without any breathing exercise and vaginal birth

[first_time_mum]

hiya.. I am 35 week and have not started any breathing exercise? still can i give birt easily? do i need to start any exercise?

[BabyMama6]

I didn't get any breathing techniques at my ante natal classes, not did I look into it either. When my labour started you just know what to do & you do what your body needs.

Is say don't worry about it, your body looks after you. x

[MadCatLady465]

Hiya, I didn't do any exercises and I gave birth vaginally (twice), you just do what your body tells you xx

[mamacool]

Sorry to burst your bubble but birthing isn't easy - its the hardest days work you'll ever do!

That said some women cope easier than others, and generally this is down to a combination of mental fortitude and physical make up and fitness.

The good news is there is still time for you to prepare, yoga classes are a good starting point as you are always encouraged to be aware of your body and I would also suggest looking up hypnobirthing techniques. The hypnobithing book by katherine graves is a good place to start.

I hope this helps

[NanKing]

I think that if you feel confident in your body's ability to give birth and to know 'what to do' in labour as BabyMama has described then you should go with that as women can and do have straightforward births just trusting in their body's abilities and instincts. If you feel less confident breathing techniques can help you to deal with holding tension in your body during labour (which makes you experience contractions as more painful) and to relax your pelvic floor during birth. Attending a class is great as you get the input of the teacher's confidence in women's bodies to give birth which can really make a difference, you can also get some background to why techniques work if you want to understand the technical side. If you can't find a class now or just don't want to I am sure there are loads of sources online for basic techniques - I would suggest looking for videos rather than descriptions as it is easier to see if you are following what is being described. There are lots of things you can try but the basic principles are the same - holding your breath in the way you often see women pushing on TV is not very helpful as it makes you hold tension and limits the oxygen you and baby get. (midwives sometimes coach women to push in this way if they want to shorten the pushing stage because mother or baby is exhausted but it shouldn't be used lightly as, if used for long, it can limit baby's oxygen and forced pushing carries an obvious risk of tearing). We tend to release tension when we breath out so making your out breath longer is the single most important thing you can do. Basically: take a breath in, (try to breath deeply but you don't have to take a 'bigger' breath than normal) and then blow out a slightly longer than usual breath through your mouth - this can help all through labour to release tension. Blowing out your breath with either one long breath or a number of short puffs during pushing stage can help to keep your pelvic floor relaxed. Another thing you can try is to let your jaw go slack as studies have observed a link between holding tension in your jaw and in the pelvic floor sounds crazy but is true apparently (you can test this on the loo if you are a bit constipated - the breathing out and the jaw thing!) Hope it helps and you I know you will find your own way. Remember to share any techniques you want to use with your birth partner - even if you feel a bit daft - they may need to remind you at difficult points to keep it going. All the best for the rest of your pregnancy and your birth-day!

[ritz21]

i learnt nothing - just took an epidural and birthing was damn fun !

[Hidden]

Hi

Just like my 1st pregnancy I haven't done any breathing exercises or not much exercise in general but just like someone mentioned already here you've just got to listen to your body

We all know giving birth to child is going to be painful but once the baby is safely here we'll be very very proud mummies.

xx

[Neonka]

Hi

I am 40 weeks today. I haven't done any breathing exercises as they were not part of our ante-natal classes but I know that the midwifes are very helpful and they will try and help you to deliver your baby without too much of a trauma for you. They will talk you through what to do if your body is not telling you. I have been advised to just not stress about it too much, listen to your body or advise from the professionals around you and try to relax as much as possible. Good luck.

[BubbaG]

Bottom line is you will be in so much pain the last thing you will be thinking about is if you are breathing in a particular way lol... sorry I don't mean to make light of the situation because especially with baby number one we think there may be a particular way but like other posters have said..... Your body will take over and you will instinctively respond accordingly. xx

[Hidden]

Just try not to panic and take deep breaths cos if u breathe really fast u will make urself dizzy. .. try and stay in control and have a little chat to urself take big breaths of gas and air if u have it and if the pain gets too much then let them know for different pain relief x

[cheekymonkey3791]

Yes long slow deep breaths, this will provide lots of oxygen to your muscle (the uterus) that is working very hard and don't panic as babymother says. Each childbirth experience is different and individual, you just have to go with it, have an open mind and an open birth plan

I got to fully dilated without pain relief...1st baby, I never knew I had it in me and cried many a time wondering how I would cope....and as you can see I cooed just fine. I did have a massive surge of adrenaline just as I got to fully dilated...fight flight. Xx