What is a Husband-Coach?

I've had several students ask me why we use the term "husband-coach" when referring to the birth coach in class. For some the term is even offensive or off-putting.  I remind my students that Dr Robert Bradley developed this method nearly 60 years ago! The term "husband-coach" reflects the language of the 1940's when he began writing "Husband Coached Childbirth". Dr Bradley is hailed as the "father of fathers" being one of the first advocates for fathers being present during the labor and delivery. While he was an advocate of husbands, Dr. Bradley’s ultimate concern was for the welfare of the laboring woman and infant she will bear. I remind my students that while some of his language and teaching seems outdated, his teachings are as valid and important today as they were 60 years ago. Dr. Bradley and his methods have been key in helping to advance natural childbirth and to re-establish a trust in the inherent ability of a woman’s body to give birth naturally.

Dr. Bradley, who practiced medicine for 38 years and attended over 23,000 births, was an obstetrical innovator. His gift to pregnant women the world over is this basic concept: “the female will be more able to fully come into herself or focus on her body in labor, if she is tended to by another who knows and loves her.” Therefore, the term “husband” refers to ANYONE you want to support you or be with you at the birth. That person will be most helpful to the birthing process if they attend the classes with you and receive the education as well. We could update the term to "partner-coached" to be more accurate but it is an important distinction to note that "husband" is an endearing term and not one that focuses on sex or gender. Miriam Webster defines the word "husband" as  "to manage prudently and economically a country that has husbanded its resources well :  to use sparingly : conserve must husband one's strength."  To "husband" someone is to lovingly guide and nurture.

Dr. Bradley focused on care from “the husband” perspective as an alternative to care from “the doctor.” In his book "Husband Coached Childbirth" he has a revelation after a patient gives him a huge, thankful kiss after delivering her baby. He thinks- "wow, instead of congratulating me, she should be kissing her husband in joy!" He realized that the doctor-patient relationship is not an intimate one, like that between a woman and her mother, her partner or her husband. The institutional nature of a hospital needs to be mediated by someone intimate with the pregnant woman who can advocate for her from a position of love.

The famous quote, “Pregnant women are not sick, they’re pregnant,” reflected Dr. Bradley’s concern for a generation of women who’d lost control of their own birthing process with the development of institutional medicine after WWII. This was during the age of "knock 'em out, drag 'em out birth" where women were heavily sedated and medicated during their labor. Their husbands were not allowed into the delivery room and many felt helpless and alone. Dr Bradley was a doctor who routinely saw fathers banned from the delivery room. He was a doctor who watched nurses discourage breastfeeding for the first time in history. He was a doctor who saw the negative effects of routine practices like forceps delivery and decided that he would teach women a better way. He decided to become a doctor who “attends the birth,” not “takes over the birth.” And he would be a doctor that included the father in the birthing process—allowing him to support the mother and bond with his baby. So the term "husband-coach" is a special and significant term that helped lay the foundation for Dr. Bradley and the American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth. His advocacy helped pave the way for husbands to not only be present during the birth, but also have a voice and be present during their wife's labor. Having that loving partner by your side makes a huge difference in helping achieve natural childbirth.

“If you are a non-husband coach, please forgive my old-fashioned way of referring to the ‘husband’ as coach. The message is the same.”
~ Dr. Robert Bradley (circa 1996)

*This web site contains information about my classes available in Fayetteville, Arkansas and is not the official website of The Bradley Method® . The views contained on this web site do not necessarily reflect those of The Bradley Method® or the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth®*