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Breathing In and Out of Labor – 4
Yoga and Childbirth – Chapter 4
Everything that we do involves our whole being. But of course different activities alter the balance between the parts of our total self. For instance, if I am swimming, some of the blood may have been taken away from the digestive tract to be circulated in the voluntary muscles. Thus the rate of digestion may be slowed but the activity of the muscles, heart, and lungs greatly increased. While swimming I am probably not thinking deeply, or aware of finer emotional feelings not connected with the physical sensations of the water. On the other hand, if I am sitting reading, my digestion can go ahead undisturbed, I am probably little aware of my physical sensations if the book is interesting, but am much more alive to the world of thought, memory, emotion and comparison. In fact, different activities concentrate our awareness on the various parts of our being; as in sleep, where what remains of consciousness contacts parts of self usually right outside our range of awareness.
Unconscious tensions and fears
If we carry this illustration farther, it also becomes obvious that habits we have formed in the past, often quite unconsciously, largely control situations in the present. For instance, my wife was nearly drowned as a young girl, and now has a dread of swimming. Because of this her emotional reaction to the water creates physical tension and timidness, making it difficult to trust her body to it. Of course, such habit patterns can be changed and gradually replaced by new ones. To do this,however, often requires us to become very conscious of the old habit and what it is doing to our body and emotions. A friend who once broke a bone in his foot, because of the pain, learnt to walk on the side of his foot, and still carried on walking this way years later, even though the break had healed perfectly. But many of the things that hurt us are not physical. As a child or even as an adult, someone we love and trust may have badly hurt us, and without realising it we withdraw our feelings in order not to be hurt again. Just as my wife cannot trust her body to water because of her original terror, so we, if hurt in love, may also find it difficult to once again trust our own feelings to the intimate relationship of sharing ourselves deeply with someone else. I wish to stress again that we may be quite unaware of this.
We have already seen how such unconscious tensions or fears may cause us to take on a posture of withdrawal or tenseness during intercourse or childbirth. If you are now wondering what all this has got to do with breathing and giving birth, it is simply that 1 am trying to show how all these different aspects of life are linked. Also, just as when the actual birth occurs, all that we have done in the way of exercises, diet, relaxation and development of helpful habit patterns, is all brought together in the one event, so in our actual study and practice I do not wish you to lose sight of the unity of these different things. After all, while you are having the baby, you obviously do not want to have the bother of directing attention from relaxing the back, to correct breathing, to surrendering, to relaxing the face, and so on. Better to have one routine that covers the lot, than a method so complex it becomes impractical. In describing it however a chapter is devoted to each aspect of the one routine to explain it more adequately. In any case, in our hurried world, who is going to have time to practise all these different techniques? Therefore we must attempt to incorporate each with the other.
The need for air
Before such incorporation can take place, we have to be breathing correctly. The habits arising out of emotional tension influence many people’s breathing patterns and have to be corrected before proceeding on to further methods. This is important, as faulty breathing cannot help but place a strain on the body, especially that of the pregnant woman. Many people tend to forget the body’s enormous need for oxygen, and that the baby breathes through the mother’s lungs. To indicate the importance of air to the body and soul (for breathing influences consciousness), there is an ancient and much quoted yoga statement, which says that while we can go without food for weeks and yet remain alive, or without water for days, we can only go without air for a few minutes. In another way we can get a similar picture of the need for air. During each day we may drink about a quart or more of liquid; we may eat several pounds in weight of food; but in the same period we breathe in about 375 cubic feet of air.
As far as science is concerned, oxygen combines with carbon in the body cells and forms carbon dioxide. This union produces heat and energy. If the supply of oxygen is cut off to particular cells, the flame of life literally goes out in them. If it is reduced below their needs, they are made to function inadequately. Yoga, and some aspects of modern research, such as that done by Dr Reich, also see the breathing rhythm as an expression of life itself. Reich has postulated a cosmic energy radiating from the sun, which he named ‘orgone’, which when acting upon matter expresses its innate qualities by producing our form, movement, and consciousness. One of the basic movements expressed when this cosmic energy activates a physical form is pulsation, or contraction and expansion, tension and relaxation. This we see in the spontaneous sexual movements already discussed; also in breathing, and childbirth. Every spontaneous movement is in fact an expression of this relationship between what yoga calls prana, and Reich calls orgone, and the body. Heartbeats and breathing are particularly good examples of this.
If this idea is difficult to grasp, and it seems hard to understand how an energy can cause spontaneous physical movements, insight might be gained by thinking about a simple example. I believe everybody must have had the experience of hearing a pin, or other small object, vibrate in a vase or on a shelf, when a particular note or sound is made either on the television or by passing traffic. Particles of sand on a piece of stretched cellophane will also vibrate when we sing or speak near it. This is how the telephone works. If we realise that our body is a very complex receiving instrument, and can be made to respond in the most amazing ways to the sea of energy in which we live, this is a very basic idea of the yoga philosophy regarding the cause of existence. But while the example of a pin bathed in the sea of energy we call sound, and sometimes moved by it when there is resonance between pin and sound, helps us to understand the resonance between our physical form and the energy which enlivens it, yet something remains unexplained. It is that the pin has no choice as to whether it will surrender to the spontaneous movement, or fight against it through fear, habit, or self will. As, in our case, consciousness and decision, or will, are produced by energy interacting with matter, we can interfere with the instinctive patterns of expression that arise in us.
