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.

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!

Thank you for helping us achieve a positive & empowering birth. Without attending the Calm birth course & going to your Active Birth yoga classes, our experience may not have been the same. My husband & I can honestly say we felt so prepared & ready, which gave us the beautiful & calm birth that we’d hoped for. 

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.

I was really grateful for being able to move around during labour and the midwives supported my birth preferences. Having my partner Lachlan there by my side except for 2 quick toilet breaks, was also so incredible and vital for me!

The midwife commented that she was surprised it was my first child as I looked like I had given birth before! I attributed this to the skills I learnt in your classes.

I found the breathing and vocalisation really good when I was in transition, and the positive empowered thinking, to remind myself I could do it when it was all getting intense around the pushing, really helped me get in a good head space. Thank you for everything Suzanne, and for all your support and confidence in me.

I really think coming to Suzanne's Active Birth Private Session had a big influence on me (and my husband). I wasn't sure if I would have the composure to use all that I had learnt during the birth itself. However, a strange calm came over me during labour.

Thank you for giving me the confidence to navigate that journey. I was terrified and clueless about birth before doing the Active Birth Classes. I went into the experience however feeling empowered and knowledgeable and I believe that is what allowed me to labour for so long at home.

“I knew she was there and she just melted into the action, whispering in my ear, reminding me at every turn how strong I was and simply that I could do it.” A new mother speaking of her doula. Women helping women give birth is an ancient practice that is still widespread today.

Nothing I read or anything anyone told me could have prepared me for birth, it was short but intense. Thanks again for all the yoga classes and breathing. Like so many people said you’ll do all this preparation but it just depends on the day! Georgina is doing really well and we’re over the moon. I didn’t think it was possible to love a tiny human as much.

That one class I did helped so much! I used my horse lips to get me thru to deliver naturally with no intervention or drugs.

My husband was right there with me squeezing my lower back and shimmying my back with a scarf. After a few intense and long contractions, I felt the need to push and I was up on all fours before I knew it. Delivery was super quick and my waters broke dramatically on his way out. I may have roared a few times but it felt wonderful.

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).

As things were moving along, my partner and I used postures and acupressure points we learned at the Active Birthing workshop. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to really appreciate our birth plan because it all happened so fast, but I am so thankful that we used what we learned. My partner swayed my hips and it was the most grounding thing anyone could have done for me and it really alleviated the pain.

We arrived at the hospital at maybe 9:50am, I was wheeled through the corridors on a bed up to the maternity suite. Our private midwife had organised for the bath to be run in advance and I immersed myself immediately. Within just a few minutes, my son was born!!

I had my baby Eva on her due date! and the labour went great! I had a natural birth and used the vocalisation and breathing from your Active Birth yoga classes. I had no stitches and she was 3.5kgs (and she’s perfect!).

My water broke and my contractions started soon after, my partner came and picked me up and we went to the hospital (I expected to be sent back home). When we got there and I was checked out the midwife told me I was in active labour! As the contractions got stronger my partner would breathe with me through the pain and when the pain grew stronger I started to make low pitched sounds (like from class) which really helped me with the pain!

The Calm Birth course my partner Brandon and I did in August with Suzanne Swan was such an amazing course, it gave us all the tools we needed and was quite honestly the best thing we did to prepare for the birth of our little boy! As luck would have it, on the day my midwife couldn't make it so we were able to use the birth plan we'd written up for our stand-in midwife. I ended up having a beautiful, empowering waterbirth

Jake was an amazing birth partner as always and he remembered all his active birth yoga sessions from our previous pregnancy.  I asked to birth in a more upright position and the midwife and obstetrician both respected my request for no coached pushing. I was anxious about having another private birthing experience and being at the mercy of the doctor but I felt more empowered this time in sticking to my birth plan.  Thank you Suzanne for your support and wisdom.

Tasting embodiment through a contraction was such a gift. I would be embodied one contraction but then not the next; it ebbed and flowed seemingly out of my control. And so a deeper layer of surrender was able to happen, as I realised that birth would happen regardless.  My experience was somehow out of my hands so to ride with the 'what is'. But no romanticism-- there were definitely times I wanted OUT or didn’t’ think I could be with it much longer. But knowing that the struggle and fight with what is happening is part of the birth spectrum- helped to get me thru.  This is one part of the intense yin/yang that happens. Ultimately I found surrendering to the lack of control of my own experience intensely healing for my previous birth too- as I had been holding on to self-judgment for not having 'done it better'. Somehow, I found the willingness to drop my expectation that it would be a certain way and felt resourced with tools. Birth is HUGE!

I completely recommend Suzanne’s private session wholeheartedly. It honestly is a must for anyone going into the birth experience. It is the biggest gift I could have given to myself for such a huge rite of passage.

I couldn't believe it in three contractions - my daughter was born with a pain relief free natural labour. It wasn't a walk in the park and possibly the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but she was safe, healthy and perfect. In my eyes, everything happened exactly how it was meant too. I truly believe this was made possible by the practice and knowledge learned in the active birth yoga classes - as I used many of the mantas, breathing techniques, positioning and pain relief methods from the classes. Thank you so much Suzanne for making this possibe