My due date came and went and I felt no closer to my baby being born – I’d had no Braxton Hicks contractions, nor any of the other signs one might feel in the lead-up to labour. However, four days past my due date, I woke up feeling a surge at 1.40am. The date was
I also feel this is an moment when I can express my own gratitude for your book, New Active Birth. I have five children, home birthed except one. I loved giving birth. I always tell others what a wonderful experience it is. I am well aware that my last delivery could have gone badly for
I just wanted to share with ABC the arrival of our second baby girl Cielo (pronounced Si-eh-lo). She was born on the 18th of April at 1am in the Birth Centre at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. 4 days after her expected due date. I started feeling small surges on Saturday morning but through the
I just wanted to let you know that we had a beautiful little girl on Friday night! She was a very HEALTHY 6.6lbs (!) and we managed to have an absolutely incredible home birth as planned despite a couple of difficulties along the way! We both want to say a huge thank you as we
I wanted to thank you [Janet] for being such an amazing source of inspiration and insight over the last few months. Coming to your Tuesday evening pregnancy yoga class has been a complete treat and I am going to sorely miss you, your pelvis and woollen baby and placenta – and of course the girls.
We recently received this lovely story from proud new father Phil. “Jasna and I attended the active birth weekend in March – I’m the guy with the dodgy back. This Saturday afternoon at 4.30 Jasna birthed our son Bertie, in the pool in our daughter’s bedroom. Everyone is well. Jasna had a show Friday evening, surges started
Before getting pregnant I never considered the sort of birth I would have. The media and popular culture had led me to believe there was only one way to have a baby – on your back, in hospital, drugged up to the eyeballs and in a lot of pain screaming and shouting. But as soon
Birth is intimate and I think, where possible, it’s important to honour that. My husband, Bruno has a son from a previous marriage who was born by caesarean. When I told him I wanted to have our baby at home he deeply respected my decision but was understandably concerned. We decided to do a preparation
As soon as I found out I was pregnant I stopped using any perfumed cosmetics, nothing with any parabens or sulphates and cut out nearly all processed food. I knew I wanted my pregnancy and the birth of my first baby to be as natural as possible. I started going to Lynn’s antenatal yoga group
A new book of water birth stories has been published recently – (see below). Janet Balaskas has contributed her story of the birth of her 4th baby in 1988 to this book, which we include here, plus some rare personal pictures of Janet and Theo taken a few hours after the birth. Here follows the extract from
