What kind of birthing experience would you like to have? Who would be supporting you? In this podcast we talk about our positive experience with the Bradley method. This method of birthing is a more natural route and involves your partner to be your coach. Utilizing this method not only brought us closer but fall deeper in love with each other. Join us as we dive deep in discussing our experience with the Bradley method. 

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TIMESTAMP:
►00:00 - Intro
►00:14 - What does Yuntaku mean? 
►00:51 - Recent Happenings: We are passed our due date! How to naturally induce labor. 
►03:03 - TOPIC: How we prepared for the birthing process.
►04:53 - What is the Bradley Method? Our thoughts? 
►07:09 - Tamo’s experience
►14:09 - Seeing the birthing process as a team.
►18:08 - Akko’s experience 

QUESTION: For those who have given birth, what are your tips for expecting mothers? For soon to be mothers what kind of questions do you have regarding the birthing process?

MUSIC:
► Copyright Chillhop Music - https://chillhop.com

#bradleymethod #naturalbirth #riseinlove #realizeyourtruenature

Podcast Transcription

The transcription below is provided for your convenience, please excuse any errors made by the automated service.

Akko 0:00

I fell in love with you all over again, because I was like, I am so happy that you are my partner that I chose you to be my husband. You know, just because he was he knew what I needed it's Yuntaky time with Akko and Tamo.

Tamo 0:14

What does Yuntaku mean? It's an Okinawan word from the islands of Okinawa, which means chitchat. We want to invite you to our kitchen table, and include you in our chit chat to explore new ways of thinking, to welcome different perspectives.

Akko 0:32

And we want to share ideas and how to love yourself. Love your partner can shower your children with love.

Tamo 0:39

This is Episode 27.

Akko 0:41

And the topic of the day is how we prepared for our birthing process.

Tamo 0:45

Before we get started, please take a quick moment to subscribe to our show.

Akko 0:50

Now let's get back to our recent happenings. So just want to let everyone know that we are past our due date. So we are 40 weeks plus right now. And so I just thought that we just talked about ways to naturally induce some of the things that we were researching is ingesting castor oil. And really the theory behind it is that it creates a lot of gi upset and that in turn causes your uterus to contract and then start your labor process. Another is having sex and the theory behind that is that semen excretes prostaglandins which ripens the cervix. And what that means is it pretty much prepares the cervix. So what that means is dilate the cervix, thins out the cervix, and also the process of it releases a lot of oxytocin, which then leads to your uterus contracting. And that will then also start your laboring process. And another one that I also researched was eating ripe pineapple, avocado, acupressure, acupuncture. Some people say chiropractor just because maybe your hips are not aligned correctly. But yeah, so we've researched a lot and did all the above. And so we're just waiting, and you know, just waiting for baby to come out whenever seems like he or she wants to cook a little longer. And it's totally

Tamo 2:12

fine. And we've also been going on walks.

Akko 2:15

Yeah. Oh, yeah. exercise. Exercise is also a big thing. I know a lot of people exercise starting from the 30 week standpoint.

Tamo 2:24

So we've been going on walks and going out to nature, you know, just decompressing and getting our walk in. So that's been pretty nice.

Akko 2:31

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, so we're excited about the baby's getting all the time it needs in my womb.

Tamo 2:41

And again, it can be any time. So we're looking forward to it. And I think the day by day where I'm at least I'll speak for myself. I'm getting more and more ready for the birthing process number two, so yeah, I'm feeling much better about it.

Akko 2:56

Yeah, I agree. I agree. So more prepared than last week. So it's a good time.

Tamo 3:02

Yeah. So let's go into the topic of the day today, and which is how we prepared for the birthing process. So we're going to have our second child, but the birthing process for our first child, it was quite eventful, isn't it?

Akko 3:17

Oh, yeah, very unexpected. Because

Tamo 3:20

our daughter was breached, we decided that we wanted to experience the birthing process as naturally as possible. And ACO was courageous enough to do it without any of the pain medicines, and we got it done. But, you know, it was a lot of uncertainty. And you know, to a degree, it was quite stressful.

