PRACTICING DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING DURING PREGNANCYPosted by Currin Temple on May 11th, 2021 As we realize, pregnancy is a sweet-sour experience filled with mixed emotions of excitement, fear, depression, joy, hope, anxiety, and so on, because of the shift in woman's physiology. Among the areas suffering from pregnancy is breathing. It steadily gets harder to breathe whilst performing easy tasks. That is so as a result of pressure the growing baby exerts on organs of the breathing apparatus just like the lungs and diaphragm etc. The standard breath you take each time is shallow, this is because the full capacity of the lung isn't in use. However, breathing will get shallower than ever. That's where diaphragmatic breathing comes in, which is, in essence, a form of deep breathing that utilizes the full capacity of the lungs and the diaphragm. This type of breathing has a lot in store for everyone, especially pregnant mothers as they face stressful conditions. Furthermore, it is a safe and excellent means for nearly all women to exercise while pregnant. WHAT IS DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING? The diaphragm is the main muscle of respiration. This dome-shaped muscle lies directly below the lungs and separates the abdominal cavity from the thoracic cavity. It contracts rhythmically?and non-stop?flattening when you breathe in (thus enlarging your chest cavity by creating negative pressure that lets air get sucked in) and doming as you breathe out which forces air out from the lungs. Diaphragmatic breathing ( also known as belly breathing or deep breathing or abdominal breathing) is really a stronger deep inhalation. In line with the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, "Yoga breathing involves slow and deep inhalation through the nose, usually to a count of 10, followed by slow and complete exhalation for a similar count. The process may be repeated 5 to 10 times, several times a day." diaphragmatic breathing At its core, diaphragmatic breathing is a technique used to lessen the overwhelming anxiety that comes with pregnancy, it also helps in relaxation and pain management. Furthermore, it goes quite a distance in the postpartum period to assist you recover the lost body physique Happy pregnant mothers that experimented with this have described it as an excellent method of winding down following a stressful day and breaking the never-ending cycle of fight or flight. Don't overthink it, diaphragmatic breathing is merely breathing as you know it, except that time it's the only the abdomen that does the moving rather than your chest WHAT GOES ON DURING DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING? Essentially, belly breathing is really a conscious attempt to interact with your core?including your abdominals and pelvic muscles. Think about it as repatterning your breathing to come from your belly instead of your chest. As you breathe, you create room for the lung to expand to full capacity. All these are geared towards taking steps from breathing shallowly?and unsatisfactory ?to breathing deeply. In inhalation, you keep the abdominals engaged to ensure the belly doesn't balloon out by much. This ensures the diaphragm doesn't descend?and flattens?and in addition expands the low ribcage. The intercostal?the muscles between two adjacent play key roles in belly breathing. As you inhale you try to direct the air from the ribcage into the abdomen and then finally to the pelvis. This maneuver softens not merely the pelvic floor but also the abdomen In exhalation, the opposite may be the case, you push the pelvic floor up?rebounds? back to its default state, then the belly falls back towards the spine and the ribcage collapses to its default state aswell. Once you get the hang of it, you can begin to belly breathe away anytime and anywhere you wish. BENEFITS OF DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING IN PREGNANCYLike it? Share it! More by this author |