In the process of life, we rarely think about the importance of breathing. We just breathe, it is a reflex, it is familiar and simple. In fact, breathing can do much more than just gas exchange. In particular, certain breathing techniques can help in the treatment of serious illnesses, affect the functioning of internal organs, and even reduce pain. That is why it is recommended that a woman breathe correctly during childbirth. In this article, we will tell you how to breathe correctly during childbirth to ease your own condition and make your baby more stable.
How does breathing affect?
Even children know that the way to breathe in and out affects their well-being. If you run for a long time and breathe deeply through your mouth, then you will strongly want to sleep, and if you breathe "like a dog" in short breaths, you will feel dizzy. The way of breathing can slow down or speed up not only gas exchange, but also metabolism.
With calm, measured, moderately deep breathing, all tissues of the body are saturated with oxygen, as a result of which they begin to work more correctly, the muscles relax. This effect of breathing techniques and methods was noticed by doctors of antiquity. Many auxiliary techniques in psychiatry, psychotherapy, and physiotherapy are based on changing the respiratory rhythm and depth of inspiration. Obstetricians-gynecologists also ask to breathe correctly.
Regular inhalation and exhalation can help in childbirth, because with proper breathing, a sufficient accumulation of oxygen in the mother's body is achieved. This is an excellent prevention of fetal hypoxia during childbirth - a condition that is dangerous for the baby. The child during the birth process, which is a serious test for him, must, to the last - before cutting off the umbilical cord, receive a sufficient amount of oxygen from the mother's blood.
If a woman screams and breathes at random, she uses up oxygen, her own organs begin to experience oxygen starvation. Moreover, she cannot provide the required amount of vital gas for her baby.
With the correct breathing technique, a woman gains some control over the state of the muscles - it is easier for her to relax, which reduces pain, and also speeds up the process of childbirth, since there are no muscle clamps and blockages. With sufficient blood oxygen saturation in the woman's body, the production of endorphins is activated, which not only have the ability to raise mood, but are also an effective natural pain reliever.
Correct breathing makes pushing more effective, as a result, the baby is born faster, and the risk of rupture is reduced. The level of stress and birth fears in a woman in labor, who breathes as it should, is much lower. As a result, the woman giving birth has better control over her emotions, better contact with the obstetric team.
Birth breathing techniques are included in the preparation for childbirth. At different times, they were studied by various doctors and scientists. Today, all women in labor in the world breathe according to the method of the French obstetrician Fernand Lamaze, who formulated the basics of natural pain relief in childbirth. Also known are the methods of Bekhterev, Lurie - their developments have become a solid basis for the Lamaze system. In Russia, breathing according to the method of Dr. Alexander Kobasa is very popular.
You can and should get acquainted with the techniques and exercises even during the period of bearing a baby - the basics of these techniques are taught in courses for expectant mothers, which operate free of charge at every antenatal clinic.
Even if a woman does not have time to attend such classes, there are many video tutorials that you should definitely use in order to work out.
If the expectant mother will conduct such training even during pregnancy, then during childbirth she will not have questions about how and when to inhale and exhale.
Basic techniques
In childbirth, a woman will consistently go through several periods of labor - contractions, attempts, birth of the placenta. In each period, breathing will be different and will pursue different goals. Before mastering the inhalation and exhalation characteristic of each stage of childbirth, you should begin training by training the very methods of inhaling and exhaling.
In everyday life, we breathe shallowly, without attaching much importance to it. At the same time, we can take breaths with our chest and stomach in any arbitrary order. You can't breathe like that during childbirth. To streamline reflex movements, you need to master the following types of breathing in stages.
Belly - while the chest remains practically motionless, only the stomach rises on inhalation. A woman can control the process with her own hands. One of them is placed on the stomach with the palm of the hand, and the other on the chest. While a pregnant woman is watching a movie, she may well exercise. The hand on the chest should remain motionless.
- Breast - Again, two palms come to the rescue, but the requirements are reversed - the chest should rise, the peritoneum should remain calm.
- Combined - in this type, both the chest and abdomen are involved. Inhale - the chest rises, exhale - the stomach rises, then inhale with the stomach, and exhale - with the chest. You need to imagine that the air passes from top to bottom and back easily, freely, in waves. It will be difficult at first, but gradually it will definitely work out.
