How best to survive contractions. How to survive contractions: devices for active childbirth

Birth pains- these are regular contractions with a frequency of 10 minutes, then with a period of 5 minutes. and by the end of cervical dilatation from 2 min. and more often. During breaks, a woman should have time to take a breath, choose a position for a new fight and a comfortable breathing rhythm. One universal pose for each woman cannot exist - each chooses for herself. But the position of the woman in labor should fulfill three tasks:

relieve pain so as not to deprive the expectant mother of strength and save energy for the further process;
ensure the adoption of the most convenient position for inserting the head into the small pelvis;
ensure free access of oxygen to the baby.

Do not be afraid of losing self-control due to the suddenness of a fight or a change in its nature of manifestation. During contractions, the supine position is unsafe. The weight of the uterus compresses the inferior vena cava - the baby does not receive nutrition. There are several exceptions:

premature pregnancy;
breech presentation;
introduction of epidural anesthesia;
rapid birth.

The upright position is more natural for contractions. The posture can be dynamic or asymmetrical. A woman in labor can swing, walk, transfer weight from one side of the body to the other. Such movements, postures allow you to relieve pain and easier to configure pelvic bones under the child's head.

And now let's move on to specific postures, movements, other ways to relieve pain during contractions.

Deflection in the lower back

We bend in the lower back with the support of hands on the table or with another support. The woman in labor can rock the pelvis, helping the baby's head to sit comfortably.

hovering

In ancient times, women in labor hung on a ring of sheets attached to the beam of the room. In the hospital, you can hang on anything convenient. The birth partner can support the woman in labor under the armpits. The expectant mother will get rid of tension in the lower back. Relaxation will be combined with getting rid of compression in the spine.

Walking

Walking should be used only if the woman in labor wishes, not through force. In the old days, women in labor were forced to walk, raising their knees high, stepping over a threshold or other obstacles. This kind of activity improves the blood supply to the uterus, reduces the period of contractions by 2 hours.

Swinging on the legs

If there is no strength for active walking, you can stand upright and simply sway from foot to foot. Feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. We transfer weight from one foot to the other. If possible, you can bend a little and do self-massage of the sacrum or ask your birth partner about it.

cat pose

We repeat the pose of the cat, bending in the lower back with support on the elbows or chest on the pillow, resting the head on the hands. The cat pose relieves tension, pressure on the sacral area, provides active nutrition to kid.

Squatting position

This is an unstable position and is not suitable for everyone. It is strictly contraindicated in rapid labor - the child may be injured! If a birth partner is present, he can support the woman in labor under the armpits. Then this posture will provide all the necessary comfort. It allows you to expand the birth canal, accelerate the opening of the uterus and attempts.

Lotus position

Moms who have attended yoga for pregnant women, who have a good stretch, will submit to this pose. The lotus pose will relax your back, relieve lower back pain and expand the birth canal.

Fitball pose

Fitball allows you to sit without discomfort. You can spread your legs and bend at the waist. To relieve pain, we sway the pelvis.

Pose on your knees

You can sit on your knees, sway from side to side. If you sit on your spouse's knees and bend in the lower back, it will be very convenient without pressure on the perineum. The pain will be relieved by swaying the pelvis.

Pose on the side

Mom lies down, bending one leg at the knee, and straightening the other. Put a pillow between your legs. In this position, the woman in labor can bend in the lower back and move the pelvis. will decrease pain and it will be easier for the baby's head to fit correctly.

Visualization

At the beginning of the fight, we present the image of the oncoming wave. Try to stay "on the wave", not letting it overwhelm you. This will reduce fear.

Pushing and comfortable postures

During attempts, they are not always allowed to take a position other than lying on their back, which is not particularly physiological. But you can still ask for permission to you other provisions. For example:

horizontal posture: emphasis on the feet and hands; when the attempts are approaching, the woman in labor rests her palms on the floor with special force, raising her head at the same time;
ostrich posture: get on all fours, lower your head below the pelvis; this position is better suited for early pushing with a combination of contractions to open the cervix and expelling contractions with pushing the baby; the ostrich posture does not allow the baby's head to exert excessive pressure on the not fully opened cervix;
cat posture: we stand on bent knees, rest our palms on the floor, without bending our elbows, placing the pelvis below the head and not bending the back; you can strain your muscles during attempts and rest between them in the same position.

