How Do Lamaze Breathing Exercises Help in Childbirth?

Many parents choose to take childbirth classes before the baby comes. Some classes use conscious breathing patterns first taught by Dr. Ferdinand Lamaze in the 1950s, according to Barbara Harper, R.N. in ̶0;Gentle Birth Choices.̶1; Lamaze observed births in Russia and saw that the conscious breathing used by laboring mothers reduced pain and fear. But you don̵7;t have to take a Lamaze class to benefit from conscious breathing techniques.

  1. Reduce Fear and Stress

    • Laboring mothers who concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths during contractions often find it easier to stay in control of the fear and stress that can accompany labor contractions, according to the Lamaze International̵7;s website. Instead of focusing on contractions that can cause pain, pay attention to your breathing. Breathing speeds up when you are afraid and causes your muscles to tense, which inhibits labor. Slow breathing keeps your heart rate at normal levels, reduces anxiety and makes it easier for the baby to be born.

    Conscious or Patterned Breathing?

    • The Russians that Dr. Lamaze observed believed that childbirth pain was caused by fear and the expectation of pain, according to Harper. Teaching a woman to breathe slowly and deliberately, rub her belly and concentrate on a focal point in the room during contractions was supposed to reduce the pain caused by the fear response. Listening to your body and breathing in ways that feel appropriate to your body̵7;s needs is more efficient than following a set of prescribed breathing instructions taught in the early Lamaze classes. Most childbirth instructors today, regardless of the brand of childbirth techniques taught, use this conscious breath instruction rather than the panting-style patterned breathing alternative.

    Tuning Out Distractions

    • Focusing on the breathing helps tune out the distractions that occur during labor as people enter and exit the room, monitor your condition and the baby̵7;s and adjust equipment. Relax as you follow your breath in and slowly exhale. Close your eyes if it helps you more fully relax, ignoring those around you. Feel the contraction strengthen, peak and recede, similar to a wave rolling on the surf and ebbing as it reaches the shallow waters near the shore. Your full attention is focused on what you need to do to roll with the contraction instead of fighting it or becoming agitated by the distractions around you.

    Oxygen Needs in Labor

    • Maintaining conscious control of your breathing reduces the temptation to hold your breath during a contraction. Holding your breath increases body tension, amplifying pain and fear, which induces more tension, pain and fear. That pain-fear cycle makes it more difficult for labor to progress. Holding your breath inhibits the intake of oxygen necessary for labor to progress. Your body needs oxygen to work at its peak efficiency during labor and the baby needs oxygen to cope with the stress of labor. Conscious breathing encourages maximum oxygen intake.

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