Akko 3:43

Yeah. And, you know, you mentioned our data was breached. And we also, just to let everyone know that it was actually it was not a C section that we went through, because obviously c section you need the pain medicine by found a doctor that delivers delivers vaginal, yeah, that's rational. Yeah, beach bags, you know, so we were very lucky and fortunate to be able to experience something like that. Right. Right. Right. But yeah, it was one of those experience where it was a blessing. And also scary at the same time. Oh, it

Tamo 4:15

was very scary. It was so I mean, yeah, even just walking towards the hospital, knowing that we're going to go into the birthing process and knowing that our daughter is in breech position, and, you know, your mind starts to play all these wild imaginations, right. And oh,

Akko 4:35

yeah, it

Tamo 4:35

was very scary for both of us. But, you know, we, we knew we had each other, we were there supporting each other. And, for me, I was kind of coaching up go through the birthing process and was doing whatever I could to help her. And so that's why today we want to talk about how we prepared for the birthing process and that was going through the Bradley method course.

Akko 5:02

And yeah, the Bradley method is more for people that want to go through the natural method of breathing, and have their husband be their coach, right? So a lot of people might get a doula to coach them through. But in this case, it's actually your husband or your partner or whoever you choose to be that coach, right.

Tamo 5:23

And so yeah, that's another thing that we want to mention. It doesn't have to be your husband, per se, a partner or someone that you feel comfortable with being there for you during that process of giving birth. And so yeah, it could actually be a friend too. Yeah. It's not like friend, maybe a parent or whoever that you want. You can take this course together, in person or through online. So we did online course. Yeah. And then I think we went for the last class, was it you think?

Akko 5:52

Yeah, I think it was like one of the Yeah, one class just because it was a show and tell of all the different position that you can use during your labor process, because sometimes certain position might not be helping you. So we learned a different positioning. Yeah, yeah,

Tamo 6:09

definitely. You know, I always look back at it and say that out of all the, the certificates or diplomas that I've gotten, you know, from college, or whatever, this Bradley course, has been the something that I'm most proud of, because this is something that I was able to do with my wife. And, you know, we're giving birth to our child, and it was really a special time. And I'm, I'm so grateful that you decided to do the research and then find the Bradley course and then go through it.

Akko 6:40

Yeah, yeah, thank you. Yeah, it was, yeah, it was, it was a lot of fun. You know, I just always knew that I wanted to do it naturally, just because I just wanted to go through the journey of really getting in touch with my body and listening to the cues and everything. And I thought it would actually even help me grow. Yeah. And I think it did, you know, it did. Yeah,

Tamo 7:00

I think it helped both of us grow, because it wasn't taking the easy way out. Right, you took the the most difficult route. But those difficulties can really become a learning experience, like you mentioned, and we came out of it much stronger. And we grew our trust in each other. Yeah, for me, it was it's even kind of difficult to really put it into words, because I get so choked up. But a lot more kind of, I guess respect is the word not to say that I didn't have respect for you had full respect for you. But I think that got supercharged. Right. And the the labor process that you had to go through, and especially the situation that was presented to us was so much more difficult than your your typical, right? Yeah. And being pressured by doctors saying no, you got to have a C section or, and they gave us so much pressure. Yeah. And when doctors speak to you like that, it's really difficult to stand your own ground. But we did that, you know, we did that because we knew in our hearts, that going natural is what we need it to do. Right. And it's not to say any people who get epidurals or whatnot, go through things, you know, if you have a C section, that's no issue, but for us in that situation. We knew that that was the way we want it to give birth.

Akko 8:27

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So we're not in any way judging anyone that's choosing to do epidurals or any or C section or any anything of that sword, right. Yeah. Because you know, you do what's right for you.

Tamo 8:39

Exactly.

Akko 8:41

You know, what's right for you, you, you know, so as long as you know what's right for you. I think that's the way to go. That's,

Tamo 8:48

that's what you should do. Yeah, definitely. And I think either way, however way you want to birth your child. I think the Bradley method is a really fantastic course for expecting mothers.

Akko 9:01

Yeah, absolutely.