It is strange that the thing created, even though it depends utterly upon its source, can yet interfere with that which creates it. This opens up the possibility of seriously injuring the natural function of creative on created. In other words, it is like a car destroying some of its wiring or turning the ignition control, and thus advancing or retarding the ignition, and putting the engine out of tune. As far as yoga is concerned, this is the major cause of misery in our life. Knowingly or unknowingly our will has been directed against that which creates us, causing it to malfunction in our being. (I would like to point out for those who are thinkers with scientific background, this explanation is only analogical. Yoga does not separate matter and energy, or matter, energy, and mind. It does see that what we call energy interacts with what we call matter, but it points out that these are merely polarities of a single thing just as the left hand can interact with the right hand, yet are one and the same body.)
As I hope you will begin to see, the golden thread of this book is to give methods which will help you to find your natural, spontaneous source of health, love and life. Throughout the book the attempt is made to let go of those habits and fears that are acting against your own innate nature. This chapter on breathing follows the same aim. Although in theory it is sufficient to surrender our will, habits and fears to the natural and spontaneous workings of our being, in practice we often need to help the process along. We do not need to look for the reason. It is that many of our fears or habits are so deep rooted or unconscious, that we cannot let go of them even when we decide to. This is because we no longer have hold of Them – they have hold of us. Thus, a man who, despite the fact he loves his wife and has decided to be faithful, yet allies with several other women, does so because despite his decision, his passions have too strong a hold on him.
Analysis of our breathing pattern
Therefore, before we can integrate our breathing practice into the exercise routine already given, we need to view the overall pattern of our breathing, and maybe help it into line a little. To analyse our own breathing pattern, a simple method can be used. Sit in a chair, or kneel on a yoga blanket, hips on heels, back straight. Put one hand on chest, one on solar plexus, just breathe in as far as possible without letting the chest rise. If this is successful the hand on the solar plexus will rise, without the one on the chest moving much at all. A point will be reached in the inhalation where your cannot breathe in any more without moving the hand on the chest. At this point allow the chest to rise until full inhalation is reached. As this happens the hand on the solar plexus will probably drop back a little. This is quite normal. If your pregnancy is fairly well advanced there will be less ability to raise the solar plexus hand first, but there should still be some ability to do so.
This little test shows us whether we have the natural cycle of abdominal breathing. If you cannot breathe in and raise the solar plexus hand first, then wrong habits or tensions are interfering with normal breathing. The fact that the abdomen does not rise shows that your breathing is also inadequate, and the lungs are not being sufficiently filled with air. This will obviously decrease the amount of oxygen available within the lungs – and, just as important, the waste products that pass out of the body via the lungs will not be properly eliminated. This is a sort of thoracic constipation. During pregnancy it is more important than ever to make sure that our elimination from the lungs is sufficient, as the baby also eliminates some of its own poisons through the mother’s lungs. We do not have to be fanatical about this; but we do have a goal in view, that of helping nature’ to produce a beautiful and healthy child. Efficient breathing is part of the activities that together mould and form the baby.
Another test for tensions
Another test to determine how much our own breathing pattern is controlled or disrupted by tension is as follows: Sit or kneel as before. Take a slow deep breath in. Now breathe out rapidly until the lungs are as empty as possible. If this out-breathing is in one unbroken stream from ‘full’ to ’empty’, then all is well. Many people will find however, that try as they may, they cannot exhale in an unbroken stream. There will be ‘catches’ where they stop for a moment and then continue. Clinical work done by a number of therapists has shown that this disturbed exhalation is a sign that the person is controlled by a fear, resulting in tension. Such tension not only influences the breathing of the person, but also the relationship with other people, and events in life. This usually produces unsatisfactory sex life, and other emotional or life problems. Because we are concentrating here only on yoga as it directly relates to pregnancy we cannot go into a long description of how to deal with such problems in detail. But at least a general method must be given because such tensions usually cause unnecessary difficulties during confinement.
The following breathing methods are not necessary for those whose breathing cycle is normal. They are recommended for those who, in the above tests, found that their natural breathing was interfered with. If you found that you could not breathe abdominally and move the solar plexus hand, it is sufficient to frequently practise the movement until it is attained. The aim is to make proper abdominal breathing into a habit. This will require persistence and patience. Our ingrained habits arise because we have performed the activity hour after hour. In the attempt to breathe correctly we not only have to instil in ourselves the correct pattern, but we also have to eradicate the old method.
Methods
Therefore, if you do not breathe abdominally, for ten minutes after the postures sit or lie comfortably, one hand on the chest, one on the solar plexus. Breathing slowly and fully, try to breathe raising the lower hand first as already described. Keep steadily at this for ten minutes, and keep at it each day until you eventually learn how to do it. Once you get the hang of it, you can naturally dispense with the use of the hands. Also, once the method is established, concentrate on it at odd moments of the day, such as while out walking. In this case breathe in and out in time with your strides. For instance three strides breathing in, three strides breathing out – or whatever is easiest for you. By concentrating on it frequently like this, it will quickly become a habit.
If you are unable to breathe out in one smooth flow, the recommended exercise is as follows: Sit upright in a chair, or cross-legged on the floor, or kneel on the floor with the hips on the heels. Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold for a moment and breathe out quickly with a rush through the nose. Breath slowly in again and repeat. The aim is to gradually break down the resistance that stops the smooth exhalation. This resistance may be an emotional one. For instance, crying causes us to breathe out fully, and if the suppress ion of grief has caused us this tension then if we break through we will release a lot of grief and weeping. Of course, it may be other fears or suppressed emotions that are behind the faulty breathing. If these arise during the breathing we have to have the courage to let them out and express them.
