How to breathe correctly during childbirth

Proper breathing during childbirth ensures:

acceleration of labor. A woman who breathes correctly does not focus on pain, but controls the alternation of inhalations and exhalations, due to which the cervix opens faster;
muscle relaxation. Measured breathing helps relax muscles, which means it facilitates labor;
reduction of pain. If the muscles are “compressed into a ball,” the pain intensifies with each contraction of the uterus. With relaxed muscles, pain decreases;
saturating the body with oxygen. Proper breathing allows you to actively supply oxygen to all the muscles that experience increased stress during childbirth, as well as to the baby itself.

Water

Painful sensations are relieved by relaxation. The water warms up and takes the pressure off your legs and spine. Once regular contractions begin, you can immerse yourself in a warm bath at home. In this position, wait until the interval between contractions is 5 minutes and go to the maternity hospital.

Another way to reduce pain: squat down with your knees apart, lean on the edge of the bathtub and ask your partner to pour warm water from the shower onto the sacral area.

Breathing technique during childbirth

Breathing is an unconditioned reflex, and in the normal state, each of us breathes without thinking about it. But during childbirth, due to severe pain and muscle tension, a woman often “forgets” to inhale deeply and exhale slowly.

The technique of proper breathing during childbirth is to control inhalation and exhalation. At different stages of childbirth, a woman should breathe differently, but always by controlling the number and duration of inhalations and exhalations.

Breathing techniques during childbirth are based on the fact that the diaphragm helps breathing, and does not complicate the process. There are different breathing techniques during childbirth, videos and descriptions of these techniques will allow a pregnant woman to prepare for the process of childbirth, practice proper breathing skills in advance and bring them to automatism. After all, if a woman goes into labor, breathing and behavior, the video of which she watched, she will need to automatically repeat.

How to make the process easier: methods of pain relief for childbirth

Despite the fact that pain during childbirth is normal and cannot be completely eliminated, there are effective pain relief methods that will help to significantly reduce the intensity of the discomfort. These methods include:

correct psycho-emotional mood;
practiced breathing technique;
massage;
hydrotherapy;
use of medicinal methods.

How to breathe properly and relax during childbirth

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Positive attitude

As a rule, the first pregnancy is especially difficult. There are a million questions in my head: how will everything go, will I cope with the pain, what kind of doctor will be like. Add to this the change in hormonal levels and all sorts of “instructions” from mothers and more experienced friends. A woman stresses herself out, begins to worry, and goes into labor not with love and joy, but with fear.

As a result, fear interferes with the production of endorphin, which reduces pain during childbirth, and oxytocin, the love hormone that helps the cervix open. In this case, the pain will be stronger.

Of course, it is absolutely normal to worry during this period, but remember that childbirth is, first of all, a natural process. And if you know the physiology of childbirth, if you are not afraid and can relax, then oxytocin will begin to be actively produced in your body. Under its influence, the feeling of pain is dulled and childbirth is easier.

Active behavior

When intense contractions begin, it is better not to lie on your back, but to start moving: walk around the room, do simple physical exercises, change your body position, you can even dance a little.

Physical activity relieves pain for the following reasons:

If a woman in labor is constantly lying down, then the overall blood flow decreases. The result is that the supply of oxygen to the uterus decreases and the discomfort intensifies. But if you start moving, the scheme will work exactly the opposite. It happens that, for medical reasons, a woman is forbidden to get up, then she can move right on the couch: sway, move her legs, “spring”;
The intensity of pain is influenced by general tension: the greater it is, the brighter the discomfort. This is why it is important to relax as much as possible during a fight. It will be easier to do this while on the move.

Correct breathing

Some expectant mothers are very afraid of strong sensations, they begin to panic and scream, and this only worsens their well-being. During childbirth, proper breathing is very important. Firstly, this way you will provide both yourself and your baby with a sufficient amount of oxygen. Secondly, rhythmic inhalations and exhalations significantly reduce pain.

You can learn special breathing techniques to ease the condition during childbirth in our online course “Easy Childbirth Without Fear.” You will learn more than 15 effective techniques for different stages of labor. When you practice breathing with a certain frequency and depth while still pregnant, you will not be confused at the most crucial moment and will know which technique to use. By breathing properly, you can improve your well-being and reduce the risk of ruptures. During the course you will learn about other methods of pain relief, and will also receive a gift set of meditations to create mood and relaxation during childbirth.

Massage

Massage can help reduce pain during childbirth. By stimulating certain areas of the body, you will relax and pain will decrease.

You can do the massage yourself, or ask your partner.

It is best to massage the following areas of the body:

lateral parts of the abdomen;
sacral zone (in this case, the transmission of the nerve impulse is blocked, due to which the woman in labor experiences relief).

Massage is performed with the pads or knuckles of the fingers, palms, with a fist, as well as with a special massager.

Epidural pain relief

If the birth process is delayed, the cervix is difficult to dilate, and the pain is growing and exhausting, the doctor may offer you a medicinal method of pain relief - epidural anesthesia. This is a medical procedure during which a woman is given anesthesia in a certain area of the spine.

This injection has the following effects:

relaxation of the pelvic muscles;
analgesic effect resulting from loss of sensation in the lower body.

Sometimes doctors themselves prescribe EA for special medical reasons.

You can read more about this procedure in our article on the pros and cons of epidural anesthesia.