- We save oxygen - this technique is useful in the laborious period of childbirth, when a woman will need to save air in her lungs to ensure the strength of the push. When training, you should breathe in combination, but unevenly. If the usual combined breathing implies the same duration of inhalation and exhalation, then in the economy mode the exhalation should be twice as long as the inhalation.
- Often and fractional - short and sharp breaths in and out of the chest, lower and combined type. This method will help ease contractions. Popular exercises to help you master the technique are simple and well-known. These are "dog breath", as well as "Candle" and "Big Candle". There is no need to tell how to breathe like a dog, we all know this from childhood and are able to. "Candle" - a short inhalation and the same exhalation (this is how a person extinguishes the flame of a candle). “Big candle” is a long inhalation and a series of short, sharp exhales (this is how a person extinguishes several candles standing nearby).
- Learning to push - this technique will be an indispensable assistant to a woman in labor when trying. But you need to study it with caution. A woman should imagine that a round balloon appears inside the chest when taking a deep breath with her chest. The task at the command of the obstetrician is to "push" an imaginary ball down onto the uterus from above. The exhalation is done when there is no longer a physiological ability to hold the air inside.
These techniques can be repeated in any position of the body, at any time. Even training for 10 minutes a day will definitely have an effect. In addition, breathing exercises are very useful while carrying a baby.
The beginning of labor
With the appearance of the first contractions, the cervix begins to open. Muscle clamps, fear, panic in this situation can negatively affect the condition of the cervix. Therefore, having found regular contractions in yourself, it is best to relax, tune in to a positive mood and start counting contractions and breathing correctly.
The period of labor is called the first stage of labor. It, in turn, consists of a latent, active and transitional stage. In the latent stage, contractions are quite rare - they are repeated about once every half an hour, they are not painful. During this stage, the woman can be at home. You need to go to the hospital when the contractions begin to repeat every five minutes.
At home, in addition to counting the interval between contractions, you need to rest. You can walk, sit, stand, but lying is not recommended. In an upright position, the neck opens faster under the influence of pressure from the baby's head and gravity. Therefore, you can safely drink tea, prepare borscht for your spouse for several days in advance. At the same time, do not forget to take measured and deep breaths and measured, smooth exhales.
Combined breathing at the stage of latent contractions helps the woman in labor to relax as much as possible in the intervals between contractions, this helps relieve stress, fear, tension. From the very beginning of childbirth, the baby begins to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen from the placental blood.
As the uterine contractions intensify, there will be a need to breathe deeper in economy mode. To control the correct time proportions of inhalation and exhalation, a woman needs to mentally count to herself to three when inhaling air and to five when exhaling it. So you can breathe until the moment when it stops bringing significant relief.
Active contractions that will find a woman in the hospital if she arrived on time will require a slightly different approach to breathing. At this stage, the contractions are repeated every 3-4 minutes, they last 45-50 seconds. The uterus begins to open more intensively than before. The woman will be required to know the permissible comfortable postures to facilitate contractions. It is important to continue breathing in oxygen-saving mode.
It is recommended to "breathe" the strongest contractions with short breaths through the mouth - "like a dog"; you can also start using the "Candle" and "Big Candle" techniques.
In contractions, it is considered quite effective to combine breathing techniques with the vowels "i", "y" on the exhale. If childbirth takes place with a partner, breathing is combined with partner positions for two and massage of the sacrum area. In addition, a partner who was familiarized with the rules of breathing in advance will be able to additionally control that the woman in labor does the exercises in a timely and rhythmic manner.
During transitional contractions, which lead to the maximum expansion of the cervix, the breathing technique between contractions remains economical, and during the contraction period you can breathe shortly, abruptly, through the mouth.
An additional effect of adherence to the techniques during labor lies in the fact that the woman in labor focuses her attention not on the onset of the next muscle spasm, not on pain, but directly on performing breathing exercises. The mother's behavior becomes calmer.
If all the recommendations are followed, in most cases there is no need to use medication pain relievers, the woman copes with pain on her own.
Attempts
Attempts are an important and responsible period of childbirth. The baby begins to enter the genital tract through the open cervix. The hectic behavior of a woman during this period, ignoring the requirements of the obstetrician can lead to spontaneous attempts and ultimately to injury to the head, brain, cervical spine of the baby, to ruptures of the cervix, genital tract, perineum.
