How does our breathing technique affect the tension of the pelvic floor during the first and second stages of labor??
There is a relationship between our jaw tension and our pelvic floor, and how we breath can influence this tension. There is a fascial connection from our skull to our pelvis, that also includes our cranio-sacral connection. This is occurs during embryological development on day 15 when our mouth and urinary, reproductive, and digestive tracts are formed! So, so this connection from our jaw to pelvic floor is created very early in our development!!
The first stage of labor is what we typically think of as labor; the contractions, the swaying, the labor! The second stage of labor is pushing. During both stages, we need the pelvic floor to release and let go of tension to allow for the baby to pass through.
The pelvic floor does NOT push your baby out; it’s your uterus that pushes the baby out. So, we simply need the pelvic floor to relax and just move out of the way! But how we breathe can affect the tension or the release of our pelvic floors.
Breathing techniques that involve a closed glottis, or holding our breath with a closed throat, can cause the pelvic floor to tighten or tense up. When the jaw clenches, the pelvic floor tends to clench. High pitched or screaming noises can also cause the pelvic floor to clench.
Try holding your breath and clench your jaw when you’re sitting on the toilet. Do you feel your pelvic floor relax or tighten? What about if you make a high-pitched noise? Typically, you’ll feel tension.
Now, on the opposite side, we have breathing techniques that involve an open glottis, or breathing with an open throat, that can help relax the pelvic floor. When the jaw is relaxed, the pelvic floor tends to relax. Deep, low noises or moans can also help the pelvic floor relax and release.
Try relaxing the jaw, breathing down and out when you’re sitting on the toilet, or make deep, low noises. Do you feel your pelvic floor relax or tense up? Typically, you’ll feel a release.
We can utilize this breathing technique during labor! As we feel contractions building, think open and relax the jaw, and focus on deep, low noises. Shake it out in between contractions, and repeat.
Once we reach pushing, the same breathing techniques are important! Deep low noises, and keep the jaw relaxed as best as possible. If the fetal ejection reflex (FER), or your body’s spontaneous pushing, is overwhelming, just try to surrender to it as much as possible. If we fight FER, we can create tension. If you feel more in control during pushing, then focus on inhale deeply to baby, feeling the perineum bulge. And then exhale to continue to bear down into the perineum to help push baby down.
During labor, it is important to focus on relaxing in the jaw to release tension in the pelvic floor with deep, low noises and breathing with an open glottis!