Breathing during labor – how to properly oxygenate yourself and your baby.

Breathing during labor relieves labor pains, calms you down and gives you a sense of control over the course of labor. Just breathing under physiological conditions can affect heart rate, hormone function and oxygenate nerve cells.  As the baby grows in the mother’s abdomen, it takes up more and more space, and thus compresses the diaphragm making it difficult for its mother to breathe. Pregnant women often complain of shortness of breath. This unpleasant effect persists until the last weeks of pregnancy, when the abdomen recedes significantly and causes a release of pressure on the diaphragm. It is for these reasons that learning and practicing correct breathing frequently is so important for the mother-to-be.

How to breathe during childbirth?

Breathing in labor is best learned at a birthing school under the guidance of trained professionals. It is not uncommon for women to enroll in group classes for pregnant women, where yoga or Pilates are practiced in addition to breathing techniques. Breathing techniques during labor are best practiced from the first weeks of pregnancy. The earlier, the less risk of forgetting how to breathe properly once you cross the delivery room due to stress and emotion.

Breathing during labor  should be steady and deep. Repeated at regular intervals and calm. On inhalation, the intercostal muscles and diaphragm tighten, and on exhalation they relax. Parents must remember to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Breathing during childbirth is best done by so-called “breathing”. “abdominal track.” This means that on inhalation, the abdomen of the parturient rises slightly and falls with exhalation. Unfortunately, most of the ladies in the delivery room are in the habit of breathing so-called. “thoracic track,” when the chest rises on inhalation. With this technique, it is not possible to use the entire lung capacity. Therefore, it is much less efficient than using the diaphragm for this purpose. Proper breathing during labor is unfortunately not easy, so without the help of an experienced person, this task becomes quite challenging. If a pregnant woman already decides to take breathing lessons online or through tutorials, it is worth remembering a few safety rules. First, nothing by force. If dark circles begin to appear or dizziness occurs when practicing breathing through the eyes, this may indicate hyperventilation, or increased ventilation of the lungs. Such a symptom can even lead to the onset of panic attacks. In that case, you should stop exercising as soon as possible. Another risk is the appearance of nausea or heartburn. This often happens when a woman decides to practice breathing shortly after a meal.

Breathing during labor – advantages

Correct breathing during labor oxygenates the uterine muscles and makes the uterus more relaxed, so it dilates faster when contractions begin.  As a result, labor is shorter.  During labor, breathing makes the newborn better oxygenated from birth. Few parturients know that every contraction of the uterus causes apnea in the uterus, and this means less oxygen delivered to their own and the baby’s lungs. Breathlessness also aggravates pain. To reduce its intensity, take a deep and steady breath before an impending contraction. When the pain gets worse, breathing should be deepened. To make sure you don’t forget to breathe during labor, ask your midwife to monitor the process.

See also: How is childbirth going?