The benefits of breathing through labour & birth

There are many coping mechanisms available to women as they progress throughout birth: position changes, movement, massage, touch, water therapy and medications are some that come to mind.  However,  today I thought I would share with you the simple and yet effective benefits of breathing.

Rhythmic breathing, often accompanied by low moans, is a universal coping strategy adopted by women across cultures.  Women who are coping well with the surges of an increasing labour pattern typically move their bodies more (swaying, rocking, self-massage) and use their voice (moaning, chanting or other vocalizations ) thereby experiencing more effective relief from pain & stress. 

There are two styles of rhythmic breathing that are often taught, both in a prenatal yoga class, or childbirth class.

The first is what we call slow breathing:

Slow breathing is best introduced in labour when the mother can no longer walk and talk through a contraction or surge, especially while at the peak.  We teach women to 'sigh' her way through the contraction with full, audible breaths.  This type of breathing pairs wonderfully with imagery. 'Each exhale is a relaxing breath'  or 'Send each breath in to a tense area in your body and breath the tension out as you exhale'.

The second style is called Light breathing or Modified Breathing:

This style of breathing is best introduced whenever a woman becomes discouraged or finds that the slow breathing is no longer effective in distracting her or diminishing her discomfort.

When we teach light breathing we are teaching her to breathe more shallowly and more quickly, but still at a speed that she finds comfortable.  An example may be two shallow breaths followed by a longer breath in between to prevent hyperventilation.

Most women respond very well to rhythmic breathing and almost all women develop their own instinctive rituals over the course of their labour, allowing them to cope with the increasing contractions of normal birth.

Rhythmic breathing is also known to quiet the mind, specifically the thinking part of the brain (cerebral cortex), allowing women to be more instinctive.  It is also self-calming and encourages the body to release tension and enhances a sense of well-being. 



References:

Simkin & Ancheta "The labor progress handbook" (2005)
Simkin "The 3 R's in childbirth preparation: Relaxation, Rhythm and Ritual" (2006)
Lowe "The Pain and Discomfort of Labour & Birth" (1996)

Tips to get you back on track after your holiday splurge!

If you are like me, you likely overindulged at the annual family gathering this Thanksgiving.   The extra glass of wine/pop, nacho dip, chocolates and candies were all snacked upon and enjoyed before the turkey was even brought to the table.  Perhaps you also enjoyed a few helpings of stuffing and extra gravy on the turkey and enjoyed every bite.  Before your plates were cleared the coffee tray rolled out and you soon found yourself enjoying some ice cream, apple and pumpkin pie before you crawled to the couch and passed out complaining that your pants are now too tight.

Instead of beating yourself up for indulgence, try these few tips instead:

1) Drink lots of water
2) Meal plan for the rest of the week
3) Use the power of your guilt to motivate you into doing something active that you may have been putting off.  Give yourself that little kick in the butt before the next holiday creeps up on you.

There is no price on your health!  Start today, feel better tomorrow!

Welcome to the New FITMOM

A few months ago we started on a journey to update our website. I am very excited to share the new home of FITMOM with you today.

Not only has our website had a complete overhaul, but we have updated the logo too!  Now whenever you see this logo you can be reassured that you are experiencing the highest quality programs designed to support you during your pregnancy and post partum experience.  Under the guidance of our founder, Andrea Page, FITMOM continues to be the leader in prenatal post partum fitness. 

 

 

Our fall classes are off to a great start, and you can expect to see some new class offerings on our schedule.  I will be continuing to offer FITMOM+Baby, which is our most popular indoor workout, but I am really excited to introduce you to ROCKAMAMA LULLABABY.  This class involves a 30 minute progressive circuit for mom and baby followed by mom and baby yoga.  We also conclude each class with interactive exercises, songs & rhymes designed to enhance the development of your baby. 

 

A group of moms got to experience this class this morning and the feedback was positive.  We had a lot of fun sweating it out today!

 

I will also be introducing a new workout for mom's & toddlers.  This class is called FITPARENT+ Toddler and is a spin off from the original FITMOM+Baby classes.  Active toddlers are involved from beginning to end.  Moms are instructed through a series of exercises that will strengthen her from head to toe.  Toddlers are prompted to mimic body movement with fun analogies of animals and familiar objects that are designed to stimulate and entertain them.  Needless to say, this class will be a riot!  A start date has not been determined for this class yet, but stay tuned!

 

I hope you are excited about the new changes we have made.  If you have a minute check out our new site at www.fitmomcanada.com

 

You can access my direct page here.