Janet Balaskas is an author, founder of the Active Birth Movement,See Kerreen Reiger, "Telling Tales: Health Professionals and Mother's Constructions of Choice in Childbirth," Sociological Sites/Sights, TASA 2000 Conference, Adelaide: Flinders University, Dec. 6-8, 2000 (note 1). and childbirth 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. She coined the term active birth Childbirth Choices Guide: Janet Balaskas - Active Birth Laura Stavoe Harm which she explained in the first of her books Active Birth published in 1983.Susan Seneman, "Rebirthing Midwifery," New Directions for Women, v. 22, n. 4, pp. 7 (July-Aug. 1993)
Born in South Africa, she is the Director of the Active Birth Centre in London, UK .Seven ways to survive pregnancy The Guardian (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 Home birth Water birth
References
External links Active Birth Centre