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)