Learning all these postures and positions is much easier if future mom attends courses for pregnant women. And if you master them on your own, be sure to remember in detail all the nuances of the pose. During contractions, use only those that alleviate your condition.

"Hello. I am in my ninth month of pregnancy. Coming soon to maternity hospital. It would be desirable to receive the psychological help in "this business". Scary ... I'm afraid of losing control of myself during childbirth. I don't feel like I can handle it when the contractions start. Linx"

Linx, such fears are common for first-time births. With the second birth, everything is much simpler - the head is full of completely different things 🙂

The most important psychological help- this is know more about childbirth. Learn the smallest details of the process itself, go to courses for pregnant women, see educational films, read books. Read everything-everything-everything on the topic of childbirth.

And I will try to answer the most important questions about childbirth.

Is it really painful to give birth?

Not true! Sure, it hurts, but not so much that you can't bear it all. In addition, this pain is very quickly, well, just instantly forgotten!

Very painful 1st stage of labor- that is, fights. This is the time of opening the cervix, it lasts for primiparous 10-20 hours (although anything can happen, for me, for example, everything quickly opened). The cause of the pain is the dilatation of the cervix, it should open up to 10 cm. The pain is similar to the pain on the first day of menstruation, only much stronger.
You cannot influence the opening of the cervix, you can only endure.

One BUT: if you cannot surrender to pain and resist it with all your might, then the neck will open more slowly.

The second stage of childbirth - attempts: the baby comes out through the vagina. It lasts 10-50 minutes. Pain during this period relief(can even be an orgasmic birth!!!)

5 Factors That Affect How Painful Childbirth Is

1. Presence of PMS
If you usually suffer from severe pain during your period, then you will most likely have more painful childbirth than those who are not familiar with PMS.

2. Level of education and income
The higher it is, the less painful childbirth. In this case, the woman simply knows more about childbirth, has the opportunity to learn in advance the technique of pain relief, etc.

3. Age
Young women tend to suffer more from pain than older women because they have less self-control and panic more often.

4.Degree of anxiety
If at 32 weeks pregnant you experience severe anxiety, then childbirth is likely to be very painful.

5. expectations
Those who give birth for the first time always experience more pain than those who already have children. This is explained by the intense expectation of this very pain, the degree of which many women greatly exaggerate in advance. Experienced women already know what exactly awaits them, they worry less, and therefore everything goes easier for them.

How to survive contractions?

No way in a fight no need to yell: firstly, with your cry you cut off the oxygen to the child (and it is much harder for him in childbirth than for you), and secondly, your strength is lost.

Better sing the sounds Oh, U, I. The sound should be lingering, as if going inward. Point it to the lower abdomen. This helps open the cervix.

If you don't want to sing, try breathe through the fight. At the beginning of the contraction, breathe deeply and slowly, counting to ten, and at the peak of the contraction, breathe short and briskly.
Personally, it helped me a lot.

During fights, the most important thing is relax. Yes, it won't be easy. But, having coped with these tasks at least once, you will feel how much easier it is to survive the fight if you do not strain.

Think about the fact that with each contraction, the time of your meeting with the baby is approaching, which is now many times more difficult and painful than you.

Now in many hospitals create a pleasant and comfortable, close to home environment, offer lots of relaxation. This is calm music, and aromatherapy, and the opportunity to take a bath. Enjoy it!

Ease contractions will help:

Warm bath or shower
Sitting on a fitball (gymnastic ball)
Proper breathing
Comfortable posture. You don't have to lie down at all. You can walk, squat, kneel - experiment and you will find a comfortable position for yourself.
Communication with husband or relatives. If you want to see them, their very presence will help you. Let them massage your lower back, distract you with conversations, sing along with them.

And the most important thing - try to keep calm in childbirth! This will help you concentrate on the prompts of the doctor and midwife and correctly follow all their instructions.

How to survive pushing

When attempts begin, you need to rejoice, because this means that very soon everything will end.
In attempts, the main thing:

Do not push "in the face", but push "in the ass" (this is quite difficult to do without training. For example, I did not succeed).
Do not shout.
Obey the doctors, because you will not be left alone with your task, everyone will tell you and help if you cannot cope with something on your own.

