Birth your baby using
your breath, your mind and your body
by Lisa Pedersen, LCSW and
Owner/Founder of YogaBirth.com
After delivering my first born and watching my
husband’s participation, I knew there had to be a better
way of involving him in the process that felt right for
him. He doesn’t like blood or guts, and although he
didn’t pass out at my son’s birth, he did explain it as
a "surreal" experience; almost like he was part of a
"big dream."
We had done some biofeedback and guided imagery
together with a local practitioner, and read some books
on birthing. We opted out of any Lamaze class because of
my connection to yoga and the yoga breath. My husband
talked to some new fathers to see what worked for them.
All of them concurred: no one used Lamaze breathing!
Although Lamaze classes work for some people, for those
interested in alternative birthing, I knew I was on the
path toward developing YogaBirth.
So… when it came time to prepare for the birth of our
second child we knew we wanted something "different." I
continued to practice daily yoga, either in my home our
throughout Los Angeles proper, and anywhere we
vacationed during the pregnancy. I picked up certain
techniques that I use in the prenatal yoga classes I
currently teach. We also took a birthing workshop that a
local yoga instructor taught and observed how many yoga
poses truly were like the child-birthing positions women
have used throughout time (e.g. the squat!).
With our midwife, we reviewed some of the Bradley
Method techniques and we also enrolled in 4 private
hypnobirthing sessions. Of course, I continued to read
other birth stories either online or in books to see
what women really did to "get their baby out." I wanted
to connect with the spirit of women who had birthed
before me. You know, the women who felt that they didn't
have to give their power away to do what their bodies
could naturally do to deliver babies!
Something still was missing in all of our
preparation, and the answer has been the tools I have
gained in my advanced training as an Integrative Body
Psychotherapist. This training has been an integral part
of YogaBirth without pregnant couples even knowing!
YogaBirth is so much more than yoga. It’s a way for
the husband (or birth partner) to be completely present
and involved (at the level he so desires) during his
wife’s labor. It’s a chance for the couple to recognize
how all of their doubts, fears and worries can get in
the way of being fully present.
The YogaBirth coaching allows couples to spend time
breathing deeply, and naturally, just as a newborn does!
We spend time learning the yoga breath, the most optimal
way to get oxygen to the baby and a great way to create
space for your baby to grow inside the womb during
pregnancy.
To achieve the yoga breath, simply put the tip of
your tongue behind your top 2 front teeth. While
inhaling and exhaling through your nose, pretend that
you’re telling someone a secret. At the same time, close
off your throat and allow your breath to sound like an
ocean wave. Continue to lengthen your inhalations and
especially your exhalations, pausing in between. Also,
be sure to start the breath from your abdomen, allowing
it to expand, and allowing the inhalation to move all
the way up into your chest region. On your delivery day
the yoga breath can help create the strength needed for
childbirth.
Another aspect of a YogaBirth is helping the birth
partner look for when the laboring women is "becoming
tense" and how to help bring her back to a state of
calm. Squeezing ice cubes for one minute (usually the
length of a contraction) is a wonderful way to notice
how "long" one minute feels, and how the body will tense
to sustain the minute. After teaching the couple the
"yoga breath" they then hold the ice again. Invariably,
the couple will confess the ease in which they could
sustain the "cold" feeling from the ice. Hopefully, this
act mirrors some of the experiences on the big "birth"
day!
Recently, I asked my 2-year-old if he remembered his
birth. He was delivered naturally using lots of the
above techniques. I’ll always cherish the look he gave
me as he looked up and said, "…it was nice." What more
could I ask for?