One of the things I loved most about my classes at yoga baby is it taught me how to connect with my baby. I am a very visual person, so the fact I couldn't SEE my baby, it was hard for me to feel she's real. In my classes, we do baby body scans and actively connect with baby during sessions. I don't think I would have known how to create that connection on my own. It felt like my baby and I was a team and we were exercising together.
Read MoreYour partner can play a vital role in helping you to focus on your breathing during labour & birth. Your breath is your focus for assisting you to adapt to the sensations of labour. Here are three exercises can practice in the lead up to your birth experience.
1. Yogic breath: When you practice the yogic breath during contractions you will be signalling to your body that you accept the bodily sensations as healthy & safe! This will make all the difference between tension and relaxation.
Read MoreIf you are already in a routine with your yoga class before you become pregnant, it is not uncommon to want to stay in that class for as long as possible. At Yogababy, our instructors are trained specifically to teach yoga to pregnant women so our classes are quite specialised in that way to cater for your changing body and the needs.
However, if you are still attending your general yoga class, here are five things to consider during pregnancy:
Read MoreJake 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.
Read MoreTasting 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.
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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
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Got through labour with the use of a TENS machine, shower, movement and the pressure points you taught us in the active birth workshop . And no pharmaceutical pain relief! I could not have done it without my husband Bruce being as active as I was. We managed to have a successful vaginal birth and a very healthy baby at over 3.8kg. The active birth workshop and active birth yoga classes were excellent preparation for us for labour and birth. Thank you!
Read MoreThank you so much for all your knowledge and guidance through your active birth classes. Once again, I was able to use the skills that you taught me and take on the positive mindset which enabled me to have a calm, natural and intervention-free birth.
Read MoreAfter 60 hours of labour, Ezrael has finally arrived! We went into labour on the 22nd but didn't get to meet him until Christmas day. During the (long!) early phase, my husband and I used a lot of the things we learned in Private Session with Suzanne Swan, and also all the pregnancy & active birth yoga classes I had been to. Lots of breathing, vocalising, different positions and movements; it was surprising how things worked at some points and then we needed to change, so it was great to have so many ideas in our toolbox.
Read MoreWe cannot control how birth unfolds and it can be overwhelming when trying to make sense of it, right in the middle of the unknown. How do you know what to do when unplanned things happen? The best thing you can do is educate yourself so you are aware of as many options as possible and then, trust your intuition. Ask yourself “How am I feeling?”, “do I need to do more?” or “do I need to rest?”. Listen, your own heart can never lead you astray. Your satisfaction with your birth has been demonstrated to be related to whether or not you listened to yourself, and importantly whither you were listened to and supported by those caring for you.
Read MoreI didn't think I'd make it in the last minutes. The midwife was amazing. My partner was constantly reminding me to sway and move in the positions as I kept forgetting and also he helped my noises to be low as they kept creeping up to those higher tones. Thank you so much for your classes. It really helped me understand what to expect and how to go about confidently birthing my baby.
Read MoreMy partner and I just completed the Sunday Active Birth workshop in Auchenflower. We found it informative, confidence-boosting, enjoyable and a wonderful thing to share ahead of the birth of our baby. Suzanne is incredibly knowledgeable and also balanced in the information she provides. Ideally, I’d like to give the class 10 stars out of 5 :)
Read MoreI am reading the book ‘Your medical mind, how to decide what is right for you’ by Groopman,MD & Hartzband, MD. They say that patients should be aware that doctors and other experts may frame information in a way that reflects their own preferences. What is recommended is that information should be presented in a neutral way and doctors work to understand their patient’s own thinking.
Read MoreWe wanted to share with you the birth of our third little love, our son Rumi Leo. He was born over 42 weeks in a birth that almost mirrored River’s birth a year prior. It was amazing having all the knowledge we had learnt from our private session with you and watching it play out in almost an out of body experience, watching the birthing process take over. Thank you so much again, we are so grateful to you. So true, experiencing surrender first hand is transformative and powerful. He is such an angel, adored by all 4 of us (hard to believe we are now 5 in total!)
Read MoreI wanted to thank you so much for your gentle and confident approach to your pregnancy yoga classes. When I came to you I’d been diagnosed with prenatal anxiety and depression, and while I was on medicine and having therapy, it was your classes that allowed my mind to be still and enjoy the beauty and wonder of being pregnant and preparing to birth my baby. It was exactly what I needed.
Read MoreThe ability to squat with both heels flat on the ground indicates good pelvic movement for labour and birth. While relaxing is important, learning to untuck your tail bone will assist you to breath your baby out, letting gravity do the job rather than having to push your baby out. To learn to release the tail bone, we need to start sitting on our sit bones more, walk more, squat more and do more yoga! Learning to squat is a regular practice in our Active Birth Yoga classes.
Read MoreI had been going to the Yogababy pregnancy yoga classes ever since I was 20 weeks and had been loving them. It was such a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning with some quiet stretching and meditation. I found that the stretches of the yoga kept my muscles flexible and supple throughout my pregnancy and I was able to avoid any significant back and hip pain.
Read More“Attending the yogababy classes made me confident through the pregnancy which translated to being a more confident Mum” Being able to move gives you confidence in your pregnancy.
Read MoreThe skills you taught us, the education you gave us, the sense of humour you instilled in us, and the wisdom of readiness to accept whatever came our way - we just can't thank you enough. Your gift to the world is just incredible. Thank you. Those breathing techniques have come in handy during some major screaming baby moments too! xo
Read MoreOur son Kira arrived on 30th March, 2019. The labour was 22 hours with the last 5 hours in the Birth Centre. Straightforward, smooth and positive birth. I credit the Active Birth classes for an empowered birth experience. The sound work, positions and finding rhythm were directly impactful on pain management and endurance. Damien was phenomenal and I couldn’t have done it without him, he was with me for every step of the hospital stages. Our private session was an awesome foundation - thank you!
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