The faster you give birth, the less harm you bring to the child, this is the most difficult moment for him, since various injuries are possible.

Moreover, the faster you give birth to a child, the less the muscles will stretch, the faster the postpartum recovery will be.

Medical intervention in childbirth

Medical intervention is justified only when more benefit than harm. Don't feel sorry for yourself, don't ask for an epidural or C-section with no reason! The epidural takes away not only pain, but also sensitivity, and you will not be able to control the process of childbirth. As for the caesarean section, I will say this: the pain will be forgotten quickly, but the scar on the belly will remain forever!

perineal incisions ( episiotomy) is not to be feared. Nowadays, 80% of women in labor do it.
Why should you agree?

If the doctor insists, it means only one thing - without an episiotomy, you will tear yourself, and no one can predict how much.
Episiotomy is performed under local anesthesia so chances are you won't feel a thing. And even if you feel - I assure you, it will not be before!

General advice about childbirth

Think first about the welfare of the child and then everything else.
Forget about unpleasant sensations, about shyness and work at full strength. I assure you - the medical staff of the maternity hospital saw nothing like that!

Do you still think that you will not cope with childbirth? Then look around - people are everywhere, and they somehow came into the world. So, their mothers did it!

They did it - you can too!

Yes, by the way, childbirth is a purely natural process. You can give birth without even knowing anything about it. This is not an e-mail to send to you over the Internet 🙂

Labor pains are considered the most painful stages of childbirth. This is partly true. But a lot depends on how sensitive a woman is and whether she knows how to behave during contractions. There are simple and effective techniques, allowing you to survive the contractions with the least damage to the psyche of the woman in labor. In this article, we will tell you what to do to make contractions less painful.

Why does it hurt?

The physiology of uterine contractions during childbirth is quite simple. Each subsequent contraction (contraction) helps to ensure that the uterus, tightly closed during pregnancy, opens. The neck expands, the muscle fibers become shorter and smoother. Gradually, the walls of the uterus are drawn into contraction. When the cervix opens completely, the baby's head can pass through it. The pushing will begin.

The period of contractions is the longest stage of childbirth. In nulliparous women, it can last 10-12 hours or more, in women in labor with experience - from 6 to 10 hours. The shortest contractions are only 20 seconds, these usually begin labor. The longest ones last about a minute. As it develops, real (true) contractions become stronger, their duration increases, and the intervals between episodes of contractions are shortened. Before attempts, they can occur every 2 minutes, while the duration of each spasm will reach 1 minute. Painful sensations also increase as contractions develop.

The first period is called latent (hidden). At this time, the contractions are not so painful, they do not cause severe pain, they are repeated every 15-30 minutes, lasting an average of 20-25 seconds. In this stage, a woman can stay for quite a long time - up to 7-8 hours. At normal delivery during this period, the cervix opens by 3 centimeters. The second period is called active. The contractions become more painful, their duration is from 30 to 60 seconds, the rest intervals become shorter - from 4 to 2 minutes. This stage lasts from 3 to 5 hours, during which time the neck opens up to about 7 centimeters.

This is followed by the third phase - transitional contractions begin. The period lasts from half an hour to an hour and a half. The contractions are the strongest, their duration is about a minute, the repetition interval is 1-2 minutes. The cervix opens up to 10 centimeters, which is quite enough for the transition to attempts. The cervix is a circular muscle, the expansion of which is always quite painful. Before childbirth, a woman's body, pituitary gland and placenta begin to produce special substances, the task of which is to increase contractility uterine muscles. If these substances are not enough, then childbirth can go with complications against the background of weakness of the generic forces.

Feel

It is rather difficult to describe what a woman feels during contractions, since the sensations will be vivid and varied. When everything is just beginning, the pain can be compared to the pain during menstruation, only ten times stronger. Aching, breaking, pulling attacks occur with a certain frequency. The uterus tenses, remains in this tension for some time (this is the duration of the contraction), and then relaxes.

A woman cannot control this process, the onset of a contraction and its duration do not depend on the will of the woman in labor.

