How To Breathe For Birth

Today’s episode we have midwife Jenny West back to talk about breathing techniques for labor and birth. Sometimes as educators there are challenges with teaching breathing because it’s simpler than people think. Hypnobirthing breathing(or any method of breathing you are using) just takes practice ahead of time so you can stay focused when your body is feeling intense sensations. The more you practice, the simpler it becomes and the more your body and brain become used to it. Practice develops a habit and a rote pattern within your body. Breath is truly the only thing that you can control during the labor.

We reference Sarah Buckley’s research and the importance of understanding the limbic and the endocrine systems within your body. When you have developed a mindset that believes in your body’s ability to birth and you know how to keep your mind calm, that feeds into the power of your breath and the power of your contractions(surges).

Labor and birth are the completion of a process that has been going on since conception. Your body knows how to release the baby that it has grown so perfectly without any help from the outside world. When you use your breath to remain calm and steady, you tell your limbic system that you’re not in danger. As mammals, we have built in systems for fight or flight for protection. Unless you need protection in labor you don’t wanna trigger the fight or flight, you wanna be in rest and digest.

Jenny runs study groups for upcoming midwives and does parent consultations for all things pregnancy and birth. Jenny currently resides in New Mexico. You can find her at JennyWest.com

https://jennywest.com/

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