What position should I take?

There is no perfect position for birth. Different positions are recommended depending on the position of the child and the birth process. Often the woman lies on her back with her legs bent and her upper body raised.

A raised upper body is very important because lying flat is worse for the circulation and breathing is also more difficult. Births also take place in squatting, kneeling positions or in a quadruped position. The position of the birth depends on the birth process and the position of the child in the pelvis. In each position, there should be calm and even breathing to facilitate the birth process. This topic might also be of interest to you: Birth from breech presentation

How and where can you learn this?

Breathing techniques for childbirth can be learned most competently in birth preparation courses. Such courses are usually conducted by experienced midwives and are usually advertised in maternity clinics, so that you can get good information there. Often appointments are flexible and depend on the size of the group.

These can be arranged with the attending midwife. Furthermore, you can also learn to breathe in labor pains in private practice sessions with midwives. However, you do not need to attend a course to learn the correct breathing technique.

Obstetrical guides, brochures and books can also provide information on correct breathing. This can then be practiced at home. Breathing is ultimately intuitive and each woman must find her own rhythm. Care should be taken only not to pant and rush, as this leads to exhaustion more quickly and endangers the sufficient oxygen supply. More also our article: Birth Preparation Course

Do I have to breathe in contractions?

The expression “breathing away contractions” often sounds ambiguous. Labor pains cannot be breathed in themselves. This means that the pain of the contractions does not disappear through breathing.They can rather be accompanied by correct breathing.

In this way the birth process can be well supported. In the end, no special type of breathing needs to be learned to accompany labor. However, there should or must be calm and regular breathing, otherwise the mother-to-be will have to work harder.