The pain is excruciating in nature. If at first there is a feeling that only the stomach is stony, then the back, lower back, sacrum, lower and upper abdomen are gradually drawn into the process. Moreover, the pain originates in the back, encircles it, goes down, goes to the stomach, and then rises to the bottom of the uterus. Then there is relaxation. According to the cyclicity and regularity of contractions during childbirth, already at the very beginning, they can be distinguished from precursors. False contractions can be irregular, while true ones always go in the rhythm set by nature, not for a second behind it or ahead of it.

The best ways to alleviate the condition

Advice to endure contractions, clenching your teeth, or screaming to feel better is harmful and dangerous. There is no need to scream, moan, or grit your teeth. There are other, really useful and effective ways to survive contractions and not go crazy with pain.

Psychological attitude

It has long been observed that more woman fears labor pain, the harder and longer her birth in general and the period of contractions in particular. Self-hypnosis - great way how to ease the contractions, and make them unbearably sick almost from the latency period. Preparation should be to ensure that during pregnancy the woman excludes exposure negative information. No need to read horror stories about difficult childbirth that happened to others.

When true contractions begin, the method of psychological target visualization is of great help.

To do this, you need to imagine as vividly as possible that each contraction brings the birth of a child closer. Women tend to be more imaginative than men, so you can try to imagine something distracting, like a gentle surf that wraps around you as you lie on the surf line and rolls back (the start and end of the spasm, respectively). If there are no prejudices about partner childbirth, at this stage the spouse or one of the relatives can support, distract with a conversation.

Breath

Proper breathing can not only distract from fear, but also naturally relieve uterine spasms. This is due to the fact that the influx of oxygen causes an increased production of endorphins - hormones of happiness, which, in addition to feeling joy and lightness, give a pronounced anesthetic effect. One of best practices breathing according to Kobasa is considered - a technique created by gynecologist Alexander Kobasa. It says that at the very beginning, a woman should breathe calmly and evenly, deeply. In this case, it is not at all necessary to lie in bed, you can walk and move. Such rhythmic breathing will allow you to achieve a certain relaxation.

In the active stage of contractions alone deep breathing won't be enough. It is recommended to save oxygen and make exhalations longer. Inhale on 1-2-3-4, exhale on 1-2-3-4-5-6. Intense transitional contractions, the doctor recommends "breathing" with small and frequent superficial breaths (like dogs breathe, like candles on a cake are blown out). If you do everything right and do not stray from the rhythm, you can achieve a fairly powerful analgesic effect.

Massage

If the birth is partner, an anesthetic massage can close person if a woman is alone in the hospital, she may well do self-massage. The diamond-shaped space above the gluteal fold is massaged, the so-called Michaelis diamond.

Rhombus Michaelis

Well, let me just make a few points:

1. Yes, everyone's situation is different.

2. Pregnancies are different, health is different, pain threshold different.

3. Childbirth is different, someone has a caesarean, someone has a natural one, someone has an EX. Someone gives birth without anesthesia and stimulation, someone is “for” the use of such drugs.

I will tell you how to survive contractions in the process natural childbirth, mostly without stimulation and anesthesia, but for those who are loyal to the participation of these drugs in the process of childbirth, it may be interesting and informative to read.

Now a few words about stimulation and anesthesia and why I have such a negative attitude towards them: your opinion).

1. Anesthesia. You will tell me that doctors are shouting that epidural anesthesia has no effect on the fetus. Let's leave out the fact that this is not true, let's move on to the practical part of the harm. A woman who has been given an epidural does not practically feel her body below the waist. On the one hand, as if there is a benefit - a woman does not feel cramping pain, she can rest before attempts, supposedly gain strength and not feel the whole spectrum of pain. Well, in fact, the idea is not without meaning, with the only exception that the epidural does not allow the woman to feel how the birth goes. A woman cannot feel how the child moves, how it moves along birth canal. But the point is not even that a woman is not aware of childbirth, because it is not she who gives birth, but her body separately from her, the problem is that our body is amazing! In response to pain, our body produces hormones that help us survive this pain + these hormones are extremely important for the baby. The more of these hormones that are produced in response to the opening of the cervix (in fact, hence the pain, which is why we experience pain during and before menstruation - the cervix opens slightly). So, the more such hormones, the more actively the one that contracts the uterus and which is injected in maternity hospitals is produced to speed up childbirth, when its oxytocin does not produce as actively as the doctors want. What kind Negative consequences anesthesia can be:

Slowing down the process of childbirth, in connection with which artificial oxytocin is required.
Lack of attempts of the required power
The placenta does not come out in a timely manner after childbirth
The child is not ready for childbirth, does not take the right position, is not in a hurry to take a breath, is not in a hurry to "survive", because it is the mother's hormonal cocktail that makes the child and his body understand "It's time!". Mom's contractions and her hormones are a kind of command to the child, "It's time, go!".

