How to breathe correctly: Technique of correct breathing. Breathing technique during childbirth. Breathing during contractions and attempts

Childbirth is a natural process for the female body, but why not help nature cope with the task faster? Probably, every woman in labor who has already taken place thought that it would be nice to be able to speed up and facilitate the process of childbirth a little, and a special technique of breathing and behavior during childbirth can become the answer to these thoughts.

Table of contents:

Behavior during fights

The most important thing during contractions is not to hold your breath.. And this is due to the fact that during the period of tension of the muscles of the uterus, the lumen of all uterine vessels narrows, including those that go to the placenta and are responsible for nourishing the fetus. If a woman in labor uses some kind of breathing technique, this will ensure that an increased amount of oxygen enters the blood, which means that the fetus will not experience oxygen starvation.

First stage of labor

If the contractions are not painful, then it is suitable for a woman "slow" type of breathing, when the ratio of the duration of inhalation and exhalation is 1:2, respectively, inhalation is done through the nose, and exhalation through the mouth.

Important nuance: it is necessary to start and end the fight with a calm inhalation and exhalation. Thus, you can breathe not only during contractions, but throughout the entire birth process - it all depends on the feelings of the woman, on the nature of labor and on the preparation of the expectant mother.

When childbirth has moved into the active phase and contractions have become more intense, painful and frequent, the woman is best suited breath with voice expression of pain. In this case, the exhalation should be “sung” or “stayed” using the vowel sounds “a”, “o” and “y”. Be sure to take into account that while singing, the sound should be low, since with this pronunciation, almost all the muscles of the body relax as much as possible. If a woman sings sounds at high notes, then there is a high probability of cervical spasm.

For the first stage of childbirth, it will be useful to master breathing "through plump lips": at the peak of the contraction, the woman should take a deep breath through the nose with a loud sniff, and exhale through the mouth, creating a “swelling of the lips” and making a loud “pu” sound.

IN the first stage of childbirth, a woman can use and diaphragmatic-thoracic type of breathing . At the beginning of the fight, 3-4 deep diaphragmatic-thoracic (that is, we “work” not with the stomach) inhalation and exhalation are done. A woman should put her hand on her stomach in the navel area, and the other on her chest. Inhalation is a contraction of the diaphragm, so the hand located on the stomach should rise above the hand lying on the chest. As soon as the hand on the stomach rises as much as possible, the woman should continue to inhale by expanding the chest, raising the hand lying on it.

Note:such exercises should be carried out during pregnancy in order to perform them correctly during childbirth. If you do not train in advance, then the theoretical knowledge of the diaphragmatic-thoracic breathing technique will be useless.

Second stage of labor

The development of labor activity will steadily increase, the intensity of contractions will increase, and the intervals between them will lengthen. During this period, it will be increasingly difficult for a woman in labor to breathe according to the methods described above, there will be a need breathe superficially - "dog". The scheme of such breathing: at the rise of the contraction - 1-2 diaphragmatic-thoracic inhalations / exhalations, and at the peak of the contraction - frequent and shallow breathing, during which the tongue should be pressed to the palate. At the end of the contraction, breathing arbitrarily becomes less frequent, so the woman must take a deep breath, and at the end of the contraction, 2-3 diaphragmatic-thoracic inhalations / exhalations.

Note:the contraction in the second stage of labor lasts about 40 seconds, but at home, in the process of training, you need to perform the described exercise in 20 seconds. Otherwise, hyperventilation will occur, an excess intake of air will occur, and this leads to dizziness.

What a woman needs to know about the period of contractions during childbirth:

Do not strain during contractions, on the contrary, you should try to relax as much as possible. The fact is that tension does not allow the cervix to open and the process of childbirth is delayed, and this adversely affects both the condition of the woman and the condition of the fetus. If the opening of the cervix is already large, and the woman is tense, this prevents the baby's head from moving through the birth canal, which also prolongs the birth.
After a few hours of contractions, there is a large opening of the cervix, and at this moment, as a rule, the outflow of amniotic fluid begins. As soon as the waters have broken, the woman should lie down and not get up to prevent prolapse of the umbilical cord or fetal handle, which can occur with polyhydramnios (amniotic fluid simply “drags” these parts of the fetus with it).
After the outflow of amniotic fluid, the doctor performs a vaginal examination, during which the fetal head is pressed tightly against the pelvic bones. This is done in order to avoid the above complications. During a vaginal examination, the doctor must record that the fetal head is pressed, and if necessary, then dilute the membranes of the fetal bladder.