This is a very stimulating exercise, and it is difficult to give a -general length of time to practise it. This is because some people may become slightly dizzy due to the amount of oxygen absorbed. Therefore, you will have to experiment to find your own level. I would suggest at least fifteen repetitions, and not more than one hundred. Practise it daily until the breakthrough to normal expiration occurs. Then, if abdominal breathing is possible, pass on to the ordinary breathing practices mentioned later. Otherwise practise abdominal breathing. If your breathing is abdominal, with a steady exhalation, only general breathing methods need be practised. I stress particularly the importance of deep rhythmic breathing while walking as already described.
For hundreds of years yoga has taught a variety of breathing practices. Some of these are aimed at calming and stilling the mind, others at cleansing the body, others at oxygenating the cells. During childbirth one of the greatest needs is to keep the muscles of the uterus well supplied with oxygen so that it does not become exhausted under the pressure of work. Also, the baby itself may develop an enormous oxygen debt unless the breathing is sufficient during the birth. I am indebted to Erna Wright’s description of how psycho-prophylaxis uses breathing methods during childbirth. I have attempted to describe here how to use the traditional yoga methods however, although it must be admitted that as far as I can see it is psycho-prophylaxis that has had the genius to pioneer the use of these practices.
Just as a man who is walking and suddenly starts running will immediately need more oxygen, so in childbirth there are different levels of needs as the body contracts and relaxes. If we completely expressed our instincts, we might pant as a dog does, when contraction occurs. However, being often out of harmony with our instincts it is a wise insurance to prepare ourselves through training, to meet the need as it arises. The following breathing practice should therefore be done every day while relaxing. This should be done whether you have perfected abdominal breathing or not.
Take up your position of relaxation. Begin your relaxation as described in the chapter dealing with it. When you reach the point of tensing parts of the body and at the same time relaxing the rest of the body, incorporate the following: Before you begin the contraction breathe fully but slowly as in the abdominal breathing method. After three or four breaths say to yourself mentally ‘contraction beginning’. Now gently contract both arms, relaxing all the rest of the body. As you do this begin the following breathing method. Breathe in through the nose as in the abdominal breathing, but when it comes to breathing out, blow out through the mouth just strongly enough to make a blowing noise. Take three breaths in this way, then tense the arms as hard as possible by, bringing the hands to the shoulders as when tensing the biceps. As you do this go into the next stage of breathing. Imagine you are a dog panting. Breathe in and out through the mouth, blowing as you breathe out, to make the characteristic panting noise. This is approximately one out breath per second. Hold the tension and carry on breathing in this way for ten seconds, which is stage three breathing. The others are stage one and stage two, respectively.
At the end of the ten breaths in stage three, relax the arm tension slightly and drop into stage two breathing for three breaths. After this relax the arms and entire body, and drop into stage one breathing, at the same time saying mentally, contraction finished’.
It is fairly obvious that what is being attempted here is to perfect the ability to change the breathing rate at will according to the need of the moment, and at the same time be able to relax all of the body not being contracted. This will undoubtedly seem extraordinarily complicated at first, but practising each session will gradually perfect it so that ‘on the day’ you will be adept at it. When you have taken three or four breaths in stage one go through the whole procedure again, but this time tense the right arm and left leg instead of both arms. Obviously, at the same time you must keep all the rest of the body relaxed.
After having repeated the cycle using right arm and left leg, go through it one more time using left arm and right leg. When this is finished carry on with the relaxation as described.
When you first start this practice of relaxation and breathing, not only will it seem very complicated, as already said, but it will also take a long time to pass through the various stages of relaxation as described. After a few weeks, however, you will find that the strange ideas are becoming meaningful, the routine is becoming second nature and the whole thing will take far less time. But as a whole it should take at least half an hour.
Erna Wright gives a much more complex method, which I am sure in general is very necessary to achieve the pain-free birth aimed at. Noting the tremendous difference that diet and supplementation makes on the length and progress of birth it is unnecessary to go to such lengths, if the diet given is followed. Many women have a problem-free birth simply through taking the dietary supplements of C, E and calcium. My own wife, during her last pregnancy and eating largely a raw-food diet, practising the yoga postures and taking vitamin supplements, was only three-quarters of an hour in labour. Therefore, as long as the diet suggested is being used, far less discipline need be applied in these other ways, as the vitamin E alone aids oxygenation of tissues, the calcium decreases pain, and the C increases energy level and recuperation. In a later chapter, more details will be given as to how you use the breathing stages on the actual day. Meanwhile, once you have really established the breathing method, after about two months of practice, they need only be practised once each week.
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It’s All Happening – Am I Pregnant
With the modern methods of determining pregnancy, such as the urine test, nobody need be in doubt for long, even during the first few days. But if you do not wish to go to this bother, the pregnancy usually announces itself fairly quickly in clinical ways.
The absence of menstruation is often the first sign one has, although by itself this is by no means proof, as many women miss periods for many other reasons. Also, despite being pregnant, a small or short period may occur.
Some women experience morning sickness almost from the first day of conception, which again is a sign, but not a proof. Of course, from the doctor’s point of view, the hearing of the baby’s heartbeat may alone constitute proof.
Another of the early signs in a healthy woman is breast change. Some women experience this at every menstruation, but it passes. During pregnancy these breast changes remain. The breast becomes fuller in appearance, and becomes tender, especially the nipples. The colour of the skin around the nipple changes, becomes darker, and this area enlarges into a slightly bubbly appearance. After a few months a liquid may be taken from the nipples, called colostrum.
Other changes may be experienced as need for more sleep; inability to eat large meals; strange desires for particular foods; frequency of urination; sudden increase in weight.