Hydrotherapy

Excellent for pain relief and hydrotherapy. This is why many modern birthing rooms have bathtubs. Why water helps:

blood pressure decreases;
the body relaxes;
the effectiveness of contractions increases;
The pressure on the back is reduced by reducing the force of gravity.

Recommended water temperature is from 36.6 to 37.8 degrees.

You can also use a warm shower to relax and make labor easier. Water either the entire body or specific areas (sacrum or abdomen).

Other methods of pain relief

In addition to the methods listed above, other methods of pain relief are also used in practice:

Meditations are special exercises that allow you to relax and properly tune in to the process;
Switching attention - concentrating on other things helps a lot. This could be communicating with people, watching movies, etc.;
Music – Prepare yourself a playlist with calming music. This will help you calm down and endure the pain;
Aromatherapy - essential oils of lavender, bergamot, lemon, tangerine are very relaxing. You can take them with you and inhale them. Pleasant smells will create a favorable environment and relieve tension.

Do not forget about the physical preparation of the body for the upcoming birth.

Pregnancy is a serious burden on a woman’s body, so it is important to maintain good physical shape during pregnancy. Do yoga, do daily exercises, swim, walk more often.

Exercise improves metabolism, prevents gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), prevents edema and improves mood.

So, there are many methods of pain relief, the main thing is to remember them when the moment comes for the baby to be born. Remember, preparation for childbirth is no less important than the birth itself.

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Breathing during childbirth: contractions

If contractions are already regular and the pain intensifies, the most important thing is not to strain or scream, this interferes with the dilation of the cervix. When labor occurs, the breathing and behavior of the mother in labor help the baby move through the birth canal and allow the birth process to proceed as quickly as possible and without outside stimulation. No matter how much you want to curl up on the bed and moan, you need to get up and try to move and breathe correctly - you’ll see, it will become much easier to endure contractions this way.

When preparing for childbirth, breathing should be measured. While the contractions are not yet so strong, you need to slowly inhale air (counting to four) and exhale even more slowly (counting to six). Breathing, in which the inhalation is longer than the exhalation, allows you to calm down and relax.

When contractions become intense, it is no longer possible to breathe so steadily. In this case, it is necessary to use dog breathing. During childbirth, this technique allows you to endure the most severe contractions without unnecessary stress. Canine panting is rapid, shallow breathing with an open mouth. You need to start breathing like a dog when the contraction just begins. The more intense the contraction, the more often you need to breathe. At the end of the contraction, when the pain subsides, you need to take a deep breath and exhale smoothly. To learn how to breathe during childbirth, video lessons and breathing techniques must be studied in advance and repeatedly practiced in their use at home.

What contractions indicate the onset of labor?

In the third trimester of pregnancy, a woman often experiences sensations similar to mild contractions. If they are not associated with problems - for example, the danger of premature labor, which is better to stop - most likely you are experiencing training contractions. Nature prepares the uterus and corresponding muscles for the imminent birth.

The closer to the end of pregnancy, the more often the muscles of the birth canal will be trained . And at some point this will already be the beginning of labor. How not to miss it?

I will hasten to reassure you - it is very difficult to miss childbirth, it does not happen suddenly. This is a long process, it begins timidly, gradually increasing in all its manifestations. In the case of the first birth, it always takes longer than the second time, and indeed can take even a day.

But don't be scared! – Painful and frequent contractions will not strike you suddenly and will not accompany you throughout labor.

Let's talk about how to determine that contractions indicate the onset of labor:

false contractions will definitely stop after a short time - just change your body position, walk around, lie down, you can even sleep, and the pulling sensations in the lower abdomen and the tone of the uterus will go away;
genuine labor pains will gradually intensify - if you observe tension in the muscles of the uterus at intervals of 15-20 minutes for at least 40 seconds 4-5 times in a row or more, this is already the beginning of labor;
Often at this time the plug comes out and amniotic fluid pours out - which means it’s time to go to the maternity hospital.

Breathing during childbirth: pushing

The breathing and behavior of a woman in labor during pushing is usually controlled by a midwife: she tells you when and how to push, and when you need to “breathe” through the pushing. If we talk about general principles, breathing during pushing looks like this: take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through your mouth, sharply, aimed at the uterus and pushing out the baby, and not at the head.

If you are going into labor, the correct breathing video you watched during pregnancy should appear before your eyes. When the contraction begins, relax as much as possible, take a deep breath and exhale slowly, and if necessary, do dog breathing. Practice proper breathing in advance - this will make the birth process much easier.

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How to make childbirth painless

Half a century ago, doctors themselves compared a woman’s pain during childbirth with traumatic amputation of a limb. And to the woman’s question, “Does it hurt to give birth for the first time?” Midwives most often responded with the statement that every woman giving birth goes through such pain. In contrast, there are suggestions that our primitive ancestors did not experience suffering during childbirth, since the ability for this natural process is genetically inherent in humans. In addition, childbirth in most animals (provided they are healthy and not in captivity) is absolutely painless.

Fortunately, today pain during childbirth can be safely avoided. Most often, modern medicine offers painkillers. Back in 1992, the joint board of American obstetricians-gynecologists and anesthesiologists-resuscitators adopted the concept of painless childbirth. Doctors openly stated that there is no need to endure pain if there are safe ways to eliminate it in the hands of a doctor. However, doctors have long understood that when pain relief during childbirth, an individual approach is required for each patient.