Respiratory gymnastics for pregnant women

Respiratory gymnastics is the basis of almost any complex of exercises for pregnant women. Especially suitable for those who are far from sports.

They serve as an excellent preparation for childbirth – it teaches you how to breathe properly, quickly relax and calm down.

There are several methods of respiratory gymnastics. What benefit can they get from their future mothers?

Exercises for breathing:

• learn to breathe so as to compensate for the diminishing, because of the increasing uterus, lung volume;
• improve blood circulation;
• teach the ability to quickly relax, relieve stress;
• beneficially affect the work of the nervous and cardiovascular system;
• increase the flow of oxygen into the bloodstream of the baby and the woman’s brain;
• relieve the tone of the uterus;
• normalize the pressure;
• reduce the manifestations of toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy;
• strengthen the bronchi;
• clean the lungs;
• gently massage internal organs;
• contribute to the strengthening of immunity;
• burn excess calories.

There are two types of respiratory gymnastics:

Static gymnastics, as one can guess from the title, is performed without movements, most often in a comfortable relaxed pose. Such breathing exercises have no contraindications.

But with dynamic things are a little different. Even the safest technique (breathing exercises Strelnikova) has its contraindications. Why is this happening?

• Any dynamic gymnastics for pregnant women is accompanied by movements – though simple, but quite active. And this, in some cases, may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion. Therefore, before you begin your studies in the first trimester, it is necessary to consult with your doctor.
• In the third trimester, some exercises should be performed very carefully, not at full strength, increasing the rest time between the approaches, since they can cause premature birth. As a rule, such dangerous exercises are provided with appropriate comments and warnings in the methodological manuals.

How to practice respiratory gymnastics for pregnant women

Healthy, not having contraindications to women, doctors recommend to include breathing exercises in all gymnastics complexes and at all terms of pregnancy.

Of course, most of the lessons are led by the instructor. Specialized courses for pregnant women work out different breathing techniques – women are taught to relieve nervous tension; to breathe correctly during fights, relieving pain; slow down attempts by breathing.

• at the expense of 1- 2-3-4 take a breath;
• hold your breath for 1-2;
• exhale;
• pause for 1-2.

Distinguish diaphragmatic, mean chest and thoracic local respiration.

Diaphragmatic. Soothes, helps relieve stress, falls asleep.

• Initial position: take a comfortable position for you, put one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. You need to breathe through your nose;
• inhale so that the stomach is puffed up, and the breast remains motionless;
• on exhalation the stomach should be blown away.

Secondary thoracic. Relieves fatigue, restores strength.

• place your hands on the ribs - you should feel how the chest widens. You should breathe through your nose;
• inhale - the chest widens, the ribs move apart, and the chest and abdomen remain immobile;
• exhalation - the ribs return back.

• take a comfortable pose, put one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Breathe through your nose;
• inhale - the chest rises, the stomach remains motionless;
• exhale - the chest goes down.

This type of breathing is combination of the three previous. It helps to fill the blood of a pregnant woman and a child with oxygen, prevents hypoxia of the fetus, facilitates the breathing of a woman in the second half of pregnancy, trains the respiratory system.