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IS YOUR PREGNANT
CLIENT HOLDING HER
BREATH?
By teaching your pregnant client how to use her breath effectively during training, and simulating
some physiological challenges of labour, you can help her prepare for childbirth, writes women’s
health expert Dianne Edmonds.
Improved muscle
tone, strength and
endurance can help
women to have more
energy for labour
F or over 25 years I have been
teaching pregnant women to
focus on their breath out as a
strategy for relieving tension and
coping with contractions during the first
stage of labour. During the global pandemic,
however, I have noticed myself holding my
breath on a number of occasions. As the
impact of COVID-19 and restrictions
continues, it affects a pregnant woman’s
support networks, particularly those with
family and friends living interstate or
internationally. For many, their stress
response is heightened, even before they go
into labour. This may reduce their stress
resilience and their ability to cope with the
challenges of labour and birth, as well as
alter their reserves postnatally for meeting
the demands of a new baby.
Kylianne Farrell, founder of Move for
Mental Health and a Gidget Foundation
Ambassador, reported recently that there
has been a 50% increase in requests for
help from pregnant and postnatal women
since the pandemic, highlighting the need
for building the strength of support systems
for women.
The role of the fitness professional
The benefits of regular exercise during
pregnancy are known to increase energy
and enhance mood and sleep. Improved
muscle tone, strength and endurance can
help women have more energy for labour.
This, in turn, may help reduce the effects of
fatigue during labour, the duration of which
varies considerably between women.
In addition, specific mental training and
preparation may help women to better
cope with labour, using recognised tools in
antenatal preparation for birth programs,
including relaxation and breathing
awareness.
Fitness professionals are well positioned
to teach and coach pregnant clients how to
use the breath effectively during training,
whether their sessions are face to face
36 | NETWORK SPRING 2020