The secret to a quicker and calmer birth

There's one secret tip that leads to a quicker and calmer birth...

Mindful breathing techniques!

Mindful breathing techniques are such a simple yet powerful tool.

When used during labour, these type of breathing techniques can help you to feel much more relaxed, calmer and in control.

Lots of people also report lower levels of pain and discomfort when they use these type of breathing techniques during their baby's birth.

In this blog post, I'll let you in on the top tips that I usually share with my Hypnobirthing clients and show you how breathing techniques t can support you to have a calmer birth.

What is Mindful Breathing?

Mindful breathing is a type of conscious breathing practice which involves bringing awareness to the breath.

Unlike normal breathing where the breath is automatic and unconscious, in mindful breathing we’re intentionally bringing awareness, focusing on the sensation of each inhale and exhale.

Typically, when we breath normally, our attention is often scattered and distracted by thoughts, emotions or external stimuli in our environment. Mindful breathing requires us to focus the attention solely on the breath, letting go of these distractions and mental clutter. This is really important during pregnancy, as often we have so many things to think about.

We can also use mindful breathing to tune into the physical sensations of our body. Perhaps choosing to focus on the rise and fall of our chest or belly, the sensation of the breath moving in and out of our nose, or the feeling of the breathe in the throat. This allows us to connect with our bodies on a much deeper level during pregnancy, helping us to build a loving connection with our baby.

Mindful breathing also allows us to connect with our emotions and thoughts in a much more intimate way, inducing a sense of calmness and relaxation and helping us to tune into our intuition.

Why is Mindful Breathing so important?

Being pregnant brings with it lots of extra challenges. From emotional turbulence, fatigue and maybe even anxiety about giving birth. Not to mention our ever-changing bodies and the sleepless nights.

Studies have shown that mindful breathing can help to alleviate these symptoms.

When we breathe more mindfully, our whole-body benefits. Our blood pressure and heart rate start to stablise, our stress and anxiety levels are reduced, we feel calmer, more connected to our babies and we get a better night’s sleep as a result.

It’s important to keep our stress levels low in pregnancy, as the stress hormone cortisol can pass through the placenta and into baby’s blood stream. Put simply; when you feel calm and relaxed, so does your baby.

Studies have also shown that taking the time to practise mindful breathing in pregnancy can have physical benefits for birth too, increasing the chances of your labour starting naturally and helping you to feel more calmer and in control during your baby’s birth.

The reason mindful breathing is so effective is because it stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system to relax. When you feel more relaxed, birth can happen more easily and more comfortably too. Being relaxed helps to promote the hormone Oxytocin, which is crucial for starting labour and for keeping it going. But this hormone is only stimulated when you have the right kind of internal and external landscape. Ultimately, you need to feel calm, loved, supported, protected and relaxed for Oxytocin to thrive, which mindful breathing can absolutely support you with.

When we feel stressed during birth, the opposite happens. Our nervous system is stimulated into its ‘fight or flight’ state, which can make us feel stressed and panicked. The result of this is that our Oxytocin levels start to dip, whilst our Adrenaline levels rise. Adrenaline can stall labour, or stop it from progressing, so having a simple tool at your disposal like mindful breathing can really help to quieten this response down.

Mindful breathing has also been shown to reduce any postnatal complications, such as postnatal depression and is a skill you can use in your fourth trimester, after your baby has been born.

Try it for yourself!

Practicing mindful breathing doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult.  The techniques I teach my clients are all very simple and straight forward.

Try this one for yourself

• Find a comfortable seated or lying position

• Close your eyes and start to focus on your breath

• Allow your breathing to slow down and deepen

• Breathe in for the count of 4

• Breathe out for the count of 8

• Repeat this 4 times

  
  

This calm breathing technique is a favourite amongst my clients and many of them report finding it extremely helpful during their baby’s birth. 

Try incorporating this mindful breathing technique into your daily life. When you first wake up on a morning perhaps, whilst you’re boiling the kettle, or whilst you’re stuck in traffic on your way to work. You can use even this technique before a scan, before a midwife appointment and when you’re in labour too.

Like anything, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. By practicing now, you’re building a really powerful tool for labour and birth. All it takes is 5 minutes  a day!

Ultimately, mindful breathing allows us to feel calm, centered and more empowered during pregnancy. Taking the time out to practice this simple yet powerful tool can make a huge difference to the way we feel and, more importantly, the way we experience birth.

Love Emma

Hypnobirthing Specialist