The Doctor
It is best to place yourself in the care of your doctor fairly soon. He or she will examine you, possibly by asking questions as to when your last period was, and so on. Also the examination may include feeling your abdomen with his or her hand. This is to see if any enlargement of the uterus has taken place. The doctor may also examine the vagina for signs of pregnancy, such as a greater supply of blood to the area. No doubt you will be asked for a urine specimen.
Length of Pregnancy
Add seven days to the first day of your last normal menstruation. Then deduct three months, and this will give you the approximate date of a full term pregnancy. Or else add 280 days to the date of conception. Again, this is an approximate date. To save your working it out, 280 days is forty weeks. The average time of conception is about fourteen days after the last normal period. There is little chance of your giving birth on the exact day, as in a survey only four out of a hundred women gave birth on the estimated day.
Quickening
The baby first moves approximately half way through the pregnancy. That is about the twentieth week or just after. This can therefore act as a rough check on your estimated time of conception.
‘In Utero’
In recent years a great deal more has been revealed about what the baby does in the womb. Although it is not generally accepted, as given later, there is a fair amount of evidence to show that the baby is very much aware in the womb. The baby does not breathe, gaining its oxygen from the mother’s blood but it does move and rest. If you are observant you will notice that it goes through cycles of activity. Sometimes, much to the amused consternation of ‘mum’, baby decides to be active just as ‘mum’ is trying to go to sleep! These movements are very much like those we can see in a new-born baby – a thrusting of arms and legs.
Babies are also now known to often suck their thumbs or fingers while still unborn. Also, occasionally, to cry, but only when air has in some way entered the uterus.
The Big Day
If you are going into hospital or a nursing home, have your suitcase packed a couple of weeks in advance. If you plan to follow the advice in this book carefully, also have a little purse in which you can place some vitamin C, E and calcium tablets. Take these with you and keep them by you. You will be allowed to have a book and your purse by you until the baby actually arrives.
First Signs
For many women the first sign that birth is about to begin is the breaking of the membranes. Sometimes this happens while asleep in bed, and the resulting puddle of water will undoubtedly wake you. You will have had contractions of the uterus for some weeks. Similar contractions will again appear just prior to, or soon after the water ‘breaks’, although a few women do not experience the breaking of the membrane.
As soon as the contractions appear however, right from the start relax the rest of the body and breathe in stage one as described. Erna Wright points out that if you do not begin the relaxation and breathing right from the beginning the contractions can easily become painful. This is because the contractions are gradually ‘opening up’ the uterus, and unless the tensions in this area are relaxed, blocking can cause problems from the start.
You may hear the doctor or nurse talking about various stages of labour; to help you understand what they are referring to they are as follows: First Stage – The thinning of the ‘neck of the uterus’ or cervix is a pre-labour stage. The first stage of labour is when the baby’s head begins to open up the cervix. This ‘opening up’ of the cervix is called ‘dilating’. The nurse can gradually see more and more of the baby’s head as the cervix dilates. She, or the doctor, measures this dilation with finger widths. So she may say ‘She’s two fingers dilated.’ That means that the cervix, which opens rather in the shape of a cat’s eye, is two fingers wide. Eventually there is no cervix, only baby’s head showing. Then begins the second stage of labour, which is when the uterus pushes the baby along the birth channel, helped now, but not before, by your abdominal muscles. The third stage is after the actual exit of the baby’s head and body, and is the removal of the placenta.
What to Do Next
After this quick preview, let us return to the first contractions. As each one occurs, stand still, relax, while breathing in the first stage. From now on your breathing and relaxation is the real thing, not practice. If you feel you must breathe faster to get more air, then do so, as you are not supplying enough. If you breathe out fully each time, this will ensure fuller exchange of air. A feeling of dizziness means you are over-oxygenating. Slow up and do not breathe quite so deeply. On the other hand trembling is due to a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood which is caused by too shallow quick breathing. Take deeper breaths.
If the contractions start during the night, get up if you must, and have a drink of warm milk and honey. But it is better to simply go back to sleep. During this pre-labour phase, contractions may come far apart, or close together, but they are only short in length – ten to twenty seconds. Erna Wright says that the first stage of labour is characterised not so much by frequent contractions as by their length of about forty-five to fifty-five seconds. You must enquire beforehand at which stage your hospital or district nurse wishes to be informed.
Meanwhile, do not tire yourself out during this phase, because you will need all your energy for later on. If it is daytime and you are not requested to enter hospital, then get on with any simple tasks at hand, stopping at each contraction, breathing in level one, and relaxing. From the beginning of the contractions take a 100 mlg of vitamin C every half hour. Carry this on right to the last stage of labour. Also take 1000 i.u. of vitamin E, 4 calcium or 6 kelp tablets and one halibut liver oil capsule at the start of the contractions. Have these all sorted out beforehand so that it is easy. As already said, the C should be continued throughout, one every half hour. The calcium should be taken two every hour. Or if you can’t manage that, take 1000 mlg of C at the start and forget about it. The same applies to the calcium.
As the contractions lengthen you will find the level one breathing inadequate. Therefore, shift up into levels two and three as necessary. By the time you reach the 55-second contractions, you should be using the three levels at each contraction. As it begins, say mentally ‘contraction beginning’, and use level one breathing for 3 breaths, 3 in level 2 the height of the contraction in level 3, and then come down to 3 breaths in two, 3 in one, and say mentally ‘contraction finished’.
When the contractions last from one to one-and-a-half minutes, as it begins say mentally, ‘contraction beginning’, then breathe once in level one, 5 times in level two, the peak of the contraction in level three and then down into level two for 5 breaths and 3 in level one. Then say mentally ‘contraction finished’. In between contractions, fully relax, repeating mentally ‘surrender to Life.’
