Breathing techniques in labour are a very simple but effective tool to assist you during the birthing process. Breathing deeply in-and-out through your nose during labour accesses the parasympathetic nervous system. This will slow your heart rate down, lower your blood pressure and provide you with a sense of calm. When you're tense and frightened your breathing becomes shallow and rapid through your mouth and this can cause the release of adrenalin and the flight or fight response which can slow down the labour.

Rhythmic breathing during labour has multiple benefits: it maximizes the amount of oxygen available to you and your baby, gives you a focus to help you manage the contractions and helps relax and soften your body to conserve energy. During labour, the layers of the uterine muscle work hard by pushing and pulling to open up the cervix for your baby, so the more oxygen you can provide the more efficient the uterus can be.

We recommend a gentle breath in through the nose for up to 4 seconds, taking the breath down to your diaphragm and then gently releasing for up to 8 seconds. You will find as you get to later stages of your pregnancy (around 35 weeks) that breathing can become a bit more difficult because your baby is pushing up into the lung area. However, by the time you go into labour, the baby will have dropped into the pelvis and you will have more lung capacity again.

Daily practice of breathing techniques will allow you to stay relaxed and calm during your pregnancy and when labour comes the body will recognise the breath as an anchor or trigger to the relaxation response.