What is the best breathing technique for labor?

There are two, used at different moments. Between contractions and as one starts, slow breathing: in through the nose for about four, out through soft lips for about six, from the belly. At the peak of a strong contraction, when slow is impossible, light breathing: short, quiet breaths in and out through the mouth, about twice a second, staying relaxed in the face. Then back to slow as it fades. Both are taught in antenatal classes, and the slow one is the one to practise most.

Does breathing actually help with labor pain?

It helps you stay with the pain rather than fight it, which changes how it is felt. Slow breathing keeps the body out of the tense, breath-holding state that makes contractions hurt more and progress more slowly, and gives the mind one thing to do through each one. Reviews of breathing techniques in labor find lower reported pain and anxiety and less use of some pain relief, with wide variation between people. It is not anaesthesia, and using it alongside whatever pain relief you choose is normal.

When should I start practising breathing for labor?

Around thirty weeks, five minutes a day, so that the slow breath is automatic by the time you need it. Practise sitting, lying on your side, on all fours and standing, because you will not know which position labor puts you in. Practise the switch from slow to light breathing and back, and practise it with your birth partner counting, because they will be the one keeping the rhythm when you cannot.

How should I breathe during a contraction?

As it starts, take a slow breath in through the nose and let it out long and soft, and keep that rhythm for as long as it stays comfortable, in for four, out for six. If the peak makes slow breathing impossible, switch to light breathing, short quiet breaths through the mouth, keeping the jaw and the face loose, until it eases. As it fades, one long slow exhale, and back to slow breathing for the rest. Never hold your breath through a contraction; holding tenses everything and starves the muscle that is working.

Should I hold my breath to push?

Follow the midwife or doctor in the moment. Many now prefer open-glottis pushing, breathing out or making a low sound while you bear down, over long held-breath pushes, because it keeps oxygen flowing and is easier on the pelvic floor; some situations call for directed pushing with a held breath. The slow breathing you practised is for the recovery between pushes. Ask about pushing at your antenatal appointments so the plan is not new to you on the day.

How can my birth partner help with breathing?

By breathing with you, audibly, and keeping the count when you lose it. A partner who says in, two, three, four and out, two, three, four, five, six, in a low voice, through each contraction, is doing the most useful thing in the room. Practise it together before the day so the rhythm is shared, and agree a signal for when you want silence instead.

Is there an app for labor breathing?

Braele, for iPhone, paces the slow 4-6 breath and the belly breath for practice in pregnancy, with a voice that counts and haptics that mark each phase, so it can run with the eyes closed and the phone anywhere. In labor itself, a partner's voice or the midwife's is the better pacer; the app is for the weeks before. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

Breathing exercises for labor

Slow between, light at the peak, never held

Labor breathing is two rhythms and a switch. Slow belly breathing, in for four and out for six, between contractions and through the ones you can stay with; light, quick, quiet breathing at the peak of the ones you cannot; and back to slow as each one fades. Neither is complicated. What makes them work on the day is having practised them for weeks before, which is what the timers below are for.

Tap a pattern and breathe along right here. Free, no download needed.

Through a contraction

The two rhythms and the switch

1
As it starts: one slow breath
A long breath in through the nose, a long soft breath out through loose lips, like a sigh. It marks the beginning, drops the shoulders, and sets the rhythm for what follows. Some people call it the welcoming breath; the name does not matter, the habit does.
2
Through it: slow breathing, 4·6
In for about four, out for about six, from the belly, with the jaw loose and the face soft. Keep the exhale long; a low hum or a sigh on the way out helps. Stay with this rhythm for as long as it stays possible, which in early labor is the whole contraction.
3
At the peak: light breathing, if slow becomes impossible
Short, quiet breaths in and out through the mouth, roughly two a second, shallow and relaxed, face still soft. This is not panting: it is small and even, and the moment it starts to feel fast or dizzy, lengthen the exhale. It carries you over the top of a strong contraction without holding your breath.
4
As it fades: one long exhale, then slow
A big soft sigh out to mark the end, then back to the slow rhythm, or to nothing at all. Between contractions the job is rest: slow breathing, a sip of water, a change of position if you want one. Do not spend the gap bracing for the next one.