What to do during pushing

During the first birth, the period of contractions lasts, on average, 8-10 hours, if the second birth, then this period is reduced to 4-6 hours. As soon as the contractions end, the cervix opens completely and a transitional period begins, during which the baby's head begins to intensively move down the birth canal.

Some time after the cessation of contractions, the woman begins to experience an irresistible desire to push, but you can’t start pushing on your own - you should call an obstetrician who will tell you if this period of childbirth can begin. This is necessary in order to make sure that the cervix is fully dilated, otherwise (the uterus is not fully dilated), it may rupture. And one more thing: while moving along the birth canal, the head of the child configures, that is, the unfused bones of the head come one after the other and the size of the head becomes smaller. If a woman in labor begins to push prematurely, then injuries to the child may occur - for example, a hemorrhage in the brain.

The period of attempts is difficult, many women cry and scream, which leads to a lack of oxygen in the lungs, oxygen deficiency is created in the placenta, and this invariably affects the condition of the child. During attempts, the sobbing type of breathing will help. On the rise of the contraction, the woman should exhale and take one deep breath, then breathing quickens and becomes superficial. Three or four superficial breaths are completed with an intense exhalation when the air passes through the lips stretched out by the tube (this is how a person sobs). It is very convenient during this period to breathe in a row: one / two / three - noisy exhalation; one / two / three - noisy exhalation and so on.

Attempts are a very important period of childbirth, so the woman will need to mobilize all her strength, get together and carefully listen to the commands of the midwife - it will be she who will explain to the woman in labor when and how to push. In order for this important period of the birth process to pass correctly, a woman must:

lie on a special table on which the legs will stand on a stand;
hold on to special handles;
as soon as the fight begins - take a full chest of air, pull the handles towards you, look at your own stomach and push out the air so as to direct efforts to the perineum.

During one fight, you need to push like this three times, you can’t bend and lift the perineum during an attempt. It is very important to look at your stomach during an attempt - the abdominal muscles will not tense up with effort / tension, but with the position of the body. After an attempt, a pause necessarily occurs, during which a woman can relax and rest a little.

Note:if you push incorrectly, “in the face”, then the birth process will be delayed, attempts will be ineffective, hemorrhage may occur in the eyes and skin of the face. Screaming during attempts is not worth it, since oxygen will be exhaled along with the cry, which is necessary not only for the child, but also for effective straining activity.

Breathing exercises to prepare for childbirth

abdominal breathing

The woman exhales as much as possible, then slowly relaxes the abdominal muscles. At this moment, the stomach will begin to bulge forward a little, and the woman will be able to feel it by placing her palm between the bottom of the uterus and the ribs. At the moment of relaxation of the abdominal muscles, the lower sections of the lungs will be freely filled with air.

All the woman's attention should be directed to the hand: exhale - the hand goes deep under the ribs, inhale - the hand moves forward.

Full breath

The woman takes a deep breath - the anterior abdominal wall descends. Then a deep breath begins, when the sections of the lungs are filled gradually, followed immediately (without holding the breath) - exhalation (deep and slow / smooth). When doing this exercise, breathe only through your nose.

Note:it is advisable to do exercises on the “staging” of abdominal and full breathing at least 10 times a day. First they are mastered in the prone position, then they begin to be performed while walking.

Economical breathing

The respiratory rate for all people is different, so first a woman must count how many breaths / exhalations she takes in a minute. As a rule, the ratio is 1:1, but such breathing is not economical. To train more economical breathing, you need to try to increase the duration of exhalation for 3-7 days so that as a result the ratio of inhalation and exhalation becomes 1:2. The skill of economical breathing is very useful during attempts, when, at the command of the midwife, the woman in labor must hold her breath, and then slowly exhale or breathe at the moment the baby's head is removed.

