Has anyone actually used breathing techniques when in labour??

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I was just reading a pregnancy web site and they were saying to practice your breathing techniques for the labour.

This will be my third, I have never been taught any breathing techniques. Just wondered if they actually exist.

Also if they do, has anyone found them to be effective?

My breathing technique is bite down fucking hard on the gas n air mouthpeice and suck it in as hard as possible .

Yep. Breathing techniques (and g and a technique) definately helpful.

Yes, did and seemed to help compared to the contractions when I didn't.

Yep, worked for me. For a bit. Until it all went a bit wrong! But the midwife complimented me on my breathing technique so that was good!

I was never taught any. Might google it.

i did watch lots of birthing stuff on sky and figured out the pushing technique. that helped especially after the epidural.

Yes. I was very sceptical but found them to be really helpful. The key for me was that my DH had been "trained" & was supportive in encouraging & even coaching me.

yes, they were really good and better than anything else i've tried so far. but it was because I had my mw helping me with them - think it was the contact with someone else during the pain and the distraction of the breathing combined that helped. I did 3 different types of breathing - one leading up, one at the peak of the pain and one for the slow release of the pain. would recommend it if you can get someone to do it with you

I used the ones outlined in the Hypnobirthing book and found them REALLY good, I'll be using them again this time.

As Belgianbun says yogic breathing is also good

Yes, but the thing that helped the most was to forcefully blow my breaths out through my teeth so I was going "SHHHHHHSHHHHHHHSHHHHH" through each contraction. In fact I couldn't stop myself doing it.

I was the biggest sceptic around as I could barely breathe at all in my first labour (OP). I refused to believe it was possible to breathe your way through labour. But with my second that's exactly what I did - I only got gas and air for the last 5 or 6 first stage contractions having arrived at hospital pretty much fully dilated.

I received no training or instruction in any technique, I just used common sense ie slow controlled breathing focussing on the out breath. Taking note of the pattern of your contractions so you know when you're over the peak.

However, since I had no different preparation for my second labour and was actually much more scared, I would say that breathing "techniques" are probably only helpful/possible in a relatively straightforward labour.

I wasnt taught how to breathe but I just did it.

Concentrate on breathing in while you feel the contractions coming and then fully concentrate on breathing out slowly and evenly during them.

Had no pain relief and it honestly worked.

Not saying it didnt bloody hurt though!

Am learning them but yet to put them into practice.

I think one aspect of their success is that breathing techniques (taught in a pre-natal fitness, yoga or antenatal class) tend to be accompanied by very positive messaging around active labour and childbirth- my classes have also included a lot of specific strength exercises and advice on positions from women who have all been there themselves and had active births with no pain relief.

I think all this makes you feel a lot more empowered and less fearful and therefore more likely to relax, which is a key success factor (or so I'm told- can see all you labour veterans laughing ).

If nothing else, the breathing exercises are relaxing whilst you're doing them and you normally get to lie down in a nice dimly lit room (have actually nodded off once or twice)

I used the counting ones in Hypnobirthing for my 2nd. Found them very useful for maintaining control and keeping the atmosphere calm and quiet. It all went to pot at the pushing stage, but for the few hours before I was def more calm and controlled.

Yep used them with no pain relief (first baby, 10 hour labour). I did antenatal yoga so was practising every week and felt comfortable doing them. As others have said, you focus on breathing out (the idea being that you breath in automatically). Also if you open your throat as the contractions get stronger, you make vowel noises as you breathe out which again helps.

Iggly- breathing aside, do you think the yoga helped you, in terms of (hippy talk alert) feeling more aligned/ connected with your body and keeping you more flexible/ strong?

I keep telling myself that these yoga classes and pre-natal fitness classes are going to pay off, but sometimes I just feel that they are quite "light" and cant really be doing that much good.

When did you stop doing the yoga?

My midwife said in approving tones: "Oh I see you have been practising your breathing techniques."

Me: "Erm well I am just copying what women in labour on the telly always seem to do."

Midwife: "oh."

I was shown them at NHS antenatal classes.

Used them throughout my contractions, big long breath, slow, control it, focus on the out breath....thought they weren't doing much good until got to hosp and found out I was 8cm dilated. Midwife said it was prob the breathing that got me through the night beofe I arrived. Continued doing it through labour and only needed gas and air when they put the syntocin drip in my arm. Worth a try!

I learnt it in my yoga class. I used them for the 2 and a half days of labour that I was at home for, and then again when I was pushing, I pushed for 2 hours and they wanted me to do lots of slow, deep breathing in between pushing and that's when I found it really helpful and was glad I'd kept up with the classes! I practically went into a trance.

Hello - my yoga classes are led by MWs and one of them had a really helpful way of helping us to visualise how to breathe.

She told us to imagine a candle infront of us, breathe in for 5 counts. Then when breathing out, imagine that we wanted to make the flame flicker and dance about but not to actually go out.

I found this really helpful for keeping each breath under control and not just puffing away!

Yes to yoga and the hypnobirthing book breathing techniques. They were great. It very much helped with being in control of the labour mentally as it were, ie being able to go with it and help it take its course. I actually found it more helpful than gas and air when things went wrong for me in my second labour and put the g&a to one side. Anything that can teach you to relax your body as far as possible rather than tense up against a natural expulsive reflex (which is what we do when we fear it!)

the one I read in a book really really helped through my second labour. actually the MWs said I was breathing perfectly

bagged I stopped the yoga shortly after DS was born as didn't have the time although do the odd bit here and there. I am thinking of starting again now I've got more time.

I felt very confident in my body and in what positions worked for me during the contractions as I had practised a fair bit when pregnant and knew what was comfortable. I also could move around a bit between contractions and get into a new position fairly easily. When I tried sitting on a birthing stool I didn't know what I was doing as hadn't tried it before!!

I felt very connected with my cervix (now that does sounds hippy!!) as during yoga we had done a lot of visualising and imagining opening up etc etc. So during the labour, I kept saying open in my head and made the link between my mouth and throat opening and my nether regions to help get baby out My DH said I had kept saying "open" out loud which I didn't remember! I don't know if it's connected but my labour did go quite smoothly until the pushing stage (DS had his elbow up by his face...)

In fact, the one thing I found difficult was pushing - because it took over 2 hours and I couldn't get into good position. I think I panicked a bit during transition (normal) and I had a bit of a lip which the midwife had to push back (ouch). Also DS's position meant it took forever!! I'm also a bit of a control freak and needed to "let go" during the pushing stage but couldn't until my midwife told me to make loads of deep noises. Once I started doing that, things progressed again.

My ms called it hollow lev breathing. She said if you use numbers and count it's easy to go to quickly. She said to imagine you are filling your body with air starting at the toes. To visualise each part of your body filling with air, once you were all full up to do the same in reverse. I found it wourked really well until (as someone else said) the pushing stage which hurt like hell (sorry!)

I wasn't taught any, but for my 2nd and 3rd births, all I needed was to focus on breathing in through nose, blowing out through mouth through a contraction, didn't have any other pain relief at all (and dd was 10lb, ds2 10lb2). Ds3 I did use a teeny bit of G&A at the end, though the mw said that hardly any had gone from the cannister so I don't think I was using it right! But it did make me really focus on breathing. And ds3 was 10lb12!

Those 3 were all homebirths, which also helped a lot. My mw said I had invented a 'new' technique which was to go "Ow Ow Ow OW Ow Ow Ow" throughout the contractions, which is absolutely true, and that seemed to help too!