Breathing techniques for labour

Conscious and controlled breathing techniques can be useful throughout labour and delivery. They can help to keep you calm as you welcome your baby into the world.

How does breathing help in labour?

Controlled (sometimes also called patterned) breathing techniques for labour increase the amount of oxygen available to you and your baby. This can involve light, slow, deep or panting breaths. Breathing techniques can also promote feelings of calm, ease stress, and help you cope with the pain of contractions.

When you are tense your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Your shoulders pull up towards your ears, and your neck and shoulder muscles feel tight and rigid. If you move into a state of panic it’s easy to start sucking the air into your lungs and breathing out in short, sharp gasps.

Panic breathing cuts down on the amount of oxygen you take in for yourself and for your baby. It can leave you feeling light-headed. Pins and needles can start in your fingers and your mouth can feel numb.

Panic-breathing is a common response to pain and stress. It's normal, but your body can't stay in this state for long without getting exhausted. In labour, your aim is to conserve your energy as much as possible, to give your baby plenty of oxygen to help them cope with the stress of being born. Controlled, intentional breathing can help you with this.

Specific breathing methods like Bradley and Lamaze are techniques that you can try, but research suggests there isn’t one method that’s better than the rest. Any form of deep breathing can be helpful when paired with other relaxation techniques.

Breathing patterns for labour

Close your eyes for a moment and focus on your breathing.

Notice there’s a rhythm to it. You breathe in then there's a slight pause before you breathe out. Your out-breath matches your in-breath in length and depth. You pause slightly before your lungs draw the next breath in.

Don't let the in-breath become longer than the out-breath. In fact, your out-breath could be a little longer than your in-breath.

When you are having strong contractions, your breathing will become shallow. There's nothing wrong with this, as long as your breathing doesn't start to get faster and turn into panic-breathing.

Simple breathing techniques

It can help to practise relaxation techniques so that you can use them in labour. Try these for size

• Think of the word "relax". It has two syllables "re" and "lax". Now, try this exercise. As you breathe in, think "re" to yourself, and as you breathe out, think "lax". Don't let your mind wander. Just repeat the word "relax,"' in tune with your breathing. When you breathe out try to let go of any tension in your body. Focus on the muscles that you know become tense when you're stressed. The out-breath is the one to focus on. The in-breath takes care of itself!
• Try counted breathing. As you breathe in count slowly up to three or four (or the number that seems right for you). As you breathe out count to three or four again. You might find you prefer to breathe in to a count of three and out to a count of four.
• Try breathing in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Keep your mouth very soft as you sigh the breath out. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Many people also find it helpful to make a sound on the out-breath, such as "oooooooh" or "aaaaaah". Between contractions, have sips of water, to prevent your mouth getting dry.

Support with breathing

It can be very hard to keep your breathing even and to relax every time you breathe out, when you're having painful contractions, you're tired, and labour seems long. This is where the support of your birth partner is vital. They can help you keep your breathing steady by breathing with you.

It can help to make eye contact with your partner. Have them hold your hands, or place their hands on your shoulders. Then, you can follow their pattern of breathing, which takes the thinking out of it for you. It can be helpful to practise co-breathing in the weeks leading up to your due date.

Breathing and pushing

During the second stage of labour you will be pushing your baby out into the world. Your care provider will help you push and breathe in the best way. Follow your urges and push as many times per contraction as feels right for you. You may find that you feel the urge to push briefly, three to five times with each contraction, taking some breaths in between.

What if I have an epidural?

If you've had an epidural, and there’s no concern about your or the baby, it's recommended that you wait at least an hour from the time you are fully dilated before you start pushing. That’s unless your baby's head is visible or you get a strong urge to push.

If you still can't really feel where you are meant to be pushing, take a deep breath when your doctor, delivery nurse or midwife tells you there is a contraction starting. As you blow out, let your mind travel down your body, to your baby's head between your legs, and push.

Breathing and not pushing

Sometimes there can be an urge to push before the cervix is fully dilated. In this case, depending how dilated you are, your may be asked not to push to give your cervix more time to open. This can be really hard. It’s a good example of a time when your birth partner’s co-breathing guidance can help.

When the baby’s head is starting to show (crowning) you may be asked not to push until you are told to by the doctor or midwife. This is to allow the baby’s head to come out slowly, to reduce the chance of tearing.

You can also help yourself by changing your position, perhaps getting onto your side or kneeling on all fours with your bottom in the air and your cheek resting on the ground. When a contraction arrives give four short pants then a quick in-breath, followed by four more short pants, and so on.

You can also repeat the phrase, "I must not push!" in your head as you pant, and then breathe normally between contractions.

There’s no right way to breathe during labour. And there are dozens of variations on all these techniques. You can try cleansing breaths, repeating a mantra, counted breathing, paced breathing… Do what feels best for you.