In childbirth with the onset of contractions, it is better to use the technique of economical breathing. Each time you start a contraction, you need to take a deep breath, then a deep breath, then a full breath again. The same rhythm should be at the end of the fight, it is generally extremely undesirable to change it even as the intensity of the fights increases.

In the second stage of labor, the fetal head descends into the pelvic cavity, the woman has a desire to push, but this cannot be done, since the soft tissues of the birth canal may rupture. This period does not last long - only 15-20 minutes, contractions go at intervals of only 2-3 minutes and are very sensitive for women. In order to somehow distract from them, it is worth focusing your attention on breathing, counting inhalations and exhalations, and monitoring the observance of the correct rhythm.

As soon as the baby's head sinks to the pelvic floor, the woman can push. The attempt lasts about 60 seconds, you need to push on a full breath, if there is not enough breathing, then you need to exhale, inhale quickly and immediately start pushing again.

Often a pregnant woman is so afraid of the upcoming birth that she tries to focus her thoughts either on carrying a child, or on the time when the “worst thing” is already behind her and she returns from the hospital with a newborn. But do not neglect the information about the upcoming process, especially the one that gives an idea of the correct breathing during childbirth and contractions. Knowing what awaits her and how to facilitate the process, a woman can make her birth less painful and traumatic.

Contraction breathing techniques

Physiological changes in the respiratory system in pregnant women

When a woman is expecting a baby, her body goes through many changes. They also affect the respiratory system. The uterus enlarges, as a result, the lungs shift slightly upward, and this makes breathing more shallow. It would seem that the result should be a smaller amount of oxygen (compared to the “non-pregnant position”) that enters the blood.

At the same time, the need for oxygen increases significantly: by the last trimester, it is a third higher than it was in the first, and during the process of childbirth, it doubles at all. How does the body solve this problem? It accomplishes the task in the following ways:

the circumference of the chest increases;
the infrasternal angle becomes wider;
expiratory reserve volume decreases.

These changes after childbirth pass, the lungs "return to their place."

Childbirth is the final stage of pregnancy, which can be compared to hard work. At the same time, not everything is laid down by nature here: a woman can control a lot herself if she familiarizes herself with the essence of the process in advance. The main issue that is given much attention in courses for pregnant women is how to breathe during labor and childbirth. Why? It turns out that proper breathing can make childbirth easier.

Proper breathing and the process of labor: the relationship

When a woman feels contractions, her first instinctive desire is to shrink, tighten up, in order to somehow endure this difficult moment as quickly as possible. Very often, at this time, the pain is so pronounced that a woman who is not ready for pain cannot hold back her scream. The result is a vicious circle: the woman in labor screams, her muscles contract, the cervix tenses, even stiffens, and the hormones continue their work, causing it to stretch.

Stretching in this state leads to micro-ruptures of the neck, which add pain. The woman is screaming in pain again... In addition, the gaps increase when the child passes through the birth canal. To prevent such a vicious cycle from occurring, it is necessary to know what breathing and behavior should be like during contractions.

In addition to increasing the likelihood of complications for the mother, improper breathing leads to fetal hypoxia. The child at such moments lacks oxygen, which can greatly affect his growth and development in the future. In particular, it may in the future:

lag behind peers in development;
difficulty gaining weight
hard to adapt to a new world for him;

The breathing technique during contractions and childbirth cannot be mastered by a woman at the moment when, as they say, the process has already begun. You need to prepare for this in advance. In this case, the skills of proper breathing will be brought to automatism, and the woman in labor at the most crucial moment will be able to focus on the main thing, learn to be distracted from pain and thereby help herself and the child.

Breathing techniques during childbirth are aimed at relieving pain, proper organization of rest and relaxation between contractions. It is imperative to learn how to rest so that you have enough strength for the most difficult and crucial period - the immediate appearance of a child. If a woman controls her breathing during contractions, then she will be able to do without medical intervention, drugs to enhance labor and pain relief, which have their own, sometimes not too good, effect on the fetus.

Contraction breathing techniques

When the moment of delivery is still far away, and the pregnant woman has only felt the first weak contractions, she can breathe as usual. At this stage, the contractions are irregular, the body has time to relax in between them. You should monitor your condition. After the gaps are about 10 minutes, it's time to start applying special techniques.

