Birthing From Within: Breathing Techniques

Most birthing classes include breathing techniques so there is a myth that you need to learn the right way to breath through a contraction. Like in the movies when you see some of that "hee hee hoo hoo" shit. First, I want to be clear that there is no one right way to breath in labor, and second, you definitely don't need to learn it.

In Birthing From Within, we acknowledge that birth can be challenging physically and emotionally, which is why we practice breathing techniques. Just like when you are hearing some big news or hiking a difficult trail, breath can be a valuable tool for getting through overwhelming feelings. Mindfulness, yoga, and meditation are usually good primers for Birthing From Within breath practices because all of them encourage you to slow down and be with your breath as you try to quiet your mind. No easy feat!

In labor, many people talk a lot less than they usually do, BUT they usually tell me after that their brain and their thoughts went at a regular speed. That means if you typically struggle to be alone with your thoughts, birth could be challenging without some practice. In our regular lives, there are always distractions: phones, tv, social media... we almost never just sit in silence with nothing to do. If you are someone who has a hard time falling asleep because it is hard to be with your thoughts, then handling your free-running thoughts may be tough in birth.

Luckily, Birthing From Within provides some excellent practice opportunities. Usually, the breathing that I teach people falls into one of three categories: distracting, embracing, mirroring.

Distracting Breath

In the earlier stages of labor, the most important thing to do is rest. You want to stay as relaxed as possible and let go of any tension as your labor pattern establishes. Some people find that focusing on their breath, paying close attention to it without trying to change it, provides them with helpful distraction.

One of these techniques, Breath Awareness, is similar to a body scan or to counting your breaths (e.g., box breathing), but instead of trying to match your breath to a specific pattern or count, you just follow the oxygen in and out of your body. This technique is about noticing rather than controlling or changing. You follow the air as it enters your body and expands your diaphragm. I usually encourage people to think of their exhale as the CO2 that feeds the trees, to imagine their breath expanding out into the world to nourish the plants around us.

As contractions begin to overwhelm people in labor, I often encourage them to find their breath. As a way to get back into their body. As a distraction. As a gift they can give their baby - oxygen.

Embracing Breath

At some point in labor, usually people stop responding to distraction. This is usually the moment when people panic. They have been using a technique that has worked for hours and hours. Now, the intensity has shifted and that technique isn't working anymore. It can be very unnerving. So, in class, we prepare for that moment! We practice techniques that allow you to turn towards the intensity, rather than away from it.

One technique that we practice is called Focus on the Center. As you hold your ice cube, you pay attention to the sensation that is filling your hand, rather than try to bring your attention away to something like your breath. In this technique, students use words and imagery to describe what they are feeling and to keep them focused on that center of the sensation.

Embracing intensity without any other preparation can be too much. In addition to practicing breathing techniques, we also explore fears and prepare for uncertainties.

Mirroring Breath

Right at the end up labor, intensity often picks up one more time. We call this transition: the body is transitioning from contracting and opening the cervix to pushing. This is the shortest and most intense moment of labor. Many people feel as though they can't go on in that moment. As a doula, I always get excited when I hear, "I can't do this anymore!" Usually, you are very close to meeting your baby.

In class, we practice mirroring breathing. Your partner breathes in ways that remind you to breathe. Often this moment is too intense for talking and you just need someone to model what to do for you so that you can mirror it.

Ice Contractions

Most of what I teach in class can be extremely relaxing: the slow and steady voice that might put you to sleep at the end of a yoga class. The reality is, you won't fall asleep from relaxation in labor! In order to give you some discomfort to bump up against, we use ice. In class, you can hold just one ice cube in your hand, which will be uncomfortable but obviously no where near what birth will feel like. As we work up to the techniques for more active labor, I will often encourage people to pick up two ice cubes, or to hold them against a more sensitive spot, like your wrist.

I recently had a client say, "When we practiced the ice contractions, I thought 'Ok, I can do this.' But, Mel, birth is like shoving 50 ice cubes up my butt hole!"

She got a very good laugh out of me, and bonus points because it was during her long and difficult labor. Her comment reminded me that I need to say firmly, over and over, ice contractions DO NOT help us practice the intensity of labor. Rather, they give us ~something~ uncomfortable to bump up against.

There are many more techniques and ways of practicing - this is just a slice. My philosophy is to learn all that you can, because you never know which coping techniques will be the ones that get you through a tough moment.

If you want to read more about Birthing From Within, you can do that here, and if you're interested in classes, you can see my current offerings here.