Tamo 9:02

Even if it's your second child, if you haven't had this course, it it's worth taking just for the knowledge. And I'm sure you'll learn something new. Right. Yeah, yeah. So

Akko 9:12

and it's utilizing your partner as support support. Yeah. And it's just a great way to come closer, grow together, and another time to spend with each other. Yeah, yeah. Probably go under the quality time, you know,

Tamo 9:27

yeah. And so by taking the course, it helped us to become fully prepared for the natural birth that we're going to go through. And even when presented with an unusual circumstance, our instructor was fantastic. She was so great supported us through this and with her support, it gave us even more kind of courage to go through what we needed to go Yeah,

Akko 9:50

I mean, with this, you know, you get a lot of doubts that come come up, and then she was just so great and that she just knew how to talk to us and knew how to reassure us and never really pushed for this is good or This is bad. You know, she always encouraged us to do what we want to do.

Tamo 10:07

Right. Exactly, exactly.

Akko 10:08

And so, yeah, it was great. She was great in eliminating our limiting beliefs and whatnot and our doubts and it really worked out really well.

Tamo 10:18

And in our situation we did a lot of research to it wasn't just okay, we want to go natural. We're gonna go natural. No, we, we actually did research and figure it out. Okay, is delivering breech vaginal actually very dangerous, did the research and found out that, you know, it's actually not any different than this area?

Akko 10:36

Yeah. C Section C section. Yeah.

Tamo 10:38

And also knowing that other cultures, other areas, people still do deliver breach naturally.

Akko 10:45

Yeah, like I was mentioning a couple days ago, I just had my non stress test. And that's a test that you do when you're past your due date. Or if you have any, I guess complications, they'll do a non stress test. And what they do is they monitor your baby's heart rate, and they see what happens when the baby moves. So they just want to make sure that everything's normal. And that nurse that was doing that, for me, she was a midwife in Nigeria. And she was telling me that when she came to America, it was a cultural shock to her that they do c sections for breach, you know, if it's transferred, which is when the baby's sideways, that's completely impossible to birth. And a C section is a must. But you know, she was just like, yeah, if it's feet first, but first, that shouldn't matter. And so it was really interesting to get that perspective. Yeah, yeah.

Tamo 11:33

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. And although we didn't get that perspective, you know, back when we had our daughter, we did a lot of research and came across very similar, you know, experiences of people. So yeah, that really helped. And through the Bradley course, and going through labor together, it really added an extra cherry on top on our relationship to you know, the birthing process is a very special time and to be able to spend that with with you. It really was a it was a great gift.

Akko 12:04

Yeah, yeah, I completely agree. And I mean, you are such a great support, I think it made all the difference. You were just so attentive, and just so intuitive to what I needed. And it was not a chaotic experience. It was a more serene experience. I mean, before leading up to the whole, like, active labor portion, it was very quiet. It was just like a very meditative, we made it a pretty spa like environment. And it was great. And you know, I have you to thank for that. Because, you know, you provided me everything. I didn't even have to do anything. You were just like, here we go. What do you need? Here's, maybe you want to smell this essential oil? And it was just great. Yeah. And I think that makes all the difference in that experience. And I think that's for me, what I

Tamo 12:52

took away from the Bradley courses, there's kind of two main big kind of ideas that you can break this up into. One is kind of the technical aspects of Okay, when you go into labor contractions have been this minutes apart or seconds apart. And then what happens with the body? I think that is one thing that's kind of more of a, like a mental intellectual understanding, which maybe the guys could gravitate towards. But I think more than that, the important portion, not to say both sections are very important, because you need to know what's happening, right? Yeah. But for me, what was super important was the emotional aspect of giving birth. Of course, yes, all the intellectual understanding is important. But really stepping into the emotion and supporting what you're going through, right? Trying to help you keep as calm as possible, because when you get tense, the labor process gets even more difficult. Oh, yeah,

Unknown Speaker 13:47

that pain is

Akko 13:49

intensified, right.

