Birth & Baby Network

For parents on Tyneside

Apr 26

Breathing to stay calm

by Janine Rudin

 

What’s this breathing for labour all about then? You know how to breathe – you have done it pretty well up to now so why do you need to learn to breathe for labour?

 Learning to relax and breathe for labour is so important and I know it has made a difference to so many women’s experience of labour and birth. Here’s why…

  • Labour can be an intense time of incredible emotions, discomfort and pain, exhaustion and new physical experiences, with uncertainty and fear thrown in for good measure.  Breathing gives you a positive focus as your body works hard.
  • In labour, your body needs you to be as relaxed and calm as possible to produce the right balance of hormones to help you contract, to reduce any pain you are experiencing and to help you conserve your energy. If you feel panicky, scared and overwhelmed for a period of time, chances are your contractions will hurt more than they need to, your labour may slow and you may feel exhausted.
  • If you dread every contraction, your labour is not going to be a positive experience but if you can use your breathing with each contraction, you have something calm and positive to focus on.
  • Using simple breathing techniques has worked for women having straightforward labours as well as more complicated births, where they have needed to stay calm to keep panic away and to stay involved in any decisions.
  • It’s easy, simple and straightforward to learn and to use and it makes you relaxed, which benefits you and your baby in pregnancy and in labour.
  • Everyone can do it
  • If the alternative is panicking and feeling out of control, then breathing for labour to stay calm has got to be worth investing some time and energy into.
  • Focusing on your breathing during a contraction is a great distraction, otherwise you might just focus on how uncomfortable or painful it is.

Getting started

  • Learn how to relax! And this doesn’t just mean chilling out and watching TV. Really relaxing means focusing on your body and your breathing, switching off and getting to know what your body feels like when it is relaxed, when your breathing slows and deepens and there is no tension in your body.
  • In Relax & Breathe sessions, which are held at The RVI and in North Shields, you will be able to completely switch off, relax and de-stress, while learning how to focus on your breathing to stay calm and stress-free in pregnancy and in labour. You will also be given different techniques for working with your contractions.
  • Making time to relax is great preparation for labour and birth because it’s great for you and it’s great for your baby too!

 

Here’s some of the feedback:

“My husband couldn’t believe how calm I was, I was just breathing through my contractions.”

“I just had your words in my head – I took each contraction one at a time. If I started to feel panicky, I just closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.”

“It really made a difference, I felt calm. My midwife couldn’t believe how calm I was.”

“The sessions were so relaxing, it was my time to just switch off and focus on me and my baby.”

“It was the best thing I could have done – I don’t think Thank You really conveys what you gave me – but Thank You!”

“I managed to get to 10cms with my tens machine and my breathing-my blowing bubbles!! I just kept remembering what we had practised and anytime I didn’t have control of my breathing I just thought ‘bubbles’!!”

“The breathing works! Thank you, thank you. I blew bubbles all the way through my labour and my midwife couldn’t believe how calm I was.”

So if you are unsure about how you are going to handle your contractions, if you are feeling frightened or you just want to feel as best prepared for labour as possible – come along to some Relax & Breathe classes, you have nothing to lose but so much to gain…

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Apr 15

Birth & Baby Basics

by Janine Rudin

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Feb 29

Use your B.R.A.I.N

by Janine Rudin

Sometimes in labour parents need to be assertive, not because your midwife or doctor is doing anything wrong or being unprofessional but because this is your labour, your body and your baby.

It’s about being in control, feeling empowered and communicating with your midwife, who will be a fantastic part of your team.

Simple ways to be assertive:

  • Asking for items to make you as comfortable as possible – birth ball, pillows, water
  • Asking for more support if you feel that you need it, this can vary from having more one-to-one care with your midwife or asking for more pain relief
  • Being upright and moving about in labour is often more instinctive because you can respond to your body and work with your contractions, while ensuring you are as comfortable and physically supported as possible. You may need to talk to your midwife about how you want to deal with your contractions
  • Your midwife is there for support and reassurance so if you are feeling frightened or anxious,  tell your midwife and she can help you feel calmer
  • Remember, your midwife doesn’t know you so being assertive and communicating will help you to feel like you and your midwife are working together

 

If labour isn’t straightforward, the need for communication can be even more important to help you feel involved with any decisions and to prevent you from panicking.

