Lonny is a Sergeant First Class in the Idaho Army National Guard and an affiliated Bradley Method® childbirth instructor. He has his B.A. in History, and is currently working on his Master's Degree in Military History. He likes to write, and spend time with me and our eight children.

My husband, and I have been teaching the Bradley Method® since September 2001, when we taught our first provisional class. We became affiliated instructors in January 2002. I have given birth nine times. Here's a quick summary of my/our birthing experiences:

#1 - Military hospital birth, Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) in attendance, no drugs, 9 hrs, baby girl (1991), gave baby up for adoption (yes, it's okay to ask me about it)

#2 - Military hospital birth, Obstetrictian (OBGYN) in attendance, elective induction (how much I've learned since then!) with pitocin, pain medication (nubain), 5 hrs, baby boy (1995)

#3 - Home birth, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) in attendance, no drugs, 9 hrs, baby boy (1998)

#4 - Birthing Center Birth, Doctor arrived late, so the nurse caught the baby instead, no drugs, 3 hrs, baby girl (2000)

#5 - Home birth, planned unassisted, no drugs, 1.5 hrs, baby girl, our first Bradley® birth.  Baby born in bathtub. (2001)

#6 - Civilian hospital birth, OBGYN in attendance, frank breech presentation, no drugs, 25 hrs, baby girl (2003)

#7 - Home birth, planned unassisted, no drugs, 9 hrs, baby boy (2005)

#8 - Home birth, planned unassisted, no drugs, 45 minutes, baby boy, baby required transfer to NICU for respiratory distress (2007), full story too long to tell here, but I would be happy to share if you ask.

#9 - Home birth, planned CNM & CPM to attend, but baby arrived about 5 minutes before the birth team.  Baby boy, 1 hr of pre-labor and 45 minutes of real labor.  Baby born in the bathtub before we could get it filled.  (2009)

Each birth place and attendant has its advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer to give birth at home, whenever possible. We teach our students to carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages, and give birth wherever they feel the safest and most comfortable. Choose wisely; at the end of the day, it's your baby.

Lonny teaches class #4 and class #11, because they are directed towards the husband/coach, and we think that a husband/coach who has been through it (especially as many times as he has) would be a good person to teach other husbands/coaches.

I had my first experience giving birth when I was 15.  I gave my baby girl up for adoption... yes, we keep in touch and it's okay to ask me about it if you want to know more.  I got married to Lonny when I was 18, and we had our first-born son a year later.  Since then, I've given birth about every other year, and all the birth stories are good ones, and I'd be happy to share them all with you... just ask me.  I've breastfed all eight of my children. 

I really believe in the Bradley Method®. I wish I had known about the Bradley Method® before I had my first child. I know the Bradley Method® works. I've experienced it myself, and I've seen many couples use it successfully. Not to mention, the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth® keeps statistics which prove how well it works. Over 86% of vaginal births are unmedicated. The cesarean rate is 13%, about half of the national average.

We really enjoy teaching the Bradley Method®, and I enjoy attending births and giving breastfeeding support because it is meaningful and useful in people's lives.  We have had the chance to help several couples have the kind of birth they want and there is something very rewarding about that.  I love to know that I have helped a new mother through her journey into motherhood.  It is a profound and blessed miracle every time a baby is born.  I am fortunate to be a part of it.  And, I also love getting all those cute baby pictures and new family photos to put into my scrapbook!

Here is a picture of me and my children a few hours after Benjamin's birth in 2005.