What breathing does in labor, and does not

Slow breathing keeps the body out of the tense, breath-holding state that makes contractions hurt more and tires you sooner. It keeps oxygen moving to the muscle that is working, it gives the mind one job through each contraction, and the long exhale engages the calming side of the nervous system the same way it does anywhere else. Reviews of breathing techniques in labor report lower pain and anxiety and, for some, less need for pain relief, with wide variation between people. It is not anaesthesia and it does not have to be. Using it alongside a birth pool, gas and air, an epidural or nothing at all is normal, and the slow breath is useful in every one of those.

Practising in pregnancy

From about thirty weeks, five minutes a day: the belly breath or the 4-6 rhythm, sitting, lying on your side, on all fours, standing and leaning on something, because you will not know which position labor puts you in. Once a week, practise the switch: slow for a minute, light for twenty seconds, slow again. And practise with your birth partner counting out loud, in a low voice, so the rhythm is shared before the day. The Braele app paces the daily practice with a voice and haptics; on the day, your partner's voice is the better pacer.

Pushing, and the things to ask about

Pushing is a different phase and the breathing is different: many midwives now prefer breathing out or making a low sound as you bear down over long held breaths, because it keeps oxygen flowing and is kinder to the pelvic floor, and some situations call for directed pushing. Ask at your antenatal appointments how your team approaches it, so nothing is new on the day. Ask too about positions, and tell them you are using breathing so they can count with you. Nothing on this page replaces their advice, and a midwife or an antenatal class is the place to practise it with someone watching.

Questions

What people ask

What is the best breathing technique for labor?: There are two, used at different moments. Between contractions and as one starts, slow breathing: in through the nose for about four, out through soft lips for about six, from the belly. At the peak of a strong contraction, when slow is impossible, light breathing: short, quiet breaths in and out through the mouth, about twice a second, staying relaxed in the face. Then back to slow as it fades. Both are taught in antenatal classes, and the slow one is the one to practise most.
Does breathing actually help with labor pain?: It helps you stay with the pain rather than fight it, which changes how it is felt. Slow breathing keeps the body out of the tense, breath-holding state that makes contractions hurt more and progress more slowly, and gives the mind one thing to do through each one. Reviews of breathing techniques in labor find lower reported pain and anxiety and less use of some pain relief, with wide variation between people. It is not anaesthesia, and using it alongside whatever pain relief you choose is normal.
When should I start practising breathing for labor?: Around thirty weeks, five minutes a day, so that the slow breath is automatic by the time you need it. Practise sitting, lying on your side, on all fours and standing, because you will not know which position labor puts you in. Practise the switch from slow to light breathing and back, and practise it with your birth partner counting, because they will be the one keeping the rhythm when you cannot.
How should I breathe during a contraction?: As it starts, take a slow breath in through the nose and let it out long and soft, and keep that rhythm for as long as it stays comfortable, in for four, out for six. If the peak makes slow breathing impossible, switch to light breathing, short quiet breaths through the mouth, keeping the jaw and the face loose, until it eases. As it fades, one long slow exhale, and back to slow breathing for the rest. Never hold your breath through a contraction; holding tenses everything and starves the muscle that is working.
Should I hold my breath to push?: Follow the midwife or doctor in the moment. Many now prefer open-glottis pushing, breathing out or making a low sound while you bear down, over long held-breath pushes, because it keeps oxygen flowing and is easier on the pelvic floor; some situations call for directed pushing with a held breath. The slow breathing you practised is for the recovery between pushes. Ask about pushing at your antenatal appointments so the plan is not new to you on the day.
How can my birth partner help with breathing?: By breathing with you, audibly, and keeping the count when you lose it. A partner who says in, two, three, four and out, two, three, four, five, six, in a low voice, through each contraction, is doing the most useful thing in the room. Practise it together before the day so the rhythm is shared, and agree a signal for when you want silence instead.
Is there an app for labor breathing?: Braele, for iPhone, paces the slow 4-6 breath and the belly breath for practice in pregnancy, with a voice that counts and haptics that mark each phase, so it can run with the eyes closed and the phone anywhere. In labor itself, a partner's voice or the midwife's is the better pacer; the app is for the weeks before. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever; no account, no ads, works offline.

Five minutes a day, from thirty weeks

Braele paces the slow breath with a voice and haptics so the daily practice runs with your eyes closed, in any position, and a reminder keeps it going until the day. Box breathing and the physiological sigh are free forever on the App Store.

Downloadon the App Store