First, try this trick: inhale in four counts (through your nose), exhale through your mouth in six counts. At the same time, you can stretch your lips with a “tube”. Thus, maximum muscle relaxation is achieved.

When you feel that the contractions have become stronger, you need to “lengthen” the process of inhalation-exhalation a little: inhale after 5 counts, exhale for a count of 10.

Proper breathing during contractions, the intervals between which have become less than 5 minutes, is “dog-like” breathing. Have you noticed how a dog, out of breath after a long run, breathes in order to rest as quickly as possible? This is shallow, shallow breathing. You can even stick out your tongue a little. So the woman in labor is distracted from severe pain, saves strength.

The breathing technique for contractions that have already become quite frequent - from 1 to 2 minutes - can be this: loud breathing for 2 counts: “one-two”. It is called "forced candle". Before attempts, when there is already a strong desire to push, but the doctor still forbids it, since the neck is not quite ready, you can try to combine and alternate all methods. So you can empirically find your own, one that will help more.

Proper breathing in the last stages of childbirth

Quite "close" to childbirth, obstetricians advise women in labor to use another method: portioned breathing. In this case, the air is taken into the lungs in a powerful wave, and the exhalation proceeds gradually, in several stages. With attempts, when the expulsion of the fetus from the uterus and its passage through the birth canal begins, you should breathe like this: take a large, deep breath and then immediately begin to push, "directing" the exhaled air into the perineum.

If you scream or exhale during the period of attempts, then the fight will end in nothing - the fetus will not advance. It is also possible to use dog breathing during childbirth, but in the interval between attempts to take a break and gather strength. This technique is especially effective when the fetal head has already left, and the mother's body is preparing to push out the baby's shoulders.

The final stage is the birth of the placenta. It also needs to be organized correctly: after the doctor’s command sounds, inhale the air with force, hold your breath and push halfway. "Children's Place" after that should come out.

Proper breathing skills are the key to an easy birth

Proper breathing during contractions and childbirth is so important that it should be studied already a few weeks before childbirth. Having managed to bring the acquired skill to automatism in advance, you will minimize the risk of complications and will be able to better cope with the difficult and lengthy work of giving birth to a child.

Contractions are not the time to start learning: a woman in labor during this period is simply not able to learn and repeat the necessary information. Therefore, you can enroll in courses for pregnant women and master different techniques. Which one and when to use in childbirth - the doctor and your own body will tell you.

The key to proper breathing during childbirth and contractions is advance training, the body must receive “skills of correct breathing movements”. You need to develop muscle memory. To do this, you need to exercise daily, you can several times a day: on a walk, while watching a movie. If you are planning a partner birth, it would be good for your husband to learn all the breathing techniques with you (in case you get confused during childbirth). Working out together is more effective and more fun.

At the beginning of mastering the techniques of proper breathing for childbirth, hyperventilation may occur, manifested by dizziness. Start small and gradually these sensations will pass.

Respiration is a physiological process necessary for life. It occurs reflexively, and few people think that it can be used to control other body processes, even treat some diseases. There are situations when it is simply necessary to control your breathing, and childbirth is one of them. Proper breathing greatly facilitates the process of childbirth, relieves severe pain, helps the woman to regain strength, and the baby to be born sooner.

Content:

Why is it important to breathe properly during childbirth?

Voluntary breathing during childbirth exacerbates pain and lengthens the process. With proper breathing, a woman has the opportunity to relax and give the body a rest. By applying proper breathing techniques during contractions, the main task is achieved: the diaphragm does not interfere with childbirth, but, on the contrary, speeds it up, greatly easing pain. Proper breathing during childbirth helps to avoid fetal hypoxia, saturates the blood with oxygen.

It is necessary to start practicing proper breathing long before childbirth in order to bring it to automatism. A woman should develop a model of behavior that will greatly facilitate the birth of a child.

Breathing technique in different periods of childbirth

The birth process consists of three main periods:

opening of the cervix, or the period of contractions;
exile, or the birth of a fetus;
the birth of the placenta, or the postpartum period.

