How to Breathe When Pushing Out Your Baby
Breathing. It's not something you have to think a whole lot about, right? Except as you move through the months of pregnancy, a few things happen. You'll notice it gets harder to breathe easily the more space your baby is taking up, and you might also start to hear all kinds of perspectives and approaches about how to breathe when you're pushing your baby out! It can be confusing. So let's review some breathing practices and how and when you can use them.
One of the best things you can do is go regularly to a prenatal yoga class. Check out this one local to Somerville, MA.
https://beinunion.com/schedule/
What you're learning here is breath with movement, which is exactly what you'll be doing when you're laboring to birth your baby. Your weekly practice of nice long inhales and lengthy exhales while moving will build muscle memory. "Focus on your breath," something I often say in prenatal class, will seep in, and you'll be able to access that all the more during your contractions. You may also find yourself clenching or gripping through a contraction, and so a helpful cue afterward is: "Okay, nice long inhale and long exhale. Easy breathing."
Watch this video:
https://youtu.be/_vYDRiLcmJk?is=DOTywI6LVlC71Mn3
There is a middle-ground approach using ujjayi breath, drawn from yogic traditions. It can help you stay in a flow state during contractions, and in the pushing stage it offers a way to exhale low and deep without letting go of the power of the push.
Now we come to the pushing stage, and here's where you'll likely get all kinds of different advice. If you go to pelvic floor PT before your baby arrives, you may be instructed to breathe out as you push, rather than hold your breath. Meanwhile, if you have hospital nurses supporting you, they may coach you a different way: "Nice big breath in, fill up, and hold while you bear down and push." So which is it for you? Maybe it's both.
The reality is that your pushing experience will look very different depending on whether you have an epidural or not. Whether or not you get an epidural, we’re here to support you.
If you have a non-medicated birth, all bets are off for how you breathe. Your nurses, doula- if you have one, and other supports will tend to be more hands-off, letting you do your own thing. From the outside, you'll likely be pushing and grunting or sounding while somewhat holding your breath — your body meeting itself where it is. Your body will start involuntarily pushing your baby out, but that doesn't mean it won't still be a lot of work. You might breathe out at times, and also push while holding your breath.
If you have an epidural, because you won't feel your body's intense sensations or the involuntary urge to push, you'll need to be coached on when and how to push effectively. Often the first 30–45 minutes of pushing is a teaching process for you — moving from less effective pushes to more effective ones that make real progress moving your baby down. You might feel strongly (and good for you for finding your voice!) that you want to breathe out while pushing, and your nurses and doula will absolutely support that. And if you notice your pushes are more effective with the hold-and-push method, you may find yourself shifting your approach a bit, trusting those who have supported a lot of births before yours.
So that brings us back to the original question: how do we push? It depends on your situation. Not all births are alike. Whatever you decide to do, your breath is there to support you!