The breathing method can be changed to a very fast pant where more air is needed. You can practise this during the last two months of pregnancy with the aid of your husband. With a watch he can time your contractions of arms and legs, and you can practise the breathing routine to get the knack of timing. This will make it all far easier on the day.
I must stress however, that although the above method of breathing at a particular level in each phase of contraction sounds complicated, it very soon becomes a habit if practised often. Quite frankly, you do not have to breathe exactly the number of breaths at each level, as long as you do change as the contraction develops.
What Now?
When your ‘waters’ do break take a note of the time so that you can inform the nurse or hospital. Doctors who plan to give their patients a general anaesthetic advise women not to eat before being admitted to hospital. As you are having a natural birth this rule does not apply. The rule is made so that the patient does not vomit stomach contents under anaesthesia and then have the food enter the lungs. Therefore have a small meal to give you sufficient fuel to burn during the activity ahead. As you will not be able to eat for some time, you will need food that will be easy to digest yet will supply a steady flow of fuel. The breakfast already mentioned, which keeps the blood sugar level high for many hours, is excellent for this purpose. That is, a meal consisting mostly of protein, but with carbohydrates, sugars and some fat also. A poached egg on toast, with plenty of butter, followed by a milk drink with a couple of spoonfuls of powdered milk added, plus honey,- will be excellent. Or any meal of a similar composition.
Meanwhile, at every contraction except those occurring while you sleep, use the relaxation and breathing technique. Try to get as much sleep as possible before the first stage of labour begins as after this you will have to remain awake and ‘working’ almost continuously until the end of the labour. To quote Erna Wright, ‘Handling contractions during this period is almost like a holy ritual. You handle each contraction with as much single minded concentration and care as you can; in the correct manner, with the correct dissociation, with the correct breathing. Never, never answer questions during a contraction.’ (The New Childbirth). Erna Wright also suggests buying a little, real sponge to dip in a saucer of water by the bedside to wipe the face between contractions and to suck for water and for comfort. Another helpful tip she gives is to empty the bladder every hour during labour. This is because during labour the usual sensation of a full bladder may not be noticeable. Thus one may reach a point where pain occurs with every contraction due to a full bladder.
Going Great Guns
As stage one of labour changes into stage two after the thinning of the cervix, quite a number of women experience what is called the transition stage. This is experienced as a great tiredness, or feeling of being desperately fed up with the whole process. You may become extremely irritable and bad tempered, but if you can hold on to your discipline for a while, you will pass through this phase. At this time the urge comes to aid the uterus by pushing, using your abdominal muscles, but resist this temptation completely unless the nurse says it is time to push. To help you through this phase if it becomes pronounced enough to disturb you, hold rigidly to your breathing and relaxation discipline, even though these may seem to go haywire for a while keep on with Them. Also, every time you relax between contractions say mentally, ‘surrender to Life’, and completely relax all muscles not in use. As you say this mentally, feel as if you were handing your whole being over, as practised during relaxation to the light.
Bring On the Reinforcements
You and your uterus are now working full out, but due to your breathing and relaxation you are handling your contractions and they have not become painful. During contractions some women have a cramp-like sensation in the uterus. With your vitamin E and calcium already under your belt, your muscles should perform like trained circus athletes, but just in case, you can rid yourself of this problem. This is done by you, or your husband if he is there, gently and delicately massaging the area in a circular direction. There should be hardly any pressure attached to this, as it is the lightness of touch that soothes the underlying muscles.
Another helpful aid as you enter the second stage of labour is to ‘take aim’. In other words, when you actually begin to help the uterus by pushing, it is a great aid to find a spot at the foot of the bed, down beyond the feet, and imagine you are pushing the baby towards it.
Meanwhile, you are still some way from stage three, so don’t forget your vitamin C every half-hour, and calcium every hour. If you buy something like Super Rose Hip, or children’s flavoured vitamin C tablets, you can suck them like sweets instead of attempting to swallow them.
Erna Wright is so full of practical suggestions it is difficult to avoid quoting her. If it is necessary for the doctor or nurse to examine you internally, or snip the membranes with scissors if they have not been broken, and during the removal of the placenta, Erna suggests that you practise the same rules as for contractions, i.e., go into level two breathing and relax the genitals.
The Birth
Once the cervix has thinned and the baby’s head emerges from the vagina, having been pushed along the birth channel, it is usually only a matter of moments before the rest of the baby follows, and you have that wonderful first glimpse of your child.
But before all this occurs, you will be working away at the longest of the contractions, which also require you to ‘push’ as well. This ‘pushing’ is the same sort of abdominal tension as that made during going to the toilet. You will have already practised this as advised elsewhere in the book. Make sure, as always, that the genital area is relaxed. As it is difficult to push’ and breathe at the same time, a slightly different routine is required. In stage two of delivery you will find that as the contraction starts your abdominal muscles will also contract, this contraction is heightened by your own conscious effort. Therefore, as you feel the contractions beginning, say mentally, ‘contraction starting’, and take three breaths in level two. Then as you breathe in for the fourth time hold your breath in while you push. Hold this for six to ten seconds, depending on your ability, and then blow the air out and repeat. While in the ‘pushing’ stage, it is best to have plenty of pillows behind you, knees drawn up, back slightly rounded, in imitation of the squat position. As you hold your breath in, push the chin down hard on the chest to block any escape of air, and prevent you arching your head back. As you breathe out, say mentally ‘surrender to Life’. Then breathe in again and hold it as above. Repeat this cycle of breathing in, holding it, pushing, blowing out and surrendering, two or three times, depending on length of contractions. As the contraction begins to wane, no longer hold the breath, but breathe in level three until you get your breath back; drop into level two for a few breaths, and then to level one. Don’t forget to relax back gently from the squat position after the contraction so that the baby’s head does not slip back from its position in the birth channel.