2. Oxytocin (Stimulation).

Contractions in natural childbirth, if you look at the uterus, look smooth: like a wave from the beginning of the uterus to the cervix, the contraction occurs gradually, gently and carefully pushing the baby out of the uterine cavity, the expulsion of the fetus occurs naturally.
When a woman is injected with artificial oxytocin, the production of her own oxytocin stops: the body is not a fool - as soon as oxytocin appears in the blood from the outside, it transfers its oxytocin to the blood, but why?

So, when a woman is injected with oxytocin, uterine contractions begin to be chaotic, such contractions are similar to how we are trying to “burst” an inflated balloon. It is unnatural, it is MUCH more painful, it is excruciating pain, from which women then agree to an unnecessary cesarean, scream to be killed, to do anything to save her from this nightmare. And it’s true, they are in unbearable pain, and they don’t care at all about the child, the process of childbirth, they have one dream - give me delivery as you please, just do something!

So, when a woman is injected with oxytocin, she is almost always injected with anesthesia, because it is practically unrealistic to endure the pain that the chaotic contraction of the uterus and the opening of the cervix provokes, this is really pitch hell.

But, if I don’t really understand the use of anesthesia without oxytocin, then the use of stimulation makes sense in some cases (although I would never agree to such an intervention for myself, BUT)

1. (forgive me for such a disgusting term, but, alas, it is medical) Old-time mothers. (I’ve been like this more than once, I always gave birth myself, but these are my beliefs, let’s say) So, women over the age of 30 are more likely to inject stimulation, because they don’t always generic activity properly develops.

2. Green waters, overgrowth, unpreparedness of the critical cervix for preeclampsia, green waters, again, ossification of the baby, etc. etc.

3. Well, I will not list all the factors, it is rather all deviations from the norm.

By the way, everywhere in the West and in the USA a woman is given a list possible complications in connection with the use of stimulation and anesthesia, and do not shove such drugs to everyone, as we do.

I’ll say right away: lovers of natural childbirth, but safe, with resuscitation behind the wall, excellent neonatologists and doctors, but in compliance with your wishes (for example, if you want the umbilical cord to be cut after it has pulsated, you want to pick it up or, for example, to you gave birth vertically, etc. etc.) - you are in the 68th maternity hospital in Moscow on Volzhskaya.

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How to survive a fight? How to endure pain? No way. You don’t need to endure pain, you need to live it!

During the fight, you need to relax the pelvis as much as possible, you need to improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs, walk around the ward, get on all fours and shake your pelvis, exhale during the fight, in a singsong voice, do not clench your teeth and lips! Try to squeeze your teeth and face hard, and feel how your lower abdomen tightens. Do not squeeze your mouth, if possible - kiss with your husband. I have already said that our lips are a projection of the cervix, relax and caress your lips, do not actively participate, let your husband gently kiss you, run his tongue over your lips. I understand that you may not want to, but this is not true. psychological approach. Women who, during childbirth, yell at their husband from the series “shut up and don’t interfere, move away,” who say that everything infuriates them around and that everything annoys them, they don’t quite have the right psychological approach to the process of childbirth. Well, because childbirth is the process of the birth of Love, it is absolute magic and a beautiful process, I am so filled with love in childbirth, like never before and after.
It hurts a lot. I won't say it's easy and painless. This is very, very painful. But one must imagine that every fight is a dragon. And then the dragon comes, you blow on it and breathe on it, it runs away. Believe me, fights are not endless, although sometimes it seems so.

