Meet Baby Max

After the second week of the hospital antenatal class, I was absolutely terrified about going into labour. We watched the birth videos and all i could think of was how much pain those women looked like they were in! I realised it was a little too late for me to be having these thoughts now given i was already in my third trimester. 

I had been going to the Yogababy pregnancy yoga classes ever since I was 20 weeks and had been loving them. It was such a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning with some quiet stretching and meditation. I found that the stretches of the yoga kept my muscles flexible and supple throughout my pregnancy and I was able to avoid any significant back and hip pain. 

So, after being slightly traumatised from the hospital videos on birth, I looked into the active birth workshop that Yogababy offered and signed up for my husband and I to attend. I’m so glad I did! The skills we learnt prepared me so that I wasn’t fearful of labour anymore, I actually felt completely empowered and even excited for the experience. I thought the way the weekend focuses on the dads and what they can do to be a great support person during the labour was fantastic, as it gave us all the tools in our toolkit we needed depending on how the labour was progressing. The workshop taught us the right questions to ask of the medical professionals and reminded us what we don’t necessarily always have to consent to. I felt so prepared after the workshop, I was mentally ready that when I went into labour I was going to be able to give birth to my baby without fear. I’m so incredibly grateful to Suzanne and Yogababy for sharing these skills with couples as it’s such a special experience to give birth to a baby. We used several of the techniques and skills we learned from the workshop in the birth of our beautiful son and although the delivery didn’t go completely as planned, we were comfortably prepared for any scenario. 

Now looking back there isn’t anything I would change. We got our beautiful baby boy Max and we had a wonderful birth experience. In fact, I can’t wait to do it again someday!

Michelle attended the Pregnancy Yoga and Active Birth Workshop with her partner