Breathing exercises to do during pregnancy

Diaphragmatic breathing reduces stress and relaxes muscles. Pursed-lip breathing helps with muscle contractions.

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How to do breathing exercises during pregnancy
During pregnancy, breathing exercises can help reduce stress, improve oxygenation of the body, and prepare for childbirth.
Breathe correctly in pregnancy allows the blood to be better oxygenated and calmedanxiety. Thanks to breathing the stimulation of anti-stress neurotransmitters, called catecholamines, occurs, which cross the placenta and positively influence the baby (like when we take deep breaths to calm down before facing a stressful situation). stress.). During pregnancy, oxygenating the body well also means oxygenating the baby better, to whom the mother transmits a sensation of calm and relaxation.
The most effective breathing exercises during pregnancy are diaphragmatic breathing and pursed-lip breathing, which involves using the nose.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Through this breathing you can relax the muscles, which are always tense during pregnancy.
  • How to do:
    • Lying on your left side or sitting with your back straight.
    • Inhale slowly through your nose, inflating your abdomen (not your chest).
    • Exhale slowly through your mouth, emptying your abdomen.
  • Benefits:
    • Relax your muscles.
    • Improves blood oxygenation.
    • It reduces anxiety and promotes sleep.

Breathing with parted lips

The nose is used a lot, and is particularly useful for reducing the pain of contractions.
  • How to do:
    • Inhale through your nose.
    • Exhale slowly through your mouth as if you were blowing through a straw.
  • Benefits:
    • It helps control breathing during contractions.
    • Prevents hyperventilation.

Exercises and useful tips during pregnancy

Pregnancy sometimes seems like a never-ending process. And for women, it's not without its challenges, partly due to a whole series of changes in their metabolism. Hence...
  • Exercises of yoga: They are the most suitable for relaxing in the nine months preceding birth.
  • Also the stretchingIt is an effective type of exercise during pregnancy.
  • Music, especially classical music, is very relaxing during times like pregnancy.
  • When it comes to food, focus on quality over quantity. And if you have a treat to indulge in, don't overdo it with weight concerns.
  • Slow down the pace of daily life. After all, pregnancy is a magical time that should also be enjoyed.
  • Get plenty of rest, read, and watch light-hearted movies. Nothing strenuous or scary.

Breathing during labor

Breathing helps a lot to live the labor in the most natural way possible and it is advisable to better deal with both the contractions it's time for expulsion. Concentrating on breathing will take our attention away from the sensation of pain, helping us to relax the pelvic muscles, promoting dilation and supporting the pushing phase more naturally. Ensuring proper oxygenation allows the organs to work more efficiently during the delivery.

In the early stages of labor, relax and breathe deeply. To make your breathing effective, push on the diaphragm concentrating the thrust on the lower abdomen. So, first inhale at the diaphragm level and then exhale during the thrust, to also help the perineum to relax.

In the next phase, the contractions they intensify and consequently also the sensation of pain, so it's natural to accelerate your breathing rate. Breathe in along with the stronger contractions; when you feel them coming, focus on breathing deeply and then exhaling slowly.

In the final stage of labor, contractions will reach a apex and you will feel the need to breathe with the upper part of your chest, making your breathing faster and necessarily shallower due to the short times between one contraction and the next.

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