Bradley Method
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Bradley Method of Bush Regeneration
The Bradley Method of Bush Regeneration is a method of weed control in natural areas, developed by sisters Joan Bradley and Eileen Bradley, in Sydney, Australia.
The Bradley method makes practical use of well-known ecological principles. The method consists of hand weeding, without replanting, of selected small areas of vegetation in such a manner that after weeding, each area will be promptly re-inhabited and stabilized by the regeneration of native plants.
If the weeding is approached as a conventional gardening operation, in which large areas are cleared and burned or the debris carted away, the effort will fail because large exposed and disturbed areas will become re-colonized by new weeds. The Bradley method urges a naturalist's approach by encouraging the native vegetation to become reestablished. The Bradleys used their method to successfully rid a 40 acre (200,000 m²) woodland reserve of weeds so that the reserve needed slight attention only once or twice a year, mainly in vulnerable spots such as creek banks, roadsides, and clearings, to be maintained weed-free. They summarize their activities as follows:
"We are regenerating bush with conspicuous success over a total area of about forty acres [200,000 m²], and our results are plain to see, both in Ashton Park and on nearby Chowder Head. We have also taken care of the weeds induced by a six-acres [24,000 m²] "silvicultural" winter burn, and about four or five acres [16,000 or 20,000 m²] of other fires. We have not overworked at it. We are both over fifty, able-bodied but by no means Amazonian. My sister takes the dog for a walk on most mornings. and I do the same in the afternoons. On these walks we might average, between the two of us, about three-quarters of an hour spent actually pulling up weeds."
"Done in our way, the regeneration of weed-infested bushland is an easy and fascinating part-time occupation. We are still forging ahead, my sister mainly on a dry ridge, myself mainly in a damp gully, faster than we should have thought possible... We hope that this outline of our methods will encourage and help you to do the same."
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Bradley Method® of Natural Childbirth
The Bradley Method® of natural childbirth teaches that birth is a natural process. Teachers of the Bradley Method® believe that with adequate preparation and education along with help from a loving, supportive coach, most women can give birth naturally - without drugs or surgery. The Bradley Method® emphasizes measures that can be taken to stay healthy and low-risk to help avoid complications that may lead to medical intervention.
The primary goal of the Bradley Method® is healthy mothers and healthy babies. To acheive that primary goal, twelve basic principles are taught in Bradley® classes, including natural (drug-free) childbirth, a goal acheived by over 86% of Bradley® moms having vaginal births; active participation of the husband as coach; excellent nutrition; relaxation and natural breathing as pain management techniques; and the concept that the parents-to-be are consumers of birth services and as such have a responsibility to make informed decisions regarding procedures, attendants and the birth place.
The method was created by Dr. Robert A. Bradley (1917-1998) and popularized by his book Husband-Coached Childbirth. Dr. Bradley developed his method during the era of what he referred to as "knock-em-out, drag-em-out obstetrics," when "twilight sleep" and even general anesthesia were popularly used in hospital deliveries. Having been raised on a farm and having witnessed many animal births as a normal part of farm life, Dr. Bradley believed that human women, like the animals he had observed growing up, could give birth peacefully and joyfully, without drugs that are potentially harmful to the fetus. He carefully observed how perspiring mammals conducted themselves during labor and birth and developed a childbirth method based on teaching human women what animal mothers know instinctively. Soon after starting to implement his new childbirth method with pregnant nurses as a trial, Dr. Bradley realized the importance of the presence of the father during labor and birth and became the first doctor to invite fathers into the delivery room. He eventually expanded his childbirth method to include extensive instruction of the father as labor coach.
Bradley Method® instructors are certified by the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth® (AAHCC). The terms "Husband-Coached Childbirth®" and "The Bradley Method®" have been registered in order to protect the consumer, ensuring that only those currently certified by the AAHCC can teach the Bradley Method®.
References:
Bradley, Robert A. (1996) Husband-Coached Childbirth (4th ed.). New York, NY: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-37556-3.
Hathaway, Marjie; Hathaway, Jay; Bek, Susan Hathaway; Hathaway, James (2002) The Bradley Method® Student Workbook. Sherman Oaks, CA: American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth. ISBN 0-931560-01-2.
