The following breathing patterns are taught to laboring women. Which breathing pattern would the nurse support for the woman and her coach during the latent phase of the first stage of labor if they attended Lamaze classes?

Question

1. Slow-paced breathing
2. Deep abdominal breathing
3. Modified-paced breathing
4. Patterned-paced breathing

Answer 1

1
1. Correct. Slow-paced breathing is approximately half the woman's normal breathing rate. It is used during the early stages of labor when a woman can no longer walk or talk through her contractions.
2. Incorrect. There is no such pattern as deep abdominal breathing in Lamaze.
3. Incorrect. Modified breathing is shallow breathing that is twice the woman's normal breathing rate. It is used when labor progresses and the woman can no longer maintain relax-ation through the use of paced breathing.
4. Incorrect. Patterned-pace breathing is a fast 4:1 breathe, breathe, breathe, blow pattern that is used during the transitional phase of labor just prior to pushing and delivery.