The breathing technique used in each of the periods is different and is aimed at alleviating the condition of the woman.

Breathing during contractions

The opening of the cervix is the longest and most painful period, accompanied by contractions. Contractions are involuntary contractions of the uterus. They are necessary to open the uterine os, through which the child will pass. Thanks to them, the fetus moves.

The contraction period consists of three phases:

Latent. The contractions are not painful, in most cases they are felt as a slight sipping in the lower abdomen, lower back. Many compare this condition with premenstrual syndrome. The latent phase lasts up to 6 hours.
Active. It is characterized by a rapid opening of the cervix, the intensity of contractions, soreness and a smaller gap between them. Lasts 3-4 hours.
deceleration phase. Often absent in multiparous women and some primiparas. It lasts until the cervix is fully dilated, on average from half an hour to 2 hours.

Contractions are characterized by regularity, occur at regular intervals. The greater the opening of the cervix, the more intense and longer they become, and the gap between them decreases. Proper breathing helps to significantly reduce pain during childbirth during contractions.

Latent phase of contractions

Slight pulling of the lower abdomen in the latent phase causes more discomfort than pain. However, at this moment, the woman begins to realize that the “X-hour” is approaching, and most of them are overcome by fear. The main task during this period is to calm down and start getting ready for the hospital.

Relaxing breath

It will help you overcome your fears and tune in to the upcoming birth. Breathing should be slow and deep. You need to inhale quickly through the nose, counting to three, exhale slowly through the mouth, counting to five. At the same time, fold your lips with a tube. On exhalation, doctors advise “singing” vowels, for example, the sound “y”. When practicing yoga, using this breathing technique, chant the mantra “om”.

At the initial stage of training, it is recommended to use a small mirror. It is substituted to the mouth on exhalation at a distance of 15-20 cm. The mirror should not fog up immediately (this is too sharp an exhalation), but gradually, evenly. As soon as it becomes possible to exhale correctly, they do without paraphernalia.

Active phase of contractions

It is characterized by constant, growing contractions. The most important thing during this period is not to suppress the pain, not to strain, not to pinch your legs and stomach. Such actions can bring relief, but it will be temporary and unnecessary, and overexertion will only weaken the body ahead of time. In addition, strong tension interferes with the proper opening of the cervix. Often, doctors in such cases anesthetize and stimulate labor, which is also highly undesirable for mother and baby.

By focusing on breathing during childbirth, a woman is distracted from the pain. Oxygen enters the organs and tissues in the required volume. As a result, the muscles contract better, and the child does not experience hypoxia, which often occurs already at the initial stage of childbirth.

At the beginning of an active fight, relaxing breathing is applied. It should not be forgotten that the inhalation should be shorter than the exhalation. This technique makes it possible to relax the muscles, focus on breathing, and not on pain, and calm down.

Important to remember: It is undesirable to scream during fights. So breathing is held, and oxygen in a smaller volume enters the fetus.

Breathing like a dog

When the contractions become longer, it is necessary to breathe shallowly and often, without tension, inhaling and exhaling through the open mouth. The strength of inhalation and exhalation should correspond to each other, as well as their duration. In this case, only the chest works, the stomach remains calm and relaxed.

Such breathing during childbirth resembles that of a dog in hot weather. The technique dulls acute pain sensations, helps to concentrate on breathing. In addition, this avoids attempts, which in the first stage of labor lead to cervical rupture and injury to the fetus.

Even breathing

When the fight loses its intensity, that is, at the end of it, and until the beginning of the next one, the uniform breathing technique is used. Breathe slowly and evenly, inhaling and exhaling through the nose or through the mouth. Each woman herself determines the duration of inhalation and exhalation, usually it is enough to count up to 4. In this case, only the chest works, the stomach is not tense.

This technique allows you to calm down and relax. Some doctors, instead of even breathing, advise returning to relaxing breathing during this period.

Breathing while pushing

Attempts are the most important period of childbirth, during which muscle contraction occurs, and the fetus moves directly through the birth canal. They occur when the head passes the bone ring of the pelvis and is already in the vagina.

