New Active Birth [Paperback]

Janet Balaskas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 1990

"New Active Birth" will help you and your partner prepare for and experience an Active Birth. Naturally, throughout time and the world over, women have chosen to walk, stand, squat, lie - to move their bodies freely and actively to find the most comfortable positions for labour and birth. It is only we in the west who have the extraordinary notion that a woman should lie on her back in a position that defies the laws of nature and gravity. With this book, you can learn to develop all your body's resources to deal with the instinctive experience of childbirth. It is also for partners, teachers, midwives and everyone involved, to help mothers get up off the delivery table and to bring back some of the common sense which has been overlooked by modern obstetrics. "New Active Birth" is the new and revised edition of Janet Balaskas' pioneering and acclaimed "Active Birth" covering over 180 clear black and white photographs and line drawings throughout. Fully updated and extended with new information - includes sections on Water Birth and Recovery After Birth. It offers revised and expanded prenatal and postnatal exercises with step by step photographs. It presents a detailed up-to-the minute section covering every aspect of Active Birth at home and in hospital and the Active Birth Movement. Janet Balaskas is the founder of the Active Birth Movement. The mother of four children, she trained with the National Childbirth Trust and is a counsellor for childbirth.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Janet Balaskas is the founder of the Active Birth Movement. The mother of four children, she trained with the National Childbirth Trust and is a counsellor for childbirth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thorsons (December 21, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0722525664
• ISBN-13: 978-0722525661
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #657,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding guide to a wonderful birthing experience, August 21, 2004

By 

E. M. WILLIAMS "bete rouge" (St.George's Grenada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Active Birth (Paperback)

This book was an absolute godsend for the birth of my second child. It allows you to reclaim your natural power as a woman and allows you to trust your body to do what it was made to do. I have given and recommended copies to any pregnant woman I meet! Quite graphic, naked pictures, but if you really want to get to grips with what you need to do to really prepare yourself for labour this is IT. Wonderful. I had a pain-free home birth and a most satisfying experience. It cannot of course, guarantee that you will have the birth you want but it will instruct you to be as prepared as you can for one of the most important events of your life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to know how a natural birth feels?, November 18, 2008

By 

T. Rossi - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Active Birth (Paperback)

...Read this book! And if you're crunched for time, at LEAST read chapters 6-8, which discuss labor and after the birth (breastfeeding). Balaskas is SPOT on with her descriptions of how labor feels and what happens to your mind and body during the different stages of labor. She also gives great pain-coping techniques and lots of talk about positions for labor and delivery. I read chapters 6-8 three times before the birth of my second child. If you are afraid of birth or pain, even MORE reason to read this book--it will empower you and give you confidence.

One humorous note: you don't have to give birth naked, nor have your husband naked behind you like many of the pictures in her book show. I was quite comfy in my hospital robes with my comfortably-clothed husband.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the MOST helpful book for those desiring natural birth, November 27, 2005

By 

C. Hamilton "aspiring midwife and birth junkie" (annapolis, md) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Active Birth (Paperback)

This book was by far the BEST book and approach to having an aware, powerful, confident birth experience. It didn't try to teach me tricks (mostly useless) to avoid the contractions and pain, but instead taught WHY we have contractions, that they are HEALTHY and GOOD, and how to work with them. Embrace them! Your are bringing forth new life. What an opportunity to participate in a miracle. Don't miss it! Read this book!