Mentally, a pregnancy can be very difficult. Many women naturally experience changes in their body both during and after pregnancy, and this can be challenging. The breath exercises and meditation techniques used in pre- and postnatal are focus on connecting with the body, becoming more aware of its needs and changes, and staying in touch with this throughout and after pregnancy.
Most of the pregnant women who attend my Meditation Sessions are aware that it will involve learning some kind of ‘special’ breathing. But how can learning new ways of breathing affect your birth experience?
When I mention the importance of the breath to a patient, her first thoughts are often that it’s pretty hard to breathe in pregnancy with the diaphragm shifted upwards to accommodate her growing belly – one can feel out of breath even when speaking! Well, it’s safe to say that not only does she benefit, but so does her baby too...
Our minds are still and thoughts are calmed. By focusing on the inhale and exhale, we’ve finally allowed ourselves to breathe fully and it feels good. We feel radiant and balanced.
For a woman in labour, she really has only one job and that is to become and remain calm. You might think, but breathing rhythmically and deeply is key. In order to understand how remaining calm will affect our birth experience, let’s consider its opposite state – what happens to the body when we are stressed.
When we are anxious or fearful, our breathing naturally quickens and becomes shallow. We commonly recognise this state as ‘Fight or Flight’, but it’s proper name is the Sympathetic Nervous System. Our muscles are tense, we are awash with the stress hormones noradrenalin and cortisol which prepare us for battle or legging it!
The problem that presents itself today is that we are in the Sympathetic Nervous System far too often, though present day perceived threat comes in the form of work; money and relationship worries and so many things….it all adds up to a lingering feeling of anxiety. Rather sensibly, the body shuts down the reproductive system with feelings of stress and fear.
It will divert its focus from the secondary systems (reproductive, digestive) to the primary organs, those fighting and fleeing essentials; arms, legs, brain, lungs and heart. For this reason, a spontaneous physiological birth will not happen in ‘Fight or Flight’ and so a birth that had been progressing well up to now, will slow or even halt if the woman becomes stressed.
Instead, birth happens in the opposite state, a place of calm and relaxation called the ‘Parasympathetic Nervous System’ where the hormones that start and maintain birth – oxytocin, prolactin, melatonin and beta endorphins – are free to fire from the brain to receptors around the body which enable this miracle of life. Within the Parasympathetic state, energy (blood and oxygen) is equally distributed around all systems and crucially to your baby.
A calm mother makes for a calm baby. With plenty of oxygen for energy and those happy parasympathetic hormones of bonding and security flowing freely, mum and baby work as a team until they eventually meet.
The breath work you learn in pregnancy is not just for birth. Whilst establishing breastfeeding, it’s key that you are feeling calm in order to release the required hormones oxytocin and prolactin. What better way to assist you than your tried and trusted breathing techniques?... your deep, calming breath will always be there for you.
A pre-/postnatal yoga sessions will often include lots of restorative poses and gentle stretches to support women in different stages of their pregnancy, and breath work to connect with both the body and the unborn baby. Yoga during and after a pregnancy will help ease aches and pains, improve sleep and boost mental and physical health.
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It starts with being present in your body and your breath. Become quiet enough to feel your body and listen to your body as you move. When you practice with presence on the mat, you can more easily be present in the mundane and crucial moments of your every day life.
Our minds all have the ability to resemble a strong flowing river or a leaking stream, but when we realise we have a choice over how our thoughts are directed, we can take steps towards cultivating a harmonious, healthy river of consciousness.
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