 

Induction
When labour is induced or speeded up with oxytocin drugs, women often expect to have to stay on the bed but this isn’t always the most comfortable position to be in and it can make the contractions more painful.

Your baby will be continuously monitored and there will be a drip in your hand so you may not be up to walking around but you can still have mobility and movement  – using a chair, birthing ball, beanbag to sit or kneel and you can stand and lean against the bed if that makes you more comfortable.

You may need to be assertive and suggest this to help labour flow and to help you remain in control.

 

Epidural
Having an epidural means being on the bed, even though you may be able to move your legs. The traditional image of a labouring woman with an epidural is lying back on the bed however, with some support, it is possible to move about on the bed, especially when you need gravity to help your baby to be born. Again, you may need to be assertive and suggest this.

 

B.R.A.I.N
If something is suggested to you and you don’t understand what it is or why you might need it, it can be worth using your B.R.A.I.N to gain information and help you feel more involved in any decisions.

What are the Benefits?

What are the Risks?

What are the Alternatives?

What does your Instinct say?

What if you do Nothing?

 

If you can be assertive and communicate with your midwife, you increase your chances of staying in control, you can feel like you and your midwife are working together and you can feel more involved with decisions, if labour isn’t straightforward. What have you got to lose?

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Feb 20

Make time to Relax and Breathe…

by Janine Rudin

Wonderful feedback needs sharing and this fantastic email sums up exactly why I developed my Relax & Breathe for Labour sessions - the breathing is so simple and it works because women feel stronger, calmer and in control.

The sessions are relaxing and chilled and they provide simple skills to stay focused – which can be vital in every labour, from the straightforward to more complicated births that move away from the birth plan…

 

I just wanted to say a huge big thank you to you for being so great!!  Tomorrow it will be 4 weeks since I gave birth at the RVI.

I attended the relax and breathe workshop in December – it was the best thing I could have done and I don’t think thank you really conveys what you gave me – but thank you!  My plan went out of the window due to some unexpected bleeding so no pool :-( but I managed to get to 10cms with just my TENS machine and my breathing – blowing bubbles!! I just kept remembering what we had practised and anytime I didn’t have control of my breathing I just thought ‘bubbles’!!

My husband was very impressed with how I coped and I do believe it had great deal to do with the preparation you helped us with. So thank you, thank you, thank you :-)

Relax and Breathe Workshops run at the RVI every month (Friday, 6.30-8pm, £20)

Relax & Breathe courses run in North Shields every month (3 x Thursdays, 6-7.30pm, £25)

For more information you can call me on 0788 577 4279 or email me at:  janine@birthbasics.co.uk

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Oct 7

Relax & Breathe for pregnant women…

by Janine Rudin

Pregnant woman on Tyneside can benefit from a unique and very relaxing way of preparing for the birth of their baby.

What better way to prepare for childbirth than by relaxing, de-stressing and just chilling? As pregnant women do this, they learn simple but very effective breathing skills to stay calm, focused and in control.

Every pregnant woman can benefit from the Relax & Breathe sessions because all they have to do is switch off and relax for an hour.

Relax & Breathe will also give pregnant women support and reassurance and a chance to ask any questions they have about childbirth.

Relaxed breathing can provide pregnant women with:
* Better sleep
* The skills to handle stress, anxiety and fear
* A positive labour experience
* An empowered pregnancy,
* Confidence about the birth of their baby
* The ability to stay calm and in control during labour

Relax & Breathe is run by Janine Rudin, an experienced and dedicated local antenatal teacher: “I developed Relax & Breathe to meet the needs of all pregnant women. There is nothing complicated about the sessions or the breathing techniques, as women relax and let go of any stress, they learn the breathing and how they can make it work for them. The feedback is fantastic and it is having a huge benefit to women in labour.

“It is also a great way to relax at the end of pregnancy, when women may be feeling tired and starting to worry about birth.”

Pregnant women are leaving the sessions feeling chilled, empowered and confident about the birth of their baby – and all due to spending the time relaxing with no distractions.

It is simple and easy and very effective.

And it is a new antenatal course now being offered at The RVI.

Relax & Breathe is conducted over three sessions.
Thursdays 7-8pm inNorth Tyneside
Fridays 6-7pm at The RVI

www.birthbasics.co.uk

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