The Power of Your Breath Postpartum

Take a nice big inhale with me for a moment. Feel where your body moves. Do your shoulders rise? Does your belly expand? Is there any shift in your ribcage? Now, as you exhale, continue to notice the shifts in your body. Did anything “stick” or did you return to the same position as where you began? Do you feel any sort of contraction or tensing as you release?

The breath is such a simple thing, making it the perfect place to start as you learn more about your body postpartum. On average, we take about 22,000 breaths a day. If these breaths are shallow or restricted, this can lead to tense muscles and back pain. When taken to a more extreme end, chronically restricted breathing patterns can contribute to slipped discs, hernias, and pelvic organ prolapse.

The breath doesn’t seem so small anymore, does it?

Mothers are under constant pressure. Whether it’s the physical strain of giving birth, the stress of working while raising children, societal pressure to “bounce back” and have superhero levels of energy and organisational skills, or simply the feeling that it’s too difficult to find time to prioritise yourself when your family is relying on you, life gets hectic, and our breathing becomes smaller and quicker as a result.

So what can we do about it? Well, if we breathe 22,000 times a day, a good place to start is paying attention to 10-20 of those breaths in a day. It really doesn’t have to be more complex than that to begin! So here is what we’re going to do for those 10-20 breaths:

1. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position with your hands on your stomach.
2. As you inhale, focus on inflating through your ribcage, stomach, lower back, and pelvic floor. Notice your hands as they rise.
3. On the exhale, pay attention to your hands as they lower in and your stomach deflates. Feel for a slight lift of the vagina and anus as you reach the end of your exhale.
4. Continue this pattern, paying particular attention to your pelvic floor muscles. You are looking for a relaxation as you inhale and a slight lift as you exhale.

It can be really difficult to notice these slight variations at first, so if you try this and find yourself thinking, “What is this crazy woman talking about? I don’t feel anything relaxing or lifting.” You’re not alone! Just trust the process. As you continue this practice, it will become easier, and the shifts will become more noticeable.

The breath is the foundation of all that we do, and I love to talk about it because it’s accessible to everyone. I don’t care who you are or where you’re from; I know you’re breathing if you’re reading this. So let’s make the most of it! And when you’re ready to add some movement into your postpartum life, I’m here to support you in that process as well – either in person or online for my friends further afield. Everyone deserves personal, professional, empathetic care as they navigate motherhood and it’s my mission to provide that for as many women as I can.