How to breathe during childbirth – video of breathing exercises

Breathing is a process that a person carries out reflexively. But there are situations when a person just needs to learn how to control his breathing. And pregnancy refers to just such moments. Therefore, a woman in a position must learn to breathe correctly so that her childbirth is quick and painless.

The content of the article:

Why is it necessary to breathe correctly during childbirth?

Proper breathing during childbirth is the best helper for a pregnant woman. After all, it is with his help that she will be able to relax at the right time, and concentrate her forces as much as possible during the fights.

Every pregnant woman knows that the birth process consists of three periods:

1. Dilation of the cervix;
2. Expulsion of the fetus;
3. Expulsion of the placenta.

To avoid injuries during the opening of the cervix, a woman should not push, so the ability to relax in time will be very useful for her.

But during contractions, a woman must push to help her baby be born. Here, her breathing should be as directed as possible to create the most favorable conditions for the child. After all, the vessels in the uterus begin to shrink, and hypoxia occurs. And if the mother is still breathing at random, then oxygen starvation of the fetus may occur.

If a woman approaches childbirth responsibly, then with proper breathing between contractions, the child will receive a sufficient amount of oxygen, which will help him quickly get into the hands of a midwife.

So correct breathing technique has the following positive points:

• Thanks to proper breathing, labor is faster and much easier.
• The child does not have a lack of oxygen, therefore, after birth, he feels much better and receives a higher score on the Apgar scale.
• Correct breathing reduces pain and makes the mother feel much better.

Basic rules of breathing exercises

• You can begin to master the breathing technique during childbirth from 12-16 weeks of pregnancy. However, before starting classes, be sure to consult your doctor! He will tell you where to start, what loads you can afford.

• You can do breathing exercises until the last week of pregnancy.
• You can train several times a day. However, do not overwork, control your well-being.
• If during exercise you feel unwell (for example, dizzy), immediately stop exercising and get some rest.
• After the end of the session, be sure to restore your breathing. To do this, you need to rest a little and breathe in the usual way.
• All breathing exercises can be performed in any position convenient for you.
• Breathing exercises are best done outdoors. However, if you do not have this opportunity, then just ventilate the room well before starting a workout.

Breathing technique during childbirth and contractions – video tutorials

There are four main exercises to help you practice breathing correctly during childbirth:

1. Moderate and relaxing breathing

You will need a small mirror. It must be held with one hand at chin level. Inhale deeply through your nose, and then, for a count of three, exhale through your mouth. To perform the exercise correctly, you do not need to rotate your head, and fold your lips in a tube.

Your goal: learn to exhale so that the mirror does not fog up entirely at once, but gradually and evenly. Continue the workout with the mirror until you can exhale correctly 10 times in a row. Then you can train without a mirror.

This kind of breath you need at the very beginning of laborand also helps to relax in between contractions.

2. Shallow breathing

It is necessary to carry out inhalation and exhalation through the nose or through the mouth quickly and easily. Make sure that breathing is diaphragmatic, only the chest should move, and the stomach remains in place.

During the exercise, you must adhere to a constant rhythm. Do not increase your pace during your workout. The strength and duration of exhalation and inhalation must correspond to each other.

At the very beginning of training, it is recommended to perform this exercise no longer than 10 seconds, gradually you can increase the duration of the training to 60 seconds.

This type of breathing will be needed during the entire period of pushing., as well as during the period of intensification of contractions, when doctors forbid a woman to push.

3. Irregular breathing

The exercise is performed with a slightly open mouth. Touching the tip of your tongue to the lower incisors, breathe in and out loudly. Make sure that breathing is carried out only with the muscles of the chest. The breathing rhythm should be fast and constant. At the initial stages of training, do this exercise for no longer than 10 seconds, then gradually you can increase the time to 2 minutes.

This type of breathing must be used during periods of active pushing. and at the time of the passage of the baby through the birth canal.

4. Deep breathing with an inhalation hold

Inhale deeply through your nose and, holding your breath, slowly count to 10 in your mind. Then gently exhale all the air through your mouth. The exhalation should be long and stretched, during which you should strain the abdominal and chest muscles. Once you have mastered the pause counting up to 10, you can start increasing it, counting up to 15-20.

Such breathing will be necessary for you during the “expulsion of the fetus.” A long squeezing exhalation is needed so that the child’s head, which has already appeared, does not go back.