How to breathe well and push during childbirth?

Caution : You must consult your doctor for your health. This page presents only a personal and alternative point of view which should not be considered as an attempt to prescribe medicine.

The last phase of childbirth is the expulsion of the baby.

It is at this stage that the mother must push to help her child to come out.

To facilitate this step, controlling the mother's breath is very important.

However, many women are not prepared for this, even if they take courses given by gynecologists, far from being breath specialists.

It is therefore important to learn about the proper techniques before D-Day.

Breathe well to give birth without pain

Breathing oxygenates your muscles, eases pain and helps the child come out on release day.

If you want a painless birth, then breathing is the perfect solution!

For an easy and painless childbirth, there are two main breathing techniques to achieve this.

Deep breathing

This method will allow you to relax both mentally and physically.

It is to her that we owe the expression "soft mouth, soft neck" which reminds the pregnant woman to relax completely.

You can start when you feel the first contraction coming by doing the following:

• Take a deep breath (in the belly) for 4 seconds while inflating your abdomen (without forcing).
• Expel the air through an 8 second exhalation through your mouth, which is double your inhalation. Your lips should be completely soft so that they vibrate between them when the air comes out. For that, you have to release them as much as possible. Feel free to make a sound at this step if it can calm you down (OOOOoooo).
• Repeat the same exercise several times throughout the contraction. You can also continue it after for a boost of energy and breath while waiting for the next ones.

One trick to staying calm throughout the process is to count the seconds with your fingers while breathing.

You can also think positive thoughts to divert your attention from the pain and clear your mind as much as possible.

The secret with this deep breathing technique is to push only on the exhale.

Don't make the same mistake all pregnant women inhale, BLOCK their breath and push.

This is a very bad way to go and you risk blocking the delivery rather than facilitating it.

The false whistle

This breathing technique consists of taking a good quantity of air, still in the belly, to expel it very slowly.

It works well when you're about to push, while still giving your muscles time to stretch a bit.

It gets its name from the shape of lips that moms make like they want to whistle.

Some call this technique "mouth to heart".

It should be noted that the exhalation is done slowly as if one were blowing on a candle without wanting to extinguish its flame.

When you practice this form of breathing during childbirth, you should therefore breathe out as slowly as possible and for as long as possible.

It is advisable to relax to allow the baby to follow his path normally.

There's no need to tense up or hold your breath like you see on TV.

This retention of breath will increase the pressure on the perineum which is already undergoing a lot.

Breathing exercises to avoid when giving birth?

Breathing is very helpful during childbirth and allows it to go smoothly.

The secret is really to lengthen your exhalation, it is the exit of the breath which coincides with the exit of the baby ...

However, she is not the only key to making it happen.

You also need to know how to push when you need to in order to facilitate the process.

For that, you have to combine this action with the techniques you have learned.

Now, I would like to tell you about two pushing techniques that you should AVOID during childbirth.

The cut-inspiration thrust

As its name suggests, it involves exerting pressure while stopping breathing.

To do this, you have to take a deep breath when you feel the contraction.

Then hold your breath while blocking the air in your lungs.

Use this pressure to push the baby down as if to expel the stool, keeping your mouth closed.

When told to stop pushing, open your mouth to breathe out.

Use the deep breathing technique as described above to relax the muscles.

At another contraction, repeat the same until the end.

Note that this method is generally used in an emergency.

But the emergency is trivialized at all deliveries, that is to say that we prefer to teach this technique to pregnant women, rather than teach them to push on the expiration.

The surge into hyperventilation

Some women panic during childbirth and start pushing while hyperventilating, with jerky breaths in and out.

They completely forget the basic technique of deep breathing.

In this case, the midwife or the obstetrician gynecologist will have to do everything to calm the pregnant woman so that she resumes her push quietly and a deep breathing.

In conclusion

Never forget, the secret is to push on the exhale.

For this, you must inhale enough air by breathing through the diaphragm, that is to say by having the impression of inflating your belly, then it is a question of lengthening your breath while pushing the baby towards the exit.

In any case, approach a midwife who should master these breathing techniques for a pain-free delivery, or epidural.

Read also :

Previous article : How to increase your respiratory capacity naturally?

Next article : How to breathe well to sleep quickly?