Diaphragmatic Breathing
Breathing
Learning how to breathe correctly is the single most important thing you can do to keep your core intact during pregnancy and to help heal your body post baby. The diaphragm and pelvic floor work together as a team. If the diaphragm is not working properly, neither can your poor little pelvic floor. We need retrain it not only while we are growing these little humans but also after pregnancy. Diaphragmatic breathing serves us when used throughout the day.
For clarity, “proper” breathing is labeled as “diaphragmatic breath” in the guide. While proper breathing is slow it is NOT forceful. In order to make this happen all day long, you need to train your body how to do it. Breathing dysfunction can occur due to stress, anxiety and poor awareness. It is very common for people who are able to breathe well to switch to quickly revert to back to “chest” breathing. Using a “chest breathing” strategy uses the smaller, weaker muscles that live in the neck and shoulders. This is not ideal because it not optimally oxygenate blood and can cause tension and pain in the upper body.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing is extremely important because it allows for ideal oxygenation of the blood and assists in lymphatic drainage to remove toxins from the body. This creates an ideal situation for growing a healthy baby. In the later stages of pregnancy, the diaphragm becomes squished, making diaphragmatic breathing more laborious sometimes. So, start practicing early while it is still easy!
For a proper breath, you want to start by taking a long, slow breath in through your nose. When you INHALE your stomach should RISE while your ribs should EXPAND to the sides. That is why strong abdominal muscles are so important— we need strong abs to get rib expansion and back body diaphragm expansion. Focus on drawing air into the bottom ribs and relaxing your belly. You can also visualize your diaphragm lengthening downward (toward your feet) as it fills with air while your pelvic floor nicely relaxes. To exhale, pretend you are blowing out birthday candles by lightly pursing your lips and exhaling slowly. As your diaphragm rises your pelvic floor will follow by reflexively contracting. Visualize on your exhale that you are scooping out the air in your body making a hook shaped pattern with your belly.
Take caution not to breath exclusively into your BELLY. During pregnancy, a forward-expanding belly in the absence of any rib cage movement puts extra pressure on already taxed core. What ALWAYS helps is to re-focus on your bottom ribs. Here are the steps to feel and help promote awesome rib cage movement:
Place both hands at your sides with your fingers in front (just below where the underwire of a bra) and your thumbs wrapped around back of your rib cage and INHALE
You should feel your bottom ribs rise”up and out” under your fingers
You may even appreciate that your ribs expand BEHIND your body (your rib cage is a 360 degree canister! It has a front, sides, and back!)
Try “square breathing”: inhale x 4 sec, hold x 4 sec, exhale x 4 sec, hold x 4 sec
On your exhales, feel your ribs come back IN and DOWN toward your pelvis. You can even give a little extra over-pressure with your hands to help feel like your ribs are REALLY coming back down.
You have probably heard us talk before about the importance of breathing. Well, believe it or not, breathing can also be used as a form of pain relief during labor! One 2011-12 survey study found that the most common non-drug form of pain relief during labor was breathing techniques, with 48% of respondents reporting that is their preferred method.
There are reasons why breathing techniques are so commonly taught to pregnant women. Breathing techniques are used around the world for stress and anxiety relief. Researchers believe that focused breathing activates certain mental processes in your brain, stimulating the release of endorphins, which are natural pain relieving hormones. This could help you to redirect your thoughts about labor to being more positive and manageable. Studies have shown that even just a few minutes of this type of breathing can modify your brain waves in a positive way. In addition, it helps to decrease your blood pressure and stress hormones, increase your relaxation response, and increase your blood oxygen levels.
Get breathing!