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Active Birth
The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally
By Janet Balaskas
An active birth is instinctive. It involves your giving birth quite naturally and spontaneously through your own will and determination, having the complete freedom to use your body as you choose and to follow its urges. Active birth is an attitude of mind. It involves acceptance and trust in the natural function and involuntary nature of the birth process, as well as an attitude or appropriate positioning of your body. It is not merely a vaginal extraction in which the attendants are in control and you are a passive patient. It is more comfortable, safer, and more efficient than a passive "confinement." This is supported by the many scientific studies comparing women who are active in labor with those in a passive, recumbent position.
Some women, left to themselves, will instinctively know what to do in labor, but most of us, having no example to follow, need to be made aware of the possibilities of using various upright positions in order to discover our instincts. This can easily be done by practicing during your pregnancy the birth positions and movements that are most appropriate and comfortable. The yoga-based exercises in this book will lead you towards your own instincts for labor and birth, while cultivating the right and natural body habits for a healthy pregnancy.
The program of yoga-based exercises that follows will cultivate relaxation and flexibility in a safe, unstrenuous way. Pregnancy is a unique and marvelous time to let go of habitual tensions and to allow your body to become more relaxed. If you've never exercised before, you may find some of the positions difficult at first. But gradually, with practice, you'll looen up.
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