Lara’s very first encounter with Janet Balaskas and Active Birth was when she was born! Her mother, Jackie, had attended Janet’s pregnancy yoga classes, and Janet was there to help during Lara’s birth – which went beautifully.
Fast forward 38 years and Lara is expecting her first baby. Of course her mum recommended Active Birth, and Lara has been attending Janet’s pregnancy yoga classes, preparing to give her own baby a relaxed and empowered welcome into the world.
“I’ve been reading Janet’s books and I really want to get fit and have a more active birth,” says Lara. “The classes are great – Janet always shares really useful tips and information about things I hadn’t thought about yet. It’s also really nice meeting other pregnant women and sharing our thoughts and experiences.”
Jackie was kind enough to share her birth story – quite groundbreaking at the time, as Active Birth was still in its early days.
“It was wonderful having the education I had from Janet when the contractions arrived. I was feeling very calm and confident in the knowledge that I was in no hurry. I kneeled up the stairs when each contraction came (to work that wiggle and focus on breathing) in between making sandwiches and collecting ourselves as well as the huge birthing sponges as we slowly got ourselves ready for the journey to the Royal Free… In the car I was in that comfortable position, travelling backwards whilst kneeling and hugging the back of my car seat.”
“I had opted for a hospital birth thinking I had the best of both worlds – confident of a natural childbirth yet within the ‘safety net’ of the hospital surroundings for my first child. And with Janet at my side, what more could I wish for! It really didn’t seem to take very long before my beautiful daughter Lara arrived while I was squatting on the hospital bed/table. It was a wonderful experience I could never forget – nor want to. I put it down to luck as well as opportunity that I was able to acquire the all-round knowledge and enjoy learning and practicing the birthing techniques those 38 years ago. Many, I’m sure, were not able to do that at the time.”
It is so special having a second generation of women discovering Active Birth and we hope to see many more in the future. A big thank-you to Lara and Jackie for sharing your experiences with the Active Birth family.
