Handout.

Breathing During Labor and Delivery

Breathing during labor helps the mother to relax and to focus on her contractions, as resisting contractions will only bring on more pain.

Breathing should be done as slow as possible. Slow breathing leaves the mother more relaxed and more in touch with her body. Also, she is not likely to hyperventilate and will not exhaust herself.

BREATHING DURING THE EARLY PHASE

Mother                             Partner

Lie down on your left side         Have sufficient pillows to
                                   support her head and knees

Try to relax your entire body      Provide images that will
                                   help her relax Make sure
                                   the room is warm enough for
                                   her Check to see she is
                                   relaxed- no crease in forehead,
                                   jaw open, lips slightly parted,
                                   wrists limp, toes not curled
                                   up or extended

Breathe with deep, slow breaths,   Breathe with her, matching
raising your belly up off your     your breathing to hers
uterus

Inhale through your nose, exhale
through your mouth

Continue slow breathing            Remind her to continue
between contractions               her slow breathing
                                   between contractions
BREATHING DURING THE ACTIVE
PHASE

Mother                             Partner

Choose positions that              Ask her what she needs
are comfortable for you            for the position she
                                   has chosen (you,
                                   blankets, pillows)

Start and end each contraction     Breathe with her
with a cleansing breath            Remind her to relax
(sound breathing)                  between contractions

Continue slow breathing            Give encouragement
(breathing may actually            during each contraction
be faster than before)             (use words like "open",
                                   "release", "your" or
                                   "our" baby)

You may want to do
"Upper Chest Breathing"

Between contractions, tell         Listen to her
your partner what you felt,
what is working to help you
relax, what you need, etc.

Breathing During Labor 1           Informed Childbirth
and Delivery

BREATHING DURING TRANSITION

Mother                             Partner

Mouth-centered or                  Breathe with her, matching
"butterfly" breathing              your breathing to hers
may be helpful during
peaks of contractions

Relax your neck and                Remind her to keep her
jaw by letting your head           neck and jaw loose, let
drop onto your chest               her head drop forward

End each contraction
with a cleansing breath

BREATHING DURING DELIVERY

Mother                             Partner

Do not hold your breath            Remind her to breathe
for more than 6-7 seconds
while you are pushing

Relax your mouth and jaw           Remind her to relax
                                   her mouth and jaw

Breathe through contractions       Remind her to breathe
when the baby crowns (no           Have her look at you
matter how strong the              Breathe with her
urge to push may be)

Breathe through the next           Remind her to breathe
contraction as the                 Breathe with her
shoulders emerge

References:

Special Delivery, Rahima Baldwin-Dancy,
Celestial Arts, Berkeley, California, 1986

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth,
Sheila Kitzinger, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1989

Breathing During Labor 2           Informed Childbirth
and Delivery

Joan Ryan, an ALACE Childbirth Educator, sent in a handout she developed to share with her classes, and with us. After experimenting with her classes, she reorganized her program and came up with this approach. Shown on page 21 and this page is Joan's Breathing During Labor and Delivery Handout.

--Joan is a Childbirth Educator in Massachusetts.