The Active Birth Book is a must-have resource for parents looking for natural means of childbirth. Author and mother Janet Balaskas wrote this revolutionary book that combines yoga movements, breathing techniques and natural positions to encourage mothers to have an active birth.

In an active birth, a mother moves about freely, chooses the most comfortable position for labor and delivery and seldom needs drugs or obstetrical interventions. The Active Birth Book educates mothers on ways to develop all of their bodily resources for giving birth. It encourages them to follow their instincts and to take control of the childbirth experience.

The Active Birth Book includes:

• Exercises to enhance a comfortable, energetic pregnancy are fully illustrated


• Details for the best massage methods for pregnancy and labor


• Advice for creating the ideal setting for an active birth—whether at home or hospital


• Positions that provide maximum comfort and efficient contractions


• Water birth information and how to plan one


• Tips for partners and birth attendants

Active Birth has a foreword by Sheila Kitzinger, a well-respected author of woman-centered childbirth books, lecturer to midwives in many different countries and teaches midwifery in the Wolfson School of Health Sciences in the United Kingdom. It also includes an introduction by Dr. Michel Odent, a French obstetrician known for his pioneering work in researching and developing birth centers and low intervention childbirths.