At this moment, it is necessary to listen to the obstetrician in everything: he will give recommendations on how to behave so that the baby is born as quickly and painlessly as possible. Only he, according to the state of the woman in labor, will determine how to breathe, when to push, when it is necessary to rest.

"Breathing the Candle"

The general principle of breathing during childbirth during attempts is to inhale as deeply as possible, but not quickly, but as calmly and slowly as possible. On a long exhalation, the pressure of the entire volume of air is exerted by the diaphragm on the uterus. At the same time, the tension should not be allowed to go up to the head, otherwise the vessels on the face and in the eyes will burst. For one fight, it is advisable to push three times.

With proper breathing with attempts, the baby is born quickly. Sometimes 3-5 attempts are enough, each of which lasts no more than a minute. If the woman in labor does not have enough strength, then the obstetrician allows you to take a short break between attempts to rest.

After the birth of the head, breathe freely, like a dog. This will not allow the baby's head that has already appeared to go back.

Video: How to behave during the period of attempts

Breathing in the postpartum period

Separated from the walls of the uterus, after a while the placenta is born. This usually happens half an hour after the baby is born. Cramping pains resume, but in this period they are not intense, weak and short-lived. Here it is enough to push, using the “breathing on the candle” technique, and the so-called child's place will come out of the uterus. As a rule, the moment of attempts is determined by the doctor.

Proper breathing is not as easy as it might seem. It is not enough to read the theory the day before the birth, it is important to study all the nuances, ask the gynecologist leading the pregnancy in detail, and even better go to courses where, under the guidance of a specialist, the woman in labor will be taught all the subtleties of breathing during childbirth. He will also give recommendations on how to perform the exercises, indicate the permissible load.

You need to train every day, starting from about the 12th week of pregnancy, then in the process of childbirth, the woman in labor herself will be able to distinguish all periods, and each of the techniques will be applied in a timely manner. When exercising, the room should be well ventilated so that sufficient oxygen is supplied.

You can perform exercises several times a day, controlling your well-being. If during training a woman feels unwell, then it is worth postponing classes and resting. However, this does not mean that you need to leave the training, it is enough to reduce its daily duration.
If dryness occurs when breathing with an open mouth, touch the palate with the tip of the tongue. If necessary, moisten lips with water, rinse your mouth.
When training breathing with attempts, you can’t push: this can provoke uterine tone, which leads to premature birth. It is enough just to hold your breath, counting up to 10. Later, the duration of holding your breath can be increased to 20-25.
After exercising, restore breathing by breathing calmly, in the usual way.

There is the concept of hyperventilation, the symptoms of which are darkening in the eyes, dizziness, it may seem to the woman in labor that she will now lose consciousness. In this case, you need to take a deep breath and hold your breath or, joining your palms, bring it to your face and slowly breathe into them.

Video: Yoga trainer on proper breathing techniques during childbirth. Exercises for pregnant women

Experiencing increasing pain during contractions, the expectant mother becomes nervous, her pulse quickens, her breathing goes astray, the woman no longer controls the situation and cannot alleviate her condition - this makes the pain worse, and the opening of the cervix is inhibited. But if you normalize breathing during contractions and childbirth, the situation will change. The easiest way to see what should and should not be breathing during childbirth is with a video. There are many tutorials on the web to prepare for childbirth. Breathing on the video is shown both for the period of contractions and for the period of attempts.

Proper breathing during childbirth provides:

acceleration of labor activity. A woman who breathes correctly does not dwell on pain, but controls the alternation of inhalations and exhalations, due to which the cervix opens faster;
muscle relaxation. Measured breathing helps to relax the muscles, which means it facilitates labor activity;
pain reduction. If the muscles are "compressed into a lump", with each contraction of the uterus, the pain intensifies. With relaxed muscles, pain decreases;
saturation of the body with oxygen. Proper breathing allows you to actively supply oxygen to all the muscles that experience increased stress during childbirth, as well as the baby himself.

Breathing technique during childbirth

Breathing is an unconditioned reflex, and in the normal state, each of us breathes without thinking about it. But during childbirth, due to severe pain and muscle tension, a woman often “forgets” to inhale deeply and exhale slowly.

