Breathing Techniques During Labor
Using proper breathing techniques during labor is extremely important to help an expectant mother relax and gain control of her body. By using the right breathing techniques, it will help to bring the necessary amount of air into your lungs and relieve a significant amount of pain that you are feeling. It is common knowledge that whenever you start to tense your body and shorten your breath, it only heightens your anxiety and can increase the pain that you are already feeling. Not only are you increasing your anxiety, but you are depriving your body of the oxygen it needs and creating a situation where you are no longer in control of your own body.
This is of course why Lamaze breathing techniques and other similar methods are so vital whenever a woman goes into labor.
Here are a few effective labor breathing techniques you can use when the big day finally arrives:
- Exaggerated breathing – you will want to take a deep and exaggerated breathe before and after each of your contractions. You want to take a deep and slow inhale through your nose and slowly let it come out through your mouth. Not only will this allow you to stay focused on your goal, but it will also be supplying an ample amount of oxygen to both you and your baby.
- Relaxed breathing – this is basically where you find your happy place and go there. You will want to find some type of object or person that you focus on while breathing, or to simply close your eyes and focus on something that makes you happy (your children, a place, favorite pet, etc.). You then focus on the thing that makes you happy and allow yourself to breathe in a relaxed state. As you exhale, allow all of the air to be pushed from your lungs and your body to go limp.
- Word focus – find a two syllable word and enunciate each syllable as you inhale and exhale. As an example your focus word could be “mommy”. As you inhale you will say “mommm” and as you exhale you finish the word, “mmmmy”.
Remember that while you are trying to push that it can be difficult to stay focused on your breathing at times. You want to have your partner learn these techniques with you, so that he or she can keep you focused on your breathing. Try to refrain from holding your breath as you are pushing and also be sure to have your partner support your neck during this time. This will allow you to concentrate more on your breathing and will help to alleviate some of the stress that the constant pushing will put on your body.
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