As the head of the baby emerges and the rest of the body is following, no more ‘pushing’ is necessary. Now is the time to drop back into the position of sexual surrender, with your own head dropped back in relaxation, hips and genitals open to ‘giving’, and mouth open panting as in orgasm.
After the actual birth, the umbilical cord is clipped or tied, and then severed. The placenta is usually delivered by one more contraction. Erna Wright suggests, when this is all over, sucking a few glucose sweets or taking some honey to replace the blood sugar burnt up during the labour. If you have already had a previous child you will later experience small contractions as the uterus returns to its proper size. Handle these in the same way as you did the birth contractions and they will soon pass away. The same applies to the contractions occurring during breast feeding.
Now you should be home and dry. Cuddle baby, forget everything, and sleep.
Breathing In and Out of Labour
Everything that we do involves our whole being. But of course different activities alter the balance between the parts of our total self. For instance, if I am swimming, some of the blood may have been taken away from the digestive tract to be circulated in the voluntary muscles. Thus the rate of digestion may be slowed but the activity of the muscles, heart, and lungs greatly increased. While swimming I am probably not thinking deeply, or aware of finer emotional feelings not connected with the physical sensations of the water. On the other hand, if I am sitting reading, my digestion can go ahead undisturbed, I am probably little aware of my physical sensations if the book is interesting, but am much more alive to the world of thought, memory, emotion and comparison. In fact, different activities concentrate our awareness on the various parts of our being; as in sleep, where what remains of consciousness contacts parts of self usually right outside our range of awareness.
Unconscious tensions and fears
If we carry this illustration farther, it also becomes obvious that habits we have formed in the past, often quite unconsciously, largely control situations in the present. For instance, my wife was nearly drowned as a young girl, and now has a dread of swimming. Because of this her emotional reaction to the water creates physical tension and timidness, making it difficult to trust her body to it. Of course, such habit patterns can be changed and gradually replaced by new ones. To do this,however, often requires us to become very conscious of the old habit and what it is doing to our body and emotions. A friend who once broke a bone in his foot, because of the pain, learnt to walk on the side of his foot, and still carried on walking this way years later, even though the break had healed perfectly. But many of the things that hurt us are not physical. As a child or even as an adult, someone we love and trust may have badly hurt us, and without realising it we withdraw our feelings in order not to be hurt again. Just as my wife cannot trust her body to water because of her original terror, so we, if hurt in love, may also find it difficult to once again trust our own feelings to the intimate relationship of sharing ourselves deeply with someone else. I wish to stress again that we may be quite unaware of this.
We have already seen how such unconscious tensions or fears may cause us to take on a posture of withdrawal or tenseness during intercourse or childbirth. If you are now wondering what all this has got to do with breathing and giving birth, it is simply that 1 am trying to show how all these different aspects of life are linked. Also, just as when the actual birth occurs, all that we have done in the way of exercises, diet, relaxation and development of helpful habit patterns, is all brought together in the one event, so in our actual study and practice I do not wish you to lose sight of the unity of these different things. After all, while you are having the baby, you obviously do not want to have the bother of directing attention from relaxing the back, to correct breathing, to surrendering, to relaxing the face, and so on. Better to have one routine that covers the lot, than a method so complex it becomes impractical. In describing it however a chapter is devoted to each aspect of the one routine to explain it more adequately. In any case, in our hurried world, who is going to have time to practise all these different techniques? Therefore we must attempt to incorporate each with the other.
The need for air
Before such incorporation can take place, we have to be breathing correctly. The habits arising out of emotional tension influence many people’s breathing patterns and have to be corrected before proceeding on to further methods. This is important, as faulty breathing cannot help but place a strain on the body, especially that of the pregnant woman. Many people tend to forget the body’s enormous need for oxygen, and that the baby breathes through the mother’s lungs. To indicate the importance of air to the body and soul (for breathing influences consciousness), there is an ancient and much quoted yoga statement, which says that while we can go without food for weeks and yet remain alive, or without water for days, we can only go without air for a few minutes. In another way we can get a similar picture of the need for air. During each day we may drink about a quart or more of liquid; we may eat several pounds in weight of food; but in the same period we breathe in about 375 cubic feet of air.
As far as science is concerned, oxygen combines with carbon in the body cells and forms carbon dioxide. This union produces heat and energy. If the supply of oxygen is cut off to particular cells, the flame of life literally goes out in them. If it is reduced below their needs, they are made to function inadequately. Yoga, and some aspects of modern research, such as that done by Dr Reich, also see the breathing rhythm as an expression of life itself. Reich has postulated a cosmic energy radiating from the sun, which he named ‘orgone’, which when acting upon matter expresses its innate qualities by producing our form, movement, and consciousness. One of the basic movements expressed when this cosmic energy activates a physical form is pulsation, or contraction and expansion, tension and relaxation. This we see in the spontaneous sexual movements already discussed; also in breathing, and childbirth. Every spontaneous movement is in fact an expression of this relationship between what yoga calls prana, and Reich calls orgone, and the body. Heartbeats and breathing are particularly good examples of this.