The technique of correct breathing during childbirth is to control inhalation and exhalation. At different stages of childbirth, a woman should breathe differently, but always - controlling the number and duration of inhalations and exhalations.

The breathing technique during childbirth is based on the fact that the diaphragm helps breathing, and does not complicate the process. There are different breathing techniques during childbirth, videos and descriptions of these techniques will allow a pregnant woman to prepare for the process of childbirth, practice proper breathing skills in advance and bring them to automatism. After all, if a woman began giving birth, breathing and behavior, the video of which she watched, she will need to automatically repeat.

Breathing during childbirth: contractions

If the contractions are already regular and the pain is getting worse, the most important thing is not to strain or scream, this interferes with the opening of the cervix. When childbirth is underway, the breathing and behavior of the woman in labor helps the baby move through the birth canal and allow the delivery process to go as quickly as possible and without extraneous stimulation. No matter how much you want to curl up in a ball on the bed and moan, you need to get up and try to move and breathe properly - you'll see, it will become much easier to endure contractions.

In preparation for childbirth, breathing should be measured. While the contractions are not yet so strong, it is necessary to slowly inhale the air (in four counts) and exhale even more slowly (while counting to six). Breathing, in which the inhalation is longer than the exhalation, allows you to calm down and relax.

When the contractions become intense, it is no longer possible to breathe so measuredly. In this case, it is necessary to use dog breathing. During childbirth, this technique allows you to endure the strongest contractions without unnecessary stress. Canine breathing is rapid, shallow breathing with an open mouth. You need to start breathing like a dog when the fight is just beginning. The more intense the contraction, the more you need to breathe. At the end of the contraction, when the pain recedes, you need to take a deep breath and a smooth long exhalation. To learn how to breathe during childbirth, video tutorials and breathing techniques must be studied in advance and repeatedly practiced in their application at home.

Breathing during childbirth: pushing

The breathing and behavior of the woman in labor during the attempts is usually controlled by the midwife: she tells you when and how to push, and when you need to "breathe" the attempt. If we talk about general principles, then breathing during an attempt is as follows: a deep breath in through the nose and exhalation through the mouth, sharp, aimed at the uterus and pushing the child out, and not into the head.

If you are about to go into labor, the correct breathing that you watched during your pregnancy should pop up in front of your eyes. With the start of the fight, relax as much as possible, take a deep breath and exhale slowly, if necessary, breathe "dog". Rehearse proper breathing in advance - this will greatly facilitate the process of childbirth.

With any physical activity, a lot depends on breathing. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you have chosen: classes in the gym, crossfit or swimming. Today we will talk about how to breathe properly while running.

What and how we breathe

The human body, like the organisms of higher vertebrates, is equipped with a perfect respiratory apparatus associated with the circulatory system. Such a connection is necessary to extract oxygen from the air, fix it on the hemoglobin of the blood and transport it throughout the body, to each cell.

The amount of oxygen that enters the lungs will depend on the quality of breathing and the air of the external environment. The quality of breathing is the depth of inhalation and frequency.

For more efficient oxygen consumption, breathing must be rhythmic. Chaotic breathing does not allow you to saturate the body with oxygen in the right amount. There will either be too much or too little. A deficiency for a person is undesirable and dangerous. And too much can make you dizzy.

The quality of the air around us is its purity. You all know or have heard what photosynthesis is. Green plants absorb the carbon dioxide we breathe out. And they release oxygen, which we already absorb. Accordingly, the more plants in your environment and the fewer cars, the better. No wonder everyone wants to go to the training in the park, and not run along the side of the freeway.

Breathing rules for sports

The following seven rules give an idea of how to and how not to breathe during physical exertion.

Rule 1: breathe clean air

The first rule has already been announced - breathe where there is a lot of oxygen. This forest, park, natural reserves.

During physical activity, the body's demand for oxygen increases. And oxygen is absorbed along with air. It turns out that if there are a lot of harmful impurities in the air, we will also inhale them? Yes, unfortunately it is. Therefore, it is not recommended to run near the roadways, in industrial areas, in dusty areas. Otherwise, all particles and dirt will end up in our lungs.

