16 days ago, I gave birth to my second daughter. What kept me in control between arriving at the hospital 6cm dilated to finally receiving pain relief just before pushing? It wasn’t the online natural childbirth course I’d taken with my first, or even the hypnobirthing tracks I’d been listening to each night - it was simply the 4-8 breathing technique I’d been practicing my whole pregnancy as a method of stress relief and grounding.

Reflecting on my first birth, I wished I’d practiced the breathing exercised introduced to me in my birth class. I’d been doing yoga for years and naïvely made the assumption thatthose exercises would come naturally to me in the moment during my labor. Poor, sweet me had never been through transition before!

As I learned more about breathwork through my pregnancy with my second daughter, I discovered how beneficial, and even transformative it can be beyond just birth. Here are just three ways breathwork can benefit ALL new and expecting moms.

Stress relief

The effect of breathwork really started to click for me based on one specific meditation in the Expectful app. I had really been struggling with worry and anxiety as I navigated pregnancy after loss and tried a “Morning Breathwork” meditation to start my day one morning on a whim. I felt so clear and calm after that meditation I made it part of my day every day until I could no longer comfortably do the exercises (or breathe comfortably much at all) during my pregnancy! And now in the early postpartum days, the same breathing exercises have saved my sanity operating on little sleep with a newborn and toddler at home.

Core and pelvic floor health

Diaphragmatic breathing and exercises like Every Mother’s Core Compressions use the breath to tone and strengthen your pelvic floor and core muscles. This is essential to staying strong during pregnancy, preparing for labor and re-building your core post-pregnancy too.

Pain Management

Of course, as I mentioned in the opening, if you’re planning for an unmedicated birth finding your own pain management techniques will be essential. Comparing my two births, I did SUCH a better job managing contractions the second time around after really committing to a breathwork practice. I knew exactly how to bring myself down and get into my labor zone, even through a fast and furious labor. I ended up option for an epidural the second time around since things were escalating so quickly, but in hindsight I was pretty close to the finish once the epidural was finally placed.

Ready to try tapping into your breath? Use this link to get $10 your first month of the Expectful app!