What is the breathing method for pregnant women during childbirth?

Expectant mothers who are having a baby for the first time must do some preparation before the baby is born, otherwise they will be in a hurry when the baby is due. Many expectant mothers choose to have a cesarean section because of fear and not understanding the breathing method of pregnant women during childbirth. Although there is no pain during a cesarean section, there will be many things to face after the operation, so try to give birth naturally if possible.

During labor, when contractions reach their peak, shallow breathing can help expectant mothers. And the method is very simple. The expectant mother inhales and exhales through her mouth, and only inhales into the upper half of the lungs when inhaling. The editor suggests that expectant mothers can ask expectant fathers for help to practice shallow breathing with you. Let him put his hands on your shoulder blades, and he will feel your shoulder blades moving upward.

Shallow breathing keeps you calm

During labor, when contractions reach their peak, shallow breathing can help expectant mothers. And the method is very simple. The expectant mother inhales and exhales through her mouth, and only inhales into the upper half of the lungs when inhaling. The editor suggests that expectant mothers can ask expectant fathers for help to practice shallow breathing with you. Let him put his hands on your shoulder blades, and he will feel your shoulder blades moving upward.

Before giving birth, practice shallow breathing every day. When pregnant mothers practice, they can sit on a carpet, cross their legs in front of their body, straighten their back, and breathe in and out through their mouths. Simply inflate the upper part of the lungs, and the upper chest and shoulder blades will rise and expand. The breaths should be full and short, with the lips slightly open. Inhale air through the throat.

After about 10 shallow breaths, it's time to take a deep breath, and then do 10 more. This shallow breathing can be used when the uterine contractions reach their peak. If you practice every day, you will be more comfortable during childbirth and reduce the pain during labor. Also, by mastering shallow breathing, you can stay relaxed and calm when you are in labor, and you can also maintain control of your body even during contractions.

Deep abdominal breathing reduces the pain of uterine contractions

Generally speaking, during the first stage of labor, expectant mothers tend to be anxious and restless. In order to stabilize their emotions and get through this period safely, expectant mothers can try doing deep abdominal breathing, so that they can get through the first stage of labor easily and quickly.

Deep abdominal breathing has a calming effect and can help expectant mothers at the beginning and end of contractions. Doing this repeatedly can reduce the strong stimulation caused by uterine contractions. In addition, deep abdominal breathing can prevent the fetus's oxygen supply function from declining. Through this exercise, the tension of the muscles around the birth canal can be relaxed and the expansion of the uterine opening can be promoted.

The method of deep abdominal breathing is not difficult. The expectant mother can spread her legs easily and bend her knees slightly. Open the thumbs of both hands, put the other four fingers together, and place them lightly on the lower abdomen to form a triangle. The thumbs of both hands should be located approximately just below the navel. When you take a deep breath, let your lower abdomen expand. When you exhale, let your lower abdomen return to its original shape like a concave shape.

While practicing, expectant mothers can sit comfortably and relax as much as possible. Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing the air to reach the bottom of your lungs. You can also ask your expectant father to practice with you. He can put his hands on your waist and feel your rib cage, or thorax, expanding outward and upward. Now, focus on exhaling slowly and gently. Then continue with the next breath naturally.

Lamaze breathing technique to relax muscles

It is best for expectant mothers to start practicing this method from the 7th month of pregnancy. The Lamaze childbirth breathing method, through neuromuscular control, prenatal gymnastics and breathing techniques, allows expectant mothers to effectively focus on their breathing control during childbirth, thereby diverting pain, moderately relaxing muscles, and being able to confidently remain calm during labor pain and delivery, thereby speeding up the delivery process and allowing the baby to be born smoothly.

Lamaze breathing can be done while sitting or lying down. Focus your eyes on a focal point and use hand massage while training your breathing. Use different breathing methods for different stages of production. These breathing methods include:

Clearing Breathing: This is the most basic method in Lamaze Breathing. Inhale slowly through your nose into your stomach, and use your fingers to gently make circular motions from the outside of your abdomen upwards. Then exhale slowly through your lips as if blowing out a candle, while using your fingers to gently make circular motions from the center of your abdomen downwards.

Chest breathing: Since expectant mothers have difficulty in moving and cannot do normal activities, they need to use chest breathing. Before doing chest breathing, do a clearing breath. Then breathe in slowly through your nose into your chest and breathe out slowly through your lips as if you were blowing out a candle. Finish with a clearing breath. Do 6-9 times a minute, with each contraction lasting 60 seconds.

Gasping breathing: At the critical moment before delivery, when the uterus contracts, first do a clearing breath, then do 4-6 gasping breaths, exhaling through your mouth. The technique of gasping breathing is to blow hard, in a short and fast speed, like blowing a bag. At the end, do another clearing breath.

Blowing: When the uterus has not yet fully expanded and begins the first contraction, use accelerated or decelerated gasping breathing. When you want to push, blow short and powerfully until the idea of ​​pushing disappears, and then resume gasping breathing.

Hold your breath and push: The baby may be born at any time. The length of the labor process at this time determines whether you will push. Therefore, you must push when the uterus contracts, and relax when the uterus stops contracting. The key to holding your breath and pushing is to take a deep breath, hold your breath and push downwards. At this time, your chin should be close to your chest and your eyes should be looking at your navel. Try to hold your breath for twenty to thirty seconds. After changing your breath, hold your breath and push downwards until the contraction is over.

There are only a few types of breathing methods for pregnant women during childbirth, which have been introduced in detail above. Expectant mothers can read more about them. INDIGO will be able to help everyone. I hope all expectant mothers can take a good look at this and learn it well. By mastering these methods, they can reduce pain during childbirth and at the same time reduce the fear in the hearts of all expectant mothers.