Everything to Know about the Bradley vs Alexander methods
So, you are looking for a method for attempting to give birth naturally? Welcome. It is a big, wide world out there, and I hope to help you dial things down and find the perfect method and course for you and your birth. There are many strengths to both the Bradley and Alexander childbirth methods. I hope that the proper course will jump out at you by sharing information on each of them. And don’t worry if neither of these seems like a great option; as I stated above, it is a big wide world, and there are many other options.
So, what is the Bradley birthing method? One of the strengths of this birthing method is that it comes in a 12-week class series that teaches you about using the Bradley method to give birth and is a childbirth education course. These courses teach about pregnancy nutrition and exercise, relaxation for an easier birth, partners as coaches, birth plans, and more. They are extensive and a great place to start if this is your first pregnancy or you want more education than you have had.
The best way I can describe the Bradley method is that they teach you about how giving birth is like running a marathon, and if you are highly motivated by sports and sports analogies, then this course might be the one for you. The Bradley method has been used for a long time (since the 1940s) by a lot of people and brags a whopping 87% success rate for having an unmediated vaginal birth. One of the biggest things to consider here is the time commitment. The Bradley method is a 12-week program, almost double the other competing childbirth methods’ course times. This is a program that asks you to commit to it, but looking at the success rate and reviews of the Bradley method, it sounds like this commitment is worth every hour spent.
A considerable emphasis of this birthing method is the partner support focus. The Bradley method is about getting partners involved, feeling confident in coaching through childbirth, and helping them mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare. Although the partner focus is a cool aspect for individuals who have supportive and loving partners, if you are a solo parent or do not feel as much support or safety with your partner as you need, then the Bradley method might not be the right course for you to take.
The Bradley method was developed when Dr. Bradley was observing animals and how they hardly ever needed medical intervention. These were the things Dr. Bradley stated that birthing individuals need to have the best chance at an unmedicated and intervention-free birth: dark or dim lighting, the opposite of what most hospitals have going on, solitude, and only the best supporters being in the space, complete comfort including socks if the feet are cold, good food to nourish the body, a fan if they get hot, etc. A familiar environment like the home or a birth center, if the hospital is where you plan to give birth, take many tours to get to know the space better. A sense of safety and confidence in one’s self, like truly believing that you can give birth and that your body was made to do this. Physical relaxation, sleeping or resting in a good position, controlled breathing similar to the breathing we do while sleeping, getting sleep or sleep-like relaxation, and nursing immediately after childbirth. If these beliefs and ideas align with your views of childbirth, this method might be the perfect one for you.
The Alexander technique is slightly different in the way that it is not a comprehensive childbirth education course. The Alexander method is a method that improves and eases movement, flexibility, balance, and coordination. This method was designed as a way to support a pregnant person throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. The Alexander method is a weekly course that pregnant individuals can do throughout their entire pregnancy.
The Alexander method helps during pregnancy by teaching the pregnant individual how to work with their new and changing body structure. The course will walk you through how to work with your body rather than against it or just dealing with it, and many have stated that they have improved not only their physical wellness but also morning sickness, constipation, and indigestion.
This method believes that the biggest hurdle of labor is getting out of the way of your body to allow it to do what it already knows how to do. The Alexander method helps to clear and remove fears that come up with childbirth and teaches you how to flow and allow your body to take over. There is something called the Alexandrian direction that teaches “knees forward and away,” which is meant to help prepare the relationship between the knees and torso and how tensing our legs in labor can prevent or slow the progression of childbirth.
Lastly, the Alexander method is helpful postpartum for recovery from both vaginal and cesarean childbirth. The postures and ways that this method teaches you to live in your body aid in an easier time healing. Another great thing about this method is that it also helps with the discomforts that come from nursing. Our nursing posture is often less than great, and the Alexander method teaches ways to hold your body better while nourishing your newborn.
The Alexander method is excellent because it has more accessible things available than just the course, including a book and a text message platform where you can get prompts during your pregnancy three times a week to utilize the Alexander method and keep your body working well during pregnancy.
What I love about both of these methods is their focus on the fact that childbirth is a natural and normal process most of the time. I also love that the lessons they teach during pregnancy can be applied during all phases of life, even while raising your children.
Maybe one of these methods stood out to you and feels right; perhaps neither of them does, and you are on to search for the next best thing, but either way, I hope this article could provide you with enough information to know where to go from here. Other childbirth methods I would recommend if neither of these hits the spot would be Hypnobirthing or Hypnobabies and the Built to Birth program. Good luck on your journey; I do not doubt you will know when you arrived.