If this idea is difficult to grasp, and it seems hard to understand how an energy can cause spontaneous physical movements, insight might be gained by thinking about a simple example. I believe everybody must have had the experience of hearing a pin, or other small object, vibrate in a vase or on a shelf, when a particular note or sound is made either on the television or by passing traffic. Particles of sand on a piece of stretched cellophane will also vibrate when we sing or speak near it. This is how the telephone works. If we realise that our body is a very complex receiving instrument, and can be made to respond in the most amazing ways to the sea of energy in which we live, this is a very basic idea of the yoga philosophy regarding the cause of existence. But while the example of a pin bathed in the sea of energy we call sound, and sometimes moved by it when there is resonance between pin and sound, helps us to understand the resonance between our physical form and the energy which enlivens it, yet something remains unexplained. It is that the pin has no choice as to whether it will surrender to the spontaneous movement, or fight against it through fear, habit, or self will. As, in our case, consciousness and decision, or will, are produced by energy interacting with matter, we can interfere with the instinctive patterns of expression that arise in us.
It is strange that the thing created, even though it depends utterly upon its source, can yet interfere with that which creates it. This opens up the possibility of seriously injuring the natural function of creative on created. In other words, it is like a car destroying some of its wiring or turning the ignition control, and thus advancing or retarding the ignition, and putting the engine out of tune. As far as yoga is concerned, this is the major cause of misery in our life. Knowingly or unknowingly our will has been directed against that which creates us, causing it to malfunction in our being. (I would like to point out for those who are thinkers with scientific background, this explanation is only analogical. Yoga does not separate matter and energy, or matter, energy, and mind. It does see that what we call energy interacts with what we call matter, but it points out that these are merely polarities of a single thing just as the left hand can interact with the right hand, yet are one and the same body.)
As I hope you will begin to see, the golden thread of this book is to give methods which will help you to find your natural, spontaneous source of health, love and life. Throughout the book the attempt is made to let go of those habits and fears that are acting against your own innate nature. This chapter on breathing follows the same aim. Although in theory it is sufficient to surrender our will, habits and fears to the natural and spontaneous workings of our being, in practice we often need to help the process along. We do not need to look for the reason. It is that many of our fears or habits are so deep rooted or unconscious, that we cannot let go of them even when we decide to. This is because we no longer have hold of Them – they have hold of us. Thus, a man who, despite the fact he loves his wife and has decided to be faithful, yet allies with several other women, does so because despite his decision, his passions have too strong a hold on him.
Analysis of our breathing pattern
Therefore, before we can integrate our breathing practice into the exercise routine already given, we need to view the overall pattern of our breathing, and maybe help it into line a little. To analyse our own breathing pattern, a simple method can be used. Sit in a chair, or kneel on a yoga blanket, hips on heels, back straight. Put one hand on chest, one on solar plexus, just breathe in as far as possible without letting the chest rise. If this is successful the hand on the solar plexus will rise, without the one on the chest moving much at all. A point will be reached in the inhalation where your cannot breathe in any more without moving the hand on the chest. At this point allow the chest to rise until full inhalation is reached. As this happens the hand on the solar plexus will probably drop back a little. This is quite normal. If your pregnancy is fairly well advanced there will be less ability to raise the solar plexus hand first, but there should still be some ability to do so.
This little test shows us whether we have the natural cycle of abdominal breathing. If you cannot breathe in and raise the solar plexus hand first, then wrong habits or tensions are interfering with normal breathing. The fact that the abdomen does not rise shows that your breathing is also inadequate, and the lungs are not being sufficiently filled with air. This will obviously decrease the amount of oxygen available within the lungs – and, just as important, the waste products that pass out of the body via the lungs will not be properly eliminated. This is a sort of thoracic constipation. During pregnancy it is more important than ever to make sure that our elimination from the lungs is sufficient, as the baby also eliminates some of its own poisons through the mother’s lungs. We do not have to be fanatical about this; but we do have a goal in view, that of helping nature’ to produce a beautiful and healthy child. Efficient breathing is part of the activities that together mould and form the baby.
Another test for tensions
Another test to determine how much our own breathing pattern is controlled or disrupted by tension is as follows: Sit or kneel as before. Take a slow deep breath in. Now breathe out rapidly until the lungs are as empty as possible. If this out-breathing is in one unbroken stream from ‘full’ to ’empty’, then all is well. Many people will find however, that try as they may, they cannot exhale in an unbroken stream. There will be ‘catches’ where they stop for a moment and then continue. Clinical work done by a number of therapists has shown that this disturbed exhalation is a sign that the person is controlled by a fear, resulting in tension. Such tension not only influences the breathing of the person, but also the relationship with other people, and events in life. This usually produces unsatisfactory sex life, and other emotional or life problems. Because we are concentrating here only on yoga as it directly relates to pregnancy we cannot go into a long description of how to deal with such problems in detail. But at least a general method must be given because such tensions usually cause unnecessary difficulties during confinement.
The following breathing methods are not necessary for those whose breathing cycle is normal. They are recommended for those who, in the above tests, found that their natural breathing was interfered with. If you found that you could not breathe abdominally and move the solar plexus hand, it is sufficient to frequently practise the movement until it is attained. The aim is to make proper abdominal breathing into a habit. This will require persistence and patience. Our ingrained habits arise because we have performed the activity hour after hour. In the attempt to breathe correctly we not only have to instil in ourselves the correct pattern, but we also have to eradicate the old method.