Tamo 13:51

So what I wanted to do was to keep everything as calmly as possible. And just for you to know that, hey, I am there with you, whatever you're going through, I'm going through it too together. And so for me, that was really the biggest takeaway that I had. And in regards to the Bradley course, I also want to share, we can share this, which is the kind of being one as a team. So if you are also in a situation where the doctor may be pushing you to do something that you really don't want to do, you need to stand together. So the tip is to discuss it when you guys are calm. So don't discuss it when the doctor is standing next to you because we in our case, we had the doctor and the nurses arms crossed, like waiting for an answer, like right there and was only a few feet away from us. Yeah. And we're expected to discuss this and whatnot. And then they're saying, hey, you don't have that much time. And the doctor has to leave, like in 1020 minutes. And so yeah, it was really a lot of pressure.

Akko 14:57

Yeah. And just to give everyone like a preface. This is When we had to decide whether to do a C section or not, because we went in for a procedure to try to manually turn our daughter, but it wasn't successful. So our next option was to do a C section, or we already were in a contact with another doctor to do the breech fashional. So, yeah, it was interesting. But just to even let them know, like, no, we're not going to do the C section. But that pressure was so big. In that room, it's, it's tough. So when you have someone with you, that's supporting you, it you're just that much stronger, you feel like, okay, I can get

Tamo 15:33

through this exactly. And so again, going back to the tip, the tip is discuss this with your partner beforehand. So do this when you're at home. And when you guys are both in a good state, right? Not when you're kind of emotionally agitated, or too tired or whatnot. This when you're in a normal, like calm state, maybe even kind of when you're feeling good, discuss the things that you want. And this is because if you have a plan going forward, when you talk to the doctor, you can be a lot more clear with what you want, right? Because if you go in there, without any plan, whatever the doctor wants is going to happen. And so what we did was we actually had like a decision tree in our head. So I'm saying that, okay, if this happens, we'll do this. But if this happens, we'll do this. And then if that happens, then we'll do this. And we had a very clear tree decision tree in our mind, so that when we went to doctor, we tried the manual method to turn the baby, if it doesn't work, we're gonna do this. And if it did work, great, blah, blah, blah, blah. So that's a really seemingly simple but powerful tip for you and your partner, if you are placed in a situation where you have to make very difficult decisions with pressure.

Akko 16:47

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I was just talking to her friend recently. And she was just saying, like, yeah, I have a new doctor, and she's making me do all these tests that she never wanted to do. And she couldn't say no, you know, so it's just all these things like you just need to be, you just need to know what you need, what you want, what you don't want to talk to your partner. And like you mentioned, like, you need to be in a very calm state when you're doing this, so that you're not making rash decisions.

Tamo 17:14

Right. And just to add to this ACO is a nurse, she's an ICU nurse. And so she does have more experience in this area. So it's not going to be the same for everyone. For example, if you're interested in a natural birth, and have some situations come up, you need to do your own research, right? And then talk to other people, talk to people that have gone through this. And if possible, find yourself a nurse or a doctor that believes in what you would like to do. Exactly. And so we're not saying go in there blind with what you want to do. But do your research do a lot of research. I mean, we were just doing so much research. I know I was probably doing overnighters just reminded me of college Do

Akko 17:57

you where you were,

Tamo 17:58

but that's what's needed. You know, especially if you know that you want a certain thing you have to put that time and effort into it.

Akko 18:05

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So yeah, there's a lot of things that I learned in, you know, just through this process of the Bradley and tumble and you know, you be my coach, I there's like a whole new level of love a whole new level of respect, a newfound appreciation for you. And it was just great. Like, I fell in love with you all over again. Because I was like, I am so happy that you are my partner that I chose you to be my husband, you know, just because he was he knew what I needed. You were just so attentive, and that being in sync really helps with not only the birthing process, but really life in general, just you going through life, and being in sync with your partner really helps. Things are much smoother. Yeah, things are much smoother flows. Yeah, everything flows a lot better. And it just really helps with any situation.

Tamo 18:55

And the question of the day is, for those who have given birth, what are your tips for expecting mothers? And for soon to be mothers? What kind of questions do you have regarding the birthing process? We'd love to hear from you.

Akko 19:09

Come say hi on our new website by going to Akko and tamo.com. That's ak kondtamo.com.

Tamo 19:21

All right. Looking forward to hearing from you. Take care. Bye.