Janet Balaskas is an
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
, founder of the
Active Birth Movement, and
childbirth
Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...
educator. She is perhaps known best for her advocacy of ''active birth'' where the woman is free to move during labour, rather than being placed into stirrups or the
lithotomy position
The lithotomy position is a common position for surgical procedures and medical examinations involving the pelvis and lower abdomen, as well as a common position for childbirth in Western nations. The lithotomy position involves the positioning of ...
. She coined the term ''active birth'' which she explained in the first of her books ''Active Birth'' published in 1983.
Born in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
she is currently the Director of the Active Birth Centre in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
UK.
Seven ways to survive pregnancy
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
(August 12, 2006)
Bibliography
Books
* ''Active Birth.'' Unwin, London, 1983,
* ''New Life - the book of exercises for childbirth.'' Sidgewick & Jackson, 1983
* ''The Active Birth Partners Handbook.'' Sidgewick & Jackson, 1984
* ''The Encyclopaedia of Pregnancy and Birth (with Yehudi Gordon).'' Macdonald Orbis, 1987
* ''Water Birth (with Yehudi Gordon).'' Unwin Hyman, 1991
* ''New Active Birth - A concise guide to natural childbirth.'' Thorsons, 1991,
Articles
* Janet Balaskas, Sophie Hoare, Lyn Durward, Jo Garcia, and Caroline Langridge, "Birth Rights: Radical Consumerism in Health Care," ''Critical Social Policy'', v. 2, n. 5, pp. 62–65 (1982)
See also
* Childbirth positions
Childbirth positions (or maternal birthing positions) are the physical postures that the pregnant mother may assume during the process of childbirth. They may also be referred to as delivery positions or labor positions.
In addition to the lithot ...
* Home birth
A home birth is a birth that takes place in a residence rather than in a hospital or a birthing center. They may be attended by a midwife, or lay attendant with experience in managing home births. Home birth was, until the advent of modern medi ...
* Water birth
Water birth is childbirth that occurs in water, usually a birthing pool. It may include the use of water for relaxation and pain relief during the first stage of labour, birth into water in the second stage of labour, and the delivery of the pla ...
References
External links
Active Birth Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balaskas, Janet
Natural childbirth advocates
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
South African emigrants to the United Kingdom