Methods
Therefore, if you do not breathe abdominally, for ten minutes after the postures sit or lie comfortably, one hand on the chest, one on the solar plexus. Breathing slowly and fully, try to breathe raising the lower hand first as already described. Keep steadily at this for ten minutes, and keep at it each day until you eventually learn how to do it. Once you get the hang of it, you can naturally dispense with the use of the hands. Also, once the method is established, concentrate on it at odd moments of the day, such as while out walking. In this case breathe in and out in time with your strides. For instance three strides breathing in, three strides breathing out – or whatever is easiest for you. By concentrating on it frequently like this, it will quickly become a habit.
If you are unable to breathe out in one smooth flow, the recommended exercise is as follows: Sit upright in a chair, or cross-legged on the floor, or kneel on the floor with the hips on the heels. Breathe in slowly and deeply, hold for a moment and breathe out quickly with a rush through the nose. Breath slowly in again and repeat. The aim is to gradually break down the resistance that stops the smooth exhalation. This resistance may be an emotional one. For instance, crying causes us to breathe out fully, and if the suppress ion of grief has caused us this tension then if we break through we will release a lot of grief and weeping. Of course, it may be other fears or suppressed emotions that are behind the faulty breathing. If these arise during the breathing we have to have the courage to let them out and express them.
This is a very stimulating exercise, and it is difficult to give a -general length of time to practise it. This is because some people may become slightly dizzy due to the amount of oxygen absorbed. Therefore, you will have to experiment to find your own level. I would suggest at least fifteen repetitions, and not more than one hundred. Practise it daily until the breakthrough to normal expiration occurs. Then, if abdominal breathing is possible, pass on to the ordinary breathing practices mentioned later. Otherwise practise abdominal breathing. If your breathing is abdominal, with a steady exhalation, only general breathing methods need be practised. I stress particularly the importance of deep rhythmic breathing while walking as already described.
For hundreds of years yoga has taught a variety of breathing practices. Some of these are aimed at calming and stilling the mind, others at cleansing the body, others at oxygenating the cells. During childbirth one of the greatest needs is to keep the muscles of the uterus well supplied with oxygen so that it does not become exhausted under the pressure of work. Also, the baby itself may develop an enormous oxygen debt unless the breathing is sufficient during the birth. I am indebted to Erna Wright’s description of how psycho-prophylaxis uses breathing methods during childbirth. I have attempted to describe here how to use the traditional yoga methods however, although it must be admitted that as far as I can see it is psycho-prophylaxis that has had the genius to pioneer the use of these practices.
Just as a man who is walking and suddenly starts running will immediately need more oxygen, so in childbirth there are different levels of needs as the body contracts and relaxes. If we completely expressed our instincts, we might pant as a dog does, when contraction occurs. However, being often out of harmony with our instincts it is a wise insurance to prepare ourselves through training, to meet the need as it arises. The following breathing practice should therefore be done every day while relaxing. This should be done whether you have perfected abdominal breathing or not.
Take up your position of relaxation. Begin your relaxation as described in the chapter dealing with it. When you reach the point of tensing parts of the body and at the same time relaxing the rest of the body, incorporate the following: Before you begin the contraction breathe fully but slowly as in the abdominal breathing method. After three or four breaths say to yourself mentally ‘contraction beginning’. Now gently contract both arms, relaxing all the rest of the body. As you do this begin the following breathing method. Breathe in through the nose as in the abdominal breathing, but when it comes to breathing out, blow out through the mouth just strongly enough to make a blowing noise. Take three breaths in this way, then tense the arms as hard as possible by, bringing the hands to the shoulders as when tensing the biceps. As you do this go into the next stage of breathing. Imagine you are a dog panting. Breathe in and out through the mouth, blowing as you breathe out, to make the characteristic panting noise. This is approximately one out breath per second. Hold the tension and carry on breathing in this way for ten seconds, which is stage three breathing. The others are stage one and stage two, respectively.
At the end of the ten breaths in stage three, relax the arm tension slightly and drop into stage two breathing for three breaths. After this relax the arms and entire body, and drop into stage one breathing, at the same time saying mentally, contraction finished’.
It is fairly obvious that what is being attempted here is to perfect the ability to change the breathing rate at will according to the need of the moment, and at the same time be able to relax all of the body not being contracted. This will undoubtedly seem extraordinarily complicated at first, but practising each session will gradually perfect it so that ‘on the day’ you will be adept at it. When you have taken three or four breaths in stage one go through the whole procedure again, but this time tense the right arm and left leg instead of both arms. Obviously, at the same time you must keep all the rest of the body relaxed.
After having repeated the cycle using right arm and left leg, go through it one more time using left arm and right leg. When this is finished carry on with the relaxation as described.
When you first start this practice of relaxation and breathing, not only will it seem very complicated, as already said, but it will also take a long time to pass through the various stages of relaxation as described. After a few weeks, however, you will find that the strange ideas are becoming meaningful, the routine is becoming second nature and the whole thing will take far less time. But as a whole it should take at least half an hour.
Erna Wright gives a much more complex method, which I am sure in general is very necessary to achieve the pain-free birth aimed at. Noting the tremendous difference that diet and supplementation makes on the length and progress of birth it is unnecessary to go to such lengths, if the diet given is followed. Many women have a problem-free birth simply through taking the dietary supplements of C, E and calcium. My own wife, during her last pregnancy and eating largely a raw-food diet, practising the yoga postures and taking vitamin supplements, was only three-quarters of an hour in labour. Therefore, as long as the diet suggested is being used, far less discipline need be applied in these other ways, as the vitamin E alone aids oxygenation of tissues, the calcium decreases pain, and the C increases energy level and recuperation. In a later chapter, more details will be given as to how you use the breathing stages on the actual day. Meanwhile, once you have really established the breathing method, after about two months of practice, they need only be practised once each week.