So, in those regards the curriculum is slowly catching up with the times. Personally, I would like to see additions such as a playing of the movie, "The Business of Being Born" at one of the sessions or as homework.
The second way that the curriculum should change within the next three years is to begin allowing more nurses to become certified teachers. Currently, it is easier for a parent to become a coach than it is for a nurse. The reason, according to Bradley, is that the parents have direct experience, whereas nurses only have book-related experience. In fact, Bradley does offer the option for nurses to become a teacher, but additional reading and exam requirements must be met.
Personally, I find it to be in the best interest of Bradley to offer their curriculum with open arms to nurses for one simple reason: the more nurses who know about the natural techniques taught in Bradley, the more nurses there will be to facilitate this method in the hospital. If a nurse understands that the couple has been educated using this method, they can better encourage and empower the couple to meet their birth goals. This would result in a greater overall satisfaction with both the birth experience and the hospital as a whole.
It made me realize the importance of constantly updating certain aspects of a curriculum while maintaining overall goals and objectives to meet the needs of a community and the hospital as a whole.
Works Cited
Halfon, Saul (2010). Encountering Birth: Negotiating Expertise, Networks, and My STS Self. Science as Culture, 19(1), 61-77.
Hathaway, Marjie; et al. (2007). The Bradley Method Student Workbook. American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth.
Lake, Rikki (2008). The Business of Being Born. Barranca Productions.
Lieberman, Adrienne (1992). Easing Labor Pain: The Complete Guide to a More Comfortable and Rewarding Birth. The Harvard Common Press, Boston.
Martin, Karin (2003). Giving Birth Like a Girl. Gender and Sociology, 17(1), 57-47.
Reed, Richard (2005). Birthing Fathers: The Transformation of Men in American Rites of Birth. United States Publication.
The Bradley Method of Husband Coached Childbirth. Updated 2012. Accessed 22 March 2012 at http://www.bradleybirth.com/Content.aspx
