Resources | About Me | FAQ’s | Letters of Love | Birth Stories | Contact Us

Bradley classes

When I first became pregnant, I knew I wanted to try for a natural labor and my husband supported this desire – though neither one of us really knew what to expect.  After doing a little research, it seemed like Bradley classes might be the best fit for us and a friend recommended Karina.  I now can’t imagine having gone through pregnancy and labor without having taken Bradley with Karina! The courses made us feel like educated consumers and active participants in my pregnancy and our baby’s birth vs. just idle bystanders.  Karina had such a friendly, warm manner that it made it easy to invest the time and energy needed in the Bradley course.  By the time my due date rolled around, we really felt very calm, well-educated and prepared and were hardly anxious at all.  And we enjoyed getting to know Karina so much we decided to hire her as our doula, as well!

Rachel (Student 2005)

The whole natural birthing experience was wonderful. Toby and I feel that we could not have done it without our Bradley Method classes.
Karina, thank you so much for what you offer and what you do! We felt totally prepared going into the labor, and we can say after that we definitely were prepared…and prepared very well! We have been raving about our classes to all of our friends and family.

Thanks again for the time you put into our class as well as staying up to date with the latest birthing information/research!

Christina and Toby (students 2009)

Birth/Doula Experience

Once we hired Karina as our doula, I really kept in very close contact with her throughout my pregnancy – including sending her updates after all of my OB appointments and sending MANY emails to ask questions about a wide range of pregnancy experiences.  She was always terrific about responding both quickly and very thoroughly and always went the extra mile to try to connect me with the best resources possible.  So our partnership with her as our doula actually started long before I actually went into labor. My first birth was pretty text-book, except for the length…only 5 hours!  It went so quickly that we just had her meet us at the hospital vs. coming to our home and even though it wasn’t long before our firstborn, Ella, arrived, we can’t imagine our birth experience without having Karina there.  She was so amazingly reassuring (especially to my husband!) and such a helpful guide throughout those final hours of labor.  We had a hospital birth and although the staff was actually very respectful of our birth plan, it was great having Karina to help us navigate some of those hospital rules and procedures and make sure we had the birth experience we had hoped for.  An added bonus was the sweet birth story that Karina wrote from her perspective and gave to us after the birth (plus, she took some incredible photos!).  The whole experience was so positive for us, that two years later Karina helped us welcome daughter #2, Lexi, into the world, too!  She was truly an integral part of our little family team.

Rachel (doula client 2005 and 2007)

Karina opened my eyes to natural childbirth and helped me realize that drugs shouldn’t be a first choice.  Yes, I was the woman that was afraid of pain and just wanted to get “the drugs” until the pain was over and mommyhood began.  My husband’s best friend’s wife was a Bradley Childbirth instructor in PA and she strongly encouraged us to check it out.  It was the best decision of our pregnancy.  We enjoyed the in-depth course material and Karina’s presentation style.  We worked hard on following the exercises, diet and homework.  Most importantly, we felt extremely prepared for labor & birth with Karina hired as our doula.  Then, the unexpected happened.  Instead of laboring for up to 24 hours, we had the other extreme – a super quick labor – and barely made it to the hospital in the ambulance.  Karina helped us by phone and came to visit us in the hospital.  On my next pregancy, she provided 3 midwifes (recommended by her/her students) for me to interview. That was also a blessing!

Sandra (Student, doula client 2002)

First let me say that Karina is an awesome, caring and fun instructor. She made the class interesting and easy to attend – and that is probably not an easy thing to accomplish for most dads. I believe the class prepared me to be as helpful and supportive as possible for my wife during natural child birth. The class made me feel involved and not like a spectator. The class was very helpful for me in that it prepared me for each stage of the delivery. During the delivery I was very calm because I knew what was coming next – compared to most stories I hear where both the husband and wife are completely in the dark. Although I am a strong proponent of natural child birth, I would even recommend this class to parents that are not planning to deliver naturally because it prepares and educates you about the complete delivery.

We also learned that we have a lot of options & choices when it comes to things like drugs, inducement, C-sections, etc. I think a lot of parents just follow down the path that their doctor suggests without being educated about alternatives which might better suit their situation and/or preferences.

This class prepares you for child birth from A-Z and was the best thing we did prior to the NATURAL birth of both of our children.

THANK YOU!!!

Troy (Student, 2006)

As first time parents, we had no idea as to what to expect during pregnancy and childbirth.  The classes conducted by Karina were so very informative and relevant.  We both felt like we had gained an amazing amount of knowledge that really paid off during labor.  Karina educates on process and choices – there was not a single thing we encountered that we had not been prepared for during classes. Karina’s classes make it very easy to ask ANY question at all and get an honest answer. We have been blessed with two children, both by natural childbirth. 

Debbie (Student, 2006)

Karina’s demeanor was warm, compassionate and “motherly” right from the start. She was always available to answer any questions or concerns I was having prior to birth. During labor she was right by my side for at least 24 hours. She was incredibly supportive and encouraging. She gave my husband and I privacy, yet was always there when we needed a helping hand. The birth story she wrote for us brought tears to my eyes, I couldn’t believe all the details she remembered that I had forgotten. The pictures she took magically captured the first moments of our daughter’s life in our new family. I am so happy we had her as our Doula. She felt like part of our family. She will always hold a special place in my heart for being such an important memory during our daughter’s birth.

Hannah (doula client 2008)

We felt  very prepared for birth. The classes helped us remain calm because we knew what was going on during labor and knew what to expect!  Knowledge is power, and you gain plenty of it in Karina’s class.   The classes were quite enjoyable in a fun, friendly environment. The material was informative and well presented. Karina was very open to questions and extremely helpful. The biggest eye opener for us was discovering that we were in the driver’s seat and that you have choices during labor.  The classes and material covered prepared us to make educated decisions that were best for us and our baby as our birth story unfolded. One of the things that helped us prepare the most for labor was just understanding the birthing process. Combining this understanding with the techniques we learned, made us  feel very secure, confident, and comfortable during labor.

Chris (Father, student 2006)

I had my first child, at home in September 2008, after laboring for four hours (not counting the 65min I pushed in the birthing tub). I prepared for labor by attending Bradley classes with my husband, visits with my midwife, hypno-birthing cd’s, lots of walking, a healthy vegetarian diet, Bradley class exercises, and tons of water and Red Raspberry leaf tea. My home birth experience was by far the most gratifying, empowering, beautiful experience of my life!! I was on an oxytocin high for WEEKS!, (and that’s no exaggeration!). That would ALL have been taken away from me had I chosen to give into the fear others attempted to lay into me, whether that be by a small, sarcastic comment, telling me outright I was endangering myself and my son, or flat out indifference (I’ve learned there is lots of fear in birthing). Hospital personnel and doctors would have taken full control over myself and my child from beginning to end, and they would have done whatever it took to speed up the natural birthing process in order to not to bring forth litigation. Whether that be by cutting me up or pumping me and my baby full of unnecessary, dangerous drugs. The Bradley classes, my husband, my midwife, and the right frame of mind we’re all I needed for support in the months and weeks preceding my son’s birth. My husband and I really enjoyed the classes as we felt they totally prepared us for an unmedicated labor. I appreciated the exercises and the visualization (particularly the holding of the ice!) as I think it gave me (as much it could) a taste of what labor is like; hard work! Those exercises ( believe it or not) really do come in handy!

Xo
Bridget (student 2008)