We described the labored breathing above. In the delivery room, where this and the next stage of childbirth will take place, from the moment the labor period begins, obstetricians and a doctor will constantly be with the woman. As soon as the obstetrician gives the command to push, the woman will need to take a deep chest breath, hold her breath and "push" the baby out with the rounded diaphragm.
You can't exhale sharply, since the release of the entire volume of air will make the effort itself ineffective - the baby will only move a little or stay in place. You need to exhale exceptionally smoothly.
In films, women in labor are often shown screaming during the period of pushing. Most women accept this image as true and unconsciously repeat this pattern of behavior. Especially for them, we inform you: you cannot shout while trying. This leads to a rapid loss of oxygen and strength. In addition, crying is not combined with correct breathing. And if you choose one thing, then breathing in all respects is more useful and necessary. The cry increases the likelihood of fetal hypoxia, and the baby in the narrow birth canal already has a hard time.
Screaming increases the likelihood of rupture, the lower segment of the female reproductive organ strains during forced exhalation and screaming, while the upper part of the uterus (its bottom) at this moment can be in any stage of contraction.
A screaming woman has little ability to understand what doctors tell her. She interferes with screaming not only the work of the medical staff, but also the birth of her own child.
Placenta delivery
The final stage of labor will be the birth of the placenta. The afterbirth is usually born within half an hour to an hour. At the same time, contractions resume, but they are no longer so painful. The woman in labor needs to push herself only a couple of times, when the placenta that has moved away from the walls of the uterus begins to leave the cavity of the reproductive organ. This is also done on the command of the obstetrician. In this case, forced breathing is used.
After the birth of a "child's place", a woman can start breathing arbitrarily, as it is convenient for her. Usually, in the subsequent period of labor, experts recommend returning to the calm and measured breathing that the woman used throughout the entire latent initial period of labor.
"According to Kobas", or the method of Alexander Kobasa
Among women, the method of the Russian obstetrician is called "According to Kobas", but it would be more correct to call it the method of Alexander Kobas. The gynecologist, who has become widely known as a promoter of natural pain relief in labor, has created a large training course that will help women prepare for childbirth, including on their own. According to the Kobasy program, classes are held at courses for expectant mothers.
The course is large and interesting. It is rather difficult to tell about it in a nutshell. The main advice of a specialist for women in labor is in many ways reminiscent of the method of the Frenchman Lamaze, with the difference that the Russian female doctor suggested transferring each breathing exercise to the account so that the woman herself would be more comfortable and there would be fewer mistakes.
The breathing pattern in childbirth according to Kobas briefly looks like this.
- The beginning of labor - we breathe evenly, evenly, rhythmically, with a long inhalation and a smooth long exhalation. While inhaling, mentally counting to four, while exhaling - too.
- With active contractions - every fight must be "met" fully armed. As soon as the uterine tension begins to "girdle", the woman takes a slow breath through her nose and slowly and slowly to herself counts to four. The exit slows down and is carried out in the mode of energy-saving technology - we count not up to four, but up to six. At the peak of the contraction, we breathe often, fractionally, through the mouth. If the tongue dries up, you need to touch the tip of your tongue to the palate and slightly tickle - more saliva will be produced and the dry mouth will immediately recede.
- Sweat period - deep breath in through the mouth, air retention and forced exertion directed straight down. If a woman starts pushing “on top”, hemorrhages in the head, skin of the face, in the eyes are not excluded. After the birth of the head, Oleksandr Kobasa does not advise using taut breathing.
Reviews
Reviews of breathing techniques during childbirth are quite positive. Moreover, even those women who had no idea about the rules of breathing, but intuitively applied them (in the past there was an experience of practicing vocals, for example), gave birth faster and more painlessly.
Many people who have given birth claim that these breathing techniques have a great future, because you can use such techniques not only during childbirth, but also in any situation after them, for example, to quickly pull yourself together, not start a scandal, to relieve a headache and fatigue after a working day and even to relieve toothache and abdominal pain caused by intestinal problems.
Some note that in childbirth they completely forgot what they studied in the courses, and breathing became disordered. There are those who argue that birth pain cannot be overcome by any breathing and advocate drug anesthesia.
Those who have tried the breathing method of natural labor pain relief are confident that this is the best way to give birth without medication or injury. The main thing is not to be lazy and prepare well even during pregnancy.
For breathing during childbirth, exercises with a trainer, preparation for childbirth, see the next video.
