This birth taught me of the power and infinite wisdom within me and my body. Being at home, trusting my body to go into labour when it was ready and birthing my placenta naturally was healing and affirming.
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I laboured at home using many of the techniques you took us through during our active birth session. Vocalisation, visualisation and movement (resting in between contractions) were all helpful and Kieran was able to actively be involved using the acupressure points, hip release, prompting my breathing as well as using soft-touch during rest phases. All in all, I loved my birth experience and found the session we did with you to be most empowering and incredibly useful, so thank you!
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Create a trance-like state where the reality of stress and pain does not reach you. Your aim is to become one with your body, where you are your breath, you are your womb, and no longer head or mind. Ie. visualise waves flowing in and flowing out, breathe in rhythm with the waves.
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The opening flower is a universal metaphor for birth. Imagine a flower… a flower special to you….one you love to admire…see the flower as a tightly closed bud…hold the image still…see the colour of the petals and how they are wrapped around each other...very gradually, like a slow-motion film, see the bud beginning to loosen, the petals are separating slightly…
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From 34 weeks onwards, your own postural awareness and habits can potentially encourage your baby to lie with his or her back to your left front/side so that the baby's head engages in the pelvic brim in this position. This will increase the potential for normal and straightforward birth.
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A positive image of birth is the cornerstone of a safe, happy birth experience. If you believe your body is meant to give birth efficiently, naturally and without complications and that birth is a joyful event, you are more than halfway to a safe, natural birth.
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Join us in our yoga classes to learn the art of relaxation! When the mind quiets down, the body follows suit and this is a particularly useful practice during pregnancy and at birth. It is thought that the the nervous system of an unborn child can be healed when the mother herself progressively relaxes her body and mind.
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An Active Birth is one in which the woman gives birth in the best possible, uniquely individual way, for her at that particular moment in her life. She can focus her mind in a relaxed and confident way to engage in the process of birth, creating for herself an altered state of consciousness that will ensure the safest possible birth for her and her baby.
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Active Birth is nothing new, and yet when Janet Balaskas founded the Active Birth Movement in the early 1980s, it began a revolution. A decade earlier, many hospitals around the world had adopted what was called ‘Active Management’ of labour—a highly technological approach, which favoured medical control over labour and birth.
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Like birth, yoga involves an intricate dance between control and surrender. In the Active Birth workshops, you will work in a gentle and specific way, learning to move the body and access deeper levels of relaxation and release.
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My biggest driver for having a natural birth was to improve my chances of breast feeding and I’m pleased to say our little Oscar is thriving, putting on a kilogram in his first month of life with exclusive breastfeeding. It was such a challenging time but you helped us be as prepared as possible. We can’t thank you enough!
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I can honestly say that the workshop allowed Mike and I to make informed, evidence-based decisions about the birth. We felt confident to voice our concerns and decisions to the medical professionals which was such a gift.
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We certainly used the breathing, massage and rocking techniques during labour. I was able to rely so much on Jake and his practice and confidence learned from classes are the reason.
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I was in labour for about 20 intense hours and I strongly believe, that the skills learned in the Online Active Birth Skills course. enabled me to have a natural birth that was a thoroughly positive experience. The exercises, classes and information provided made me feel like I could approach my delivery with confidence and calm. I’m sure this attitude and preparation was so incredibly important for my positive birth experience. The course also really helped me understand what was happening to my body and my baby at all times during the process.
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Things moved really quickly after the induction at 7pm and by 10pm my contractions had well and truly started. Our beautiful son, Frederick (Freddie) arrived at 2:50am without the need for my waters to be broken or an Oxytocin injection and by the time I thought the pain might be too much it was too late for an epidural. Everything happened quickly but naturally (other than the induction to kick things off). I'm so grateful and wouldn't have wanted it to go any other way.
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I remembered something Suzanne said in active birth yoga class ‘lean on your supports’ and I think this big group of supporters was exactly what I needed for this birth.
I feel like this confidence definitely came from my yoga classes and listening to Suzanne’s yoga meditations during pregnancy. My midwife and the midwifery student stayed after their shift finished to be there for the birth of my baby Julie, so she arrived in a room full of people smiling and excited to see her (like her own personal cheer squad!)
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Thanks for having us back at your Active Birth Workshop for baby #2. It was so wonderful to just breathe, surrender, and embrace the moment without panic or fear. Two hours of spontaneous drug-free labour, and just 9 minutes of pushing. We were in hospital all of 8 hours in total (the birth centre have such a wonderful discharge policy).
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The benefits of being upright include a reduction in the length of pushing time as gravity can help bring the baby, there is better supply of oxygen to the baby, the baby can get in a better position and less pressure on the pelvic floor. In the active birth classes we practice the positions that widen your pelvis.
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We all have the capacity to visualise. Did you know that conjuring up an image of your baby during labour can help you remember what the powerful sensations your experiencing are all about. Try this visualisation practice during your pregnancy to help create a deeper bond with your baby.
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Midwives know that when a labouring woman feels safe, private and unobserved she will move unrestrictedly, make sounds uninhibitedly and will more closely follow her instincts. Making sounds during labour helps you to shift your consciousness into a deeper, calmer state of mind thus optimising your birthing hormones helping you labour more efficiently. There is also a physiological connection between the vocal cords and cervix.
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