And yet, your relationship with your mother is very important in childbirth. The fact is that childbirth is a litmus test of your relationship with your mother. I know and understand you, many of us do not have a great relationship with our mother, we have old grievances, pain, bitterness and longing. You must try to live and let go of this pain BEFORE your birth, it will help you a lot, because it will be much easier for you if you feel the inner support of your Mother, your GREAT PARENT, even if she does not know about the birth process now. You will simply feel inside that you have a mother who loves you and who helps you with what she is, that one day she gave birth to you, that she also went through all this, and her feminine forces and love help you.

I know this firsthand. My most difficult childbirth were with their daughter Sophia. I gave birth for 42 hours, the contractions lasted endlessly, attempts too, my daughter was large, I gave birth at 42.2 weeks, I was tired, exhausted, already lost my mind, My husband was also clearly nervous, I was ready to give up. In addition, Sophia had dystocia - her head was expelled, and her shoulders were stuck. AT normal process, after the expulsion of the fetal head, the shoulders make a turn, and the baby is born. If the shoulders are already “stiff”, they cannot make such a turn, and the fetus is stuck. My midwife put her hand in, turned the baby's hand, and Sophia was born at the cost of incredible efforts and great faith in the best. Another 2 weeks after I walked stumbling over my legs, I didn’t have the strength to cook porridge and raise the child normally, my legs and arms were shaking for 3 days, as after a 500-km race.

And so, I lead all this to the maternal question. On the eve of pregnancy with Sonya, the already difficult relationship with her mother completely went wrong. She did not understand my life choice, constantly criticized and, having learned about Sonya's pregnancy, she said a few phrases that I would not want to hear ever again in my life. We stopped talking then. I missed her very much, I suffered a lot, in fact, I always miss her since ... Since birth) She was little present in my life as a whole.

So, after 42 hours of exhausting childbirth, I realized that I would probably die by now. And in that moment, I realized how much I needed to hear Her. I just whispered to my husband to dial her number.

I remember in the fog

Mom, I feel so bad, I'm giving birth, help me!

And I burst into bitter tears. I don’t remember what my mother said, I only remember that a stone fell from my soul, the midwife shouted something sharply, my husband grabbed my hand, and after 5 minutes my daughter was screaming louder than loud on my stomach.

Relations with my mother did not improve much, but how I survived this and how I found peace and answers to all questions, I’ll tell you some other time.
But I know for sure that if a woman from your clan and family stands “behind” you (even if it is your mother-in-law, if you have an excellent relationship and love with her), it will be much easier for you. You must know what is behind you female love and help.

Girls, give birth with love! Do everything with love!

And don't be afraid. Everything is really forgotten when a wet lump screams on your stomach, pokes at your chest, and its whole World is YOU!

Good day and good mood to everyone who reads my blog! One of the most significant events in a woman's life is the birth of her child. Holiday, birthday! Cake, candles, gifts. But, unfortunately, many women remember their births not at all as a holiday, but as "horror, nightmare, endless torture." Why it depends, and how to survive childbirth and contractions without getting psychological trauma for life?

Knowledge is power!

Despite the fact that childbirth seems to be a natural and programmed process by nature, knowing how it goes makes these few hours very easy.

For example, my friend Alena was sincerely sure that all the time of childbirth, a woman exclusively yells and pushes. She had no idea about contractions, how they grow, how long they last, and about other “little things”. At the same time, she was terribly afraid of giving birth (well, that's right, with such ideas!) And did not want to learn anything on this topic. As a result, she was confused during childbirth, did not obey the midwife, yelled, clamped down and completely exhausted both herself and the child. With good introductory received a very difficult birth.

My advice to you: necessarily already at the beginning of pregnancy, and preferably before it (while prolactin has not yet gnawed a painted cradle out of your brain, and it is able to critically perceive and remember information), study the theoretical material. Go to classes, watch videos, read books. From books I can advise William and Martha Sears "Expecting a Baby" and Grantley Dick-Reid "Childbirth Without Fear".

Breath and movement

Whatever source of information you choose, the main focus there will be on learning. correct breathing and postures during childbirth. These are the two most effective ways easier to bear contractions.

The main task of a woman during contractions is to relax as much as possible. The stronger we clamp, the worse, longer and more painful the cervix will open. Maximum relaxation, relaxed mouth, free breathing - these are the main components of childbirth without pain.

