Childbirth can be one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences of a woman's life. It can also be one of the most stressful and painful. Even with pain medication, childbirth can be uncomfortable. Breathing techniques are a helpful way to help a woman focus and get through the sometimes long, arduous task of delivering a baby.
Slow Pace Breathing
In the initial stages of labor, it is important for a woman to help the body relax in order for all the right processes to take place for a successful delivery. Slow pace breathing is an exercise that helps the body do just that--relax.
Slow pace breathing is done by beginning with a deep, "cleansing" breath and then taking constant, steady, deep breaths through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth. This helps a woman focus on her breathing rather than the discomfort of labor. She can also use visualization (her favorite place, what her baby will look like in her arms, among other images.) during slow pace breathing to help her focus.
Accelerated Breathing
Once a woman moves further on into active labor, she may feel the need to increase the pace of her breathing to compensate for the increased pain or discomfort. Accelerated breathing, again, begins with a cleansing breath and then continues the same as slow pace breathing, but with a faster pace and more concentration on focusing on each, individual breath.
Patterened Breathing
Once labor hits full on, it's usually time for patterned breathing. This type of breathing exercise not only helps to get the mind clear of as much of the pain as possible, but it can also help women who feel anxiety, stress or panic.
Patterned breathing also begins with an initial cleansing breath and then settles into a pattern of more shallow, rapid, in-and-out breathing. Sometimes this is referred to as "hee-hee-hoo" breathing, as that is the sound the air makes when following the pattern.
Breathing Upon Feeling the Need to Push
During labor, women sometimes feel the need to push before it is time to do so. When this happens, breathing exercises can be helpful. If a woman feels the need to push, she should take a cleansing breath and focus on deep breaths in through the mouth and blow the air out again through the mouth. She should do this as many times as needed until the urge to push passes.
