we can relate to that perspective. with all of michelle's health issues and her bad back, we want to avoid an epidural if at all possible, so we want to learn about alternative methods for dealing with pain.

so now she has excercises to do every day, and at least once a day we are to focus on intentional relaxation. basically they're saying it's a learned skill, which I think is a good perpective. and she has a measure of experience in relaxing through pain, or at least she'll be able to practice well, since her fibro has been flaring lately. and I'm a big part of all this: partly to be the memory for us when we get there, and partly to coach her through relaxation.

there are 9 couples in our class, most of them about our age, some a bit older. and we know two of the couples already (this is a small town sometimes). one from my days at the Chattanooga Outlook (Winston and Shanna), and one from a friend of a friend who went to Michelle's knit group, and they also have a photography and design studio here in town (James and Julie).

so we're looking forward to this process, and now it's officially michelle's fulltime job to get ready for labor and delivery and beyond. yet with all this focus on relaxation we know we need more than that, so we're praying for God's peace and provision.