There are many different forms of breathing to help you through labor and delivery, but all forms help bring much needed oxygen to you and your baby. The goal of breathing exercises for labor, according to the American Pregnancy Association, is ultimately to relax and calm you during this stressful period (see Reference 1).
Benefits to Patterned Breathing
Breathing exercises help you through the pain of contractions by providing a sense of calm, and by helping make each contraction purposeful. Patterned breathing also allows you to avoid pushing when you are not ready and to get through the second stage of labor. Practice patterned breathing daily during your everyday routine, such as when you have minor pains (see Reference 1).
Breathing Techniques
Take a long and deep breath at the beginning and end of a contraction and say to yourself "relax." For the first stage of labor, when you cannot get through contractions without pausing to walk or talk, practice slow breathing. To do so, the American Pregnancy Association says to begin by taking an "organizing breath" or a deep breath that makes your body limp (see Reference 1). With slow breaths, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Allow yourself to breathe in and out naturally, letting the air come in and out as you need it. During each exhale, focus on relaxing a different part of your body, like your legs or stomach (Reference 1).
Use light accelerated breathing for the active stage of labor when contractions are more intense. To use this technique, breathe quickly in and out through the mouth lasting one breath per second. To begin, take an organizing breath again at the beginning of your contraction. Then, start breathing slowly as you did for the first stage of labor. Quicken your breath as the contraction gains intensity. Then gradually slow your breath as the contractions wane. End with a long breath and sigh (see Reference 1).
A third form of labor breathing is variable, or transition, breathing. This technique combines shallow breaths with longer exhalations and is referred to as "pant-pant-blow" or "hee-hee-who" breathing. To practice this form, begin with an organizing breath and go limp. Use a focal point, such as a picture, to focus your attention. Then, breathe quickly and lightly with five to 20 breaths per ten seconds for each contraction. At the end of various exhales, let out a longer breath with a sound. At the end of the contraction, end with a long breath and a sigh again (see Reference 1).
Tags: stage labor, organizing breath, American Pregnancy, American Pregnancy Association, breath sigh