Special courses

If you never exercised before pregnancy breathing practices- both alone and during yoga or stretching, be sure to go to a class where you will be taught how to control your breathing. It can be specialized courses for pregnant women, or just training, for example, in body-oriented therapy.

home practice

In addition to special activities, lead yourself to daily breathing rituals. It is easiest to organize them in bed in the morning and evening. Set yourself the task of practicing a certain type of breathing and try to complete it. For example:

Inhale for 3 counts through your nose, exhale for 4 counts through your mouth. After 20 cycles, lengthen the breath - inhale through the nose for 5 counts, exhale through the mouth for 7 counts. After another 10 cycles, start breathing very often - inhale through your nose for 1 count, exhale through your mouth for 1 count.
Change in the depth and duration of breathing. Starting with deep frequent breaths and exhalations, one can imagine at this time the surf, how the waves powerfully and quickly roll onto the shore. After a minute, we switch to deep and slow inhalations and exhalations - this breathing is like ocean waves. Then we breathe for another minute "dog" - very frequent shallow breathing. After that, almost by itself, very slow shallow breathing occurs - a feeling as if you are hardly breathing.

During any comfortable breathing, consciously relax individual parts of the body. We lie and dictate to ourselves “forehead ... nasolabial folds ... lips ... tongue ... lower jaw... neck ... shoulders ... "and so on down to the toes. We try to feel and relax exactly what we pay attention to.
We learn to sing. Doing deep breath, and on the exhale we sing the sound “ah-ah-ah” or “mmm”. At the same time, both the lips and the throat should be relaxed. Such singing helps well with strong contractions. The main thing is not to break into a scream, but to sing relaxed and deep.
Laughter is a surprisingly good way to relax. Although, if you understand the mechanics of the process, then laughter is a deep breath and a few sharp exhalations. Learn to laugh and relax!

Learning to move

And again - if you were engaged in dancing before pregnancy, any activity that teaches you to feel and control your body, then you already have a great bonus. Listen to your body and move as it tells you to.

If there is no such practice, then you should find out how you can and should move in childbirth.

"Kitty". Starting position - support on the knees and palms. Controlling your breath, swing your hips to the right and left, then bend your lower back up and down. In childbirth, many want to lean not on their palms, but on their elbows or forehead, stretching their arms in front of them. Helps to relax the stomach, promotes better disclosure. Another option is to stand on the floor and rest your elbows on the window sill / bedside table / headboard, while swinging your hips.

Fitball jumping. If there is a large ball in the delivery room, it can greatly facilitate the flow of contractions. We sit down on it fully, the heels rest on the floor. During the fight, we actively spring, or sway from side to side, watching our breath, then we rest. You can rest by leaning back or forward, leaning your hands on the bed.

Pain relieved for some women squat in a fight with wide apart knees. At the same time, you need to hold on to the edge of the bed with your hands (that is, do not lift your hands high). Ideally, the husband or midwife should hold their back.

What other ways are there to relieve pain?

There are actually a lot of different options. Which one is right for you is unknown. But the more ways you know, the more likely it is that the right way there is.

If the fear of childbirth is strong, attitudes about death, injuries, intolerance of the process have settled in the head, then it is best to go for a consultation with a psychologist. good psychologist It will help to identify the causes of fears, work them out and tune in a positive way.
If you are very afraid of pain and have a negative experience of inappropriate behavior when severe pain, Maybe, the best way out will pre-pay for epidural anesthesia.
If you believe in God, pray. I experienced this one myself powerful prayer. I share with you dear girls, and then in the comments I expect stories from you whether she helped you or not.

If unbearable to endure long agony childbirth, let the woman in labor turn in the direction where the sun is in the sky, and if it is night, then the moon. She needs to cross herself three times and say this:
Oh my God,
I stand, slave (name), in front of you.
Before me are two thrones,
On the thrones of those, Jesus and the Mother of God sit,
They look at my tears.
Holy Mother of God
Holding golden keys
she opens meat caskets,
releases from the womb:
from my flesh, from hot blood.
Lord, take away the aches,
pinches, pain inside!
How the Mother of God gave birth without torment, without pain,
open the gates of bone.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Massage (self-massage) of the lower back and sacrum helps most women.
You can think of - a husband, mother, sister, close friend.

Watch the video, they describe in detail about breathing, postures, and massage:

I wish all pregnant women an easy delivery, healthy babies and good nights!
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