Rule 2: Regulate the depth of your breath

To understand how to breathe correctly while running, what the technique should be when running, you need to decide on the depth of breathing.

You can breathe shallowly - such breathing is typical for a state of rest and sleep. Inhalation is fast and weak, exhalation is sharp and imperceptible. Periodically (every 5-6 minutes), the body takes a deep breath, as it needs more air.

Even when walking, such breathing will be ineffective. Therefore, the breaths will become a little deeper and faster.

Proper breathing while running can combine medium-deep breaths with alternating deep breaths. For example, 10 medium breaths, 1 deep. And this is true only when you do not have enough air. Medium-deep breaths are usually sufficient.

By learning to regulate and stabilize the depth of your breathing, you will discover new horizons for yourself.

It is impossible to take each breath very deeply while running - a temporary excess of oxygen can cause dizziness.

So, rule 2 in running and in any physical activity - adjust the depth of breathing depending on the situation, but do not breathe deeply in a row! It is optimal to take medium-deep breaths.

Rule 3: inhale and exhale your turn

When performing physical exercises, inhalation is done with less effort, and exhalation with more effort, inhalation during muscle relaxation, and exhalation during their contraction.

In running, this rule is not entirely appropriate, since in this case it does not matter when to inhale and when to exhale, rule 4 is important.

Rule 4: Rhythm and Frequency

The holy point in running is rhythm. If you get lost, lose the rhythm, breathing becomes chaotic, you choke and cannot continue at the same pace. In this case, the body will be hard, there will be a lack of air, shortness of breath.

In order not to suffocate, you need to breathe evenly, rhythmically. For example, you started jogging. Immediately, at the very first step, divide the inhalation and exhalation into steps. The number of steps in each step will depend on the length of your legs and.

The only rule is that the number of steps on inhalation and exhalation should be equal. The classic technique is to take 3 steps to inhale and 3 steps to exhale. The speed of running in this case is 8-11 kilometers per hour. With a slower run, you can stretch the inhalation and exhalation for 4 steps.

When accelerating, you can slightly increase the depth of breathing and reduce the duration to 2 steps. But it is still better not to increase the frequency of breathing, but to vary the amount of incoming air due to depth. It is not recommended to breathe for each step.

The longer you run, the more slowly you should breathe. For example, breathing while running for 3 km should be less intense than for 1 km. When running long distances, it is important to calculate your strength.

Rule 5: inhale and exhale in different ways!

Have you noticed that breathing through the mouth does not bring the desired satisfaction? The fact is that through the mouth you swallow part of the air into the stomach. And through the nose, all the air enters strictly into the lungs. This is the whole secret. That is, you need to inhale through the nose.

This is useful not only from the point of view of the passage of air, but also from the point of view of the prevention of tonsillitis and other colds in the cold season. Through the nose, the air warms up a little before it enters the throat and lungs.

But you need to exhale through your mouth. So you will quickly expel the exhaust air from your body.

So, the rule is: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

Rule 6: in case you start to choke

It happens that after a sharp acceleration, breathing begins to go astray, and a person suffocates while running. What to do in these cases? Rule number 6 will help you: take 3-4 deep breaths, then return to the previous breathing rhythm.

This rule applies to those cases when you cannot slow down and restore your heartbeat and breathing. This happens only under two circumstances: you are in a competition and you are running away from someone. In the first case, you can give up slack - only the result is at stake. But in the second - your life may be at stake. And the run may be the last.

If you are just exercising, slow down and restore breathing and heart rate.

Rule 7: Don't hold your breath!

Failures in breathing appear after short-term delays. It is a fact. Sometimes you say something or for some reason hold your breath. Then you feel that there is not enough air. So, this cannot be done.

Breathing technique while running does not imply:

Drink. Swallowing while running will throw you out of rhythm. It is better to drink water by going to a step or slowing down a little (when you can quickly and easily equalize the rhythm).
Long conversations. Talk better after a run.
Chaotic inhalations and exhalations.

Thus, proper breathing while running includes the frequency, rhythm and depth of breathing. As well as inhaling through the nose, and exhaling through the mouth.

Therefore, to learn how to run longer and harder, just practice these simple tips. May every kilometer bring you pleasure!