Breathing techniques for labour

[susan1]

Is there a differerent breathing technique a mother can use to push the baby out?

The thing is this last mom I had did not want to use the Val method of pushing…you know the take a deep breath.1,2,3, ..10 and breath of course the nurse did not like that.


Susan

[MothertheMother]

I think just mom pushing as she feels the urge is the best. If she has an epidural and no urge to push counting to 5 or 6 is as long as you should go (from my reading). But holding breath is not recommended. Think of weight lifters. They grunt/make noise when they are lifting the heavy weights. Mom should do what comes natural to her. Also I recently learned that taking a deep breath (and holding it) before the push is not recommended. Teri, from Passion for Birth, said this at the seminar. Something about the lungs being full being a disadvantage. I dont remember exactly but if no one else can explain I will email her for the info.

[nocomparta]

What is the Val method? Just curious...

[everydaymiracles]

Am assuming the Valsalva technique? Purple faced pushing? That is my guess!

[Gentlebirthmama]

As a childbirth educator I have never taught a specific way of breathing for labor and birth. I teach why it's important to breathe normally, no patterned breathing techniques and encourage moms during pushing to take a couple deep breaths as the ctx builds allowing for her to push at the peak of the ctx which will be more effective in working with her body. I also discourage her from purple pushing and will encourage her to take a breath when needed and not to hold her breath very long. Ideally she should grunt the baby down and out without holding her breath, but unfortunately in the hosp. setting that isn't usually encouraged and the nurse stands there counting loudly and annoyingly to 10 as the mother strains and pushes. If a nurse is doing this I ask the mom if she wants that and if not politely tell the nurse that it is distracting and see if she will allow the mother to push as she needs to. If the nurse insists on counting to 10 I just stand near the mother's head and quietly encourage her to only hold her breath as long as she needs to and to push only as much as feels good.

It's also important to teach women that pushing doesn't necessarily need to start when she's 10cm...active pushing can usually wait until the mother gets
an overwhelming urge to push which will normally happen as the baby moves down and hits the pelvic floor, if not before. If a woman is told she is 10cm and can push whenever, I encourage that it's okay to rest if she doesn't have a strong urge and sometimes, many times the resting allows the baby to move into an ideal position that then creates the urge to push and the mother won't push as long as when she starts right when she's 10cm.

I don't believe there is an ideal breathing technique for pushing...allowing the mom to rest and allow her body to do a majority of the pushing is best. Panting and blowing can all lead to hyperventilation during labor and birth, so if a mom is told to not push I encourage her to take deep breathes instead and that is enough to keep her from directly pushing.

Anyway, a few thoughts.

[susan1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by everydaymiracles Am assuming the Valsalva technique? Purple faced pushing? That is my guess!

Yes! Sorry about that.

Susan

[susan1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gentlebirthmama As a childbirth educator I have never taught a specific way of breathing for labor and birth. I teach why it's important to breathe normally, no patterned breathing techniques and encourage moms during pushing to take a couple deep breaths as the ctx builds allowing for her to push at the peak of the ctx which will be more effective in working with her body. I also discourage her from purple pushing and will encourage her to take a breath when needed and not to hold her breath very long. Ideally she should grunt the baby down and out without holding her breath, but unfortunately in the hosp. setting that isn't usually encouraged and the nurse stands there counting loudly and annoyingly to 10 as the mother strains and pushes. If a nurse is doing this I ask the mom if she wants that and if not politely tell the nurse that it is distracting and see if she will allow the mother to push as she needs to. If the nurse insists on counting to 10 I just stand near the mother's head and quietly encourage her to only hold her breath as long as she needs to and to push only as much as feels good. It's also important to teach women that pushing doesn't necessarily need to start when she's 10cm...active pushing can usually wait until the mother gets an overwhelming urge to push which will normally happen as the baby moves down and hits the pelvic floor, if not before. If a woman is told she is 10cm and can push whenever, I encourage that it's okay to rest if she doesn't have a strong urge and sometimes, many times the resting allows the baby to move into an ideal position that then creates the urge to push and the mother won't push as long as when she starts right when she's 10cm. I don't believe there is an ideal breathing technique for pushing...allowing the mom to rest and allow her body to do a majority of the pushing is best. Panting and blowing can all lead to hyperventilation during labor and birth, so if a mom is told to not push I encourage her to take deep breathes instead and that is enough to keep her from directly pushing. Anyway, a few thoughts.

Thanks ....that helps. I told the nurse that the mom did not want to push with the Valsalva push....at first the nurse was like ok...but then she would go again about pushing with the Valsalva push. After the baby was born the nurse said told the mother and I the baby would NEVER come out the way I was telling the mom to push or the way the mom wanted to push. The nurse told me I need to get more experience using the Valsalva push method.

Susan

[nocomparta]

ah Val... I'm so vain, I thought that song was about me

[DL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoulaVal ah Val... I'm so vain, I thought that song was about me

[capandcradle]

Nurses here seem to universally love Long's ValSalva, and seem to be unaware of the plethora of evidence against it. It's patently false the baby won't be born without it. What's her hurry?

Ditto gentlebirthmama -- couldn't say it better myself. But read the research.

[Gentlebirthmama]

My take on why nurses do this...
More than likely they are used to helping moms with epidurals where directed pushing is usually needed and therefore it becomes routine with each mom.

And it may make them feel more pro-active instead of just standing by while the mom lets her baby move down slowly, letting nature take it's course...it's so funny to me to be with a nurse who during the labor is so respectful of the lights turned down, soft music on, allowing the mom to follow her instincts, etc. and then when mom hits 10cm it's lights, camera, action! Now the cheerleading section is there and the mom pops a blood vessel trying to push that baby out.

Also if there has been a time limit put on the mom from the doctor the nurse may do this to try and help speed things up and avoid other interventions.

Just some random thoughts...

[11 is heaven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoulaVal ah Val... I'm so vain, I thought that song was about me

[empowering birth]

Does anyone use the "blowing a balloon" method?

Whenever a Momma feels like pushing, have her pretend she is blowing up a balloon. As she is doing this, her perineum automatically relaxes !! I learned this from Kathy Lidstrom during my DONA training. I thought it was brilliant!!

[DL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by empowering birth Does anyone use the "blowing a balloon" method?

Yeah, I have mom do something very similar. I tell her to blow, with her chin up, in order to keep the "feather" up in the air. Sometimes I'll even move my hand over her so that she looks up and can imagine me dropping the feather. We go over this prenatally so that she knows what I'm talking about when/if she needs to avoid pushing.

[birthhands]

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan1 Thanks ....that helps. I told the nurse that the mom did not want to push with the Valsalva push....at first the nurse was like ok...but then she would go again about pushing with the Valsalva push. After the baby was born the nurse said told the mother and I the baby would NEVER come out the way I was telling the mom to push or the way the mom wanted to push. The nurse told me I need to get more experience using the Valsalva push method. Susan

Good Grief! How does that nurse think babies were born before the Valsava pushing method was invented, lol!!