Читать книгу New Active Birth: A Concise Guide to Natural Childbirth - Janet Balaskas - Страница 7

During the rapid development of modern obstetrics in the last three hundred years, women have lost touch with their power as birth-givers. We have almost forgotten how a natural physiological birth unfolds.

An Active Birth is nothing new. It is simply a convenient way of describing normal labour and birth and the way that a woman behaves when she is following her own instincts and the physiological logic of her body. It is a way of saying that she herself is in control of her body while giving birth, rather than the passive recipient of an ‘actively managed’ birth on the part of her attendants.

By deciding to have an Active Birth you will be reclaiming your fundamental power as a birth-giver, a mother and also as a woman. You will also be giving your baby the best possible start in life and a safe transition from the womb to the world. Should an unusual difficulty or complication arise, you will be free to make use of the safety net of modern obstetric care, knowing that you have done your very best and also knowing that this is your choice and that the intervention was really necessary. In this way, even the most difficult birth can be a positive experience.

Preparing for an Active Birth during pregnancy will lessen the likelihood of complications arising. It will also ensure that you approach the birth of your baby in optimal health, which will enhance and hasten your recovery, whatever happens.

If you give birth actively you will want to move around freely during the early part, or first stage, of labour, choosing comfortable upright positions such as standing, walking, sitting, kneeling or squatting. In between contractions you will find ways to rest in these positions, comfortably supported by pillows. As you approach the expulsive or second stage during which your child will be born, you will continue to use the upright positions which are most comfortable or practical. At the end, for the actual birth, you will use a natural expulsive position (usually supported) like squatting or kneeling.

An Active Birth is instinctive. It involves you 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 or delivery 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 labour with those in a passive recumbent position (see here).

Some women, left to themselves, will instinctively know what to do in labour, 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 practising the birth positions and movements which are most appropriate and comfortable during your pregnancy. The yoga-based exercises in this book will lead you towards your own instincts for labour and birth, while cultivating the right and natural body habits for a healthy pregnancy.