| Watching a newborn or pre-one year old baby | | | | the breast stroke or side armed-back stroke |
| breathe is, well, often peaceful, but not as | | | | aretwo of the best ways (with exceptions) to |
| informative as many have been led to believe. | | | | get the easiest lung volume while moving the |
| Is it or isn't it the right way to breathe? | | | | body. Neither of which are readily available |
| | | | to the unstable non walking baby. |
| Many point to the belly and how it rises and | | | | |
| falls. They deduce that because the baby | | | | The back breath is critical to optimal |
| breathes that way it is the right way for | | | | breathing. Posture-wise, the baby has not |
| adults to breathe as well. This is not true. | | | | been upright much at all and its body is |
| The baby belly breath is simply a beginning, | | | | compressed in the areas it is lying on; |
| not the whole picture by any stretch of | | | | generally the back. After all, it has just |
| theimagination. It is perhaps 40-50% of an | | | | spent the last several months or its |
| optimal breath. | | | | intrauterine life in a bent forward position. |
| | | | Try bending forward and taking a deep breath |
| The baby's belly rises so much because: | | | | and you will soon see that bending over |
| | | | restricts the breath quite a bit. |
| 1. There has been little development by that | | | | |
| time of the lungs and breathing sequencing | | | | Does this imply that the baby should breathe |
| during standing in gravity. The baby actually | | | | into the upper chest? Nope. Not yet unless it |
| closes its throat so that it can breathe and | | | | is well coordinated and there is enough 360 |
| suckle at the same time. This ability is lost | | | | degree belly breath as a foundation. |
| as it grows older and sits up more. This of | | | | |
| course reduces flow of air and forces more | | | | Believe it or not, you don't really want to |
| attention in the abdominal area. Breathing is | | | | sleep like a baby. Why? Babies' sleep, |
| harder this way. | | | | especially in the early months, is typically |
| | | | full of interruptions because their sleep |
| 2. The stomach has replaced the umbilicus now | | | | cycles are much shorter than an adult's. It |
| with solid food and it invites some fat | | | | takes time for these cycles to lengthen and |
| accumulation and bulking of the belly giving | | | | for our baby to learn how to fall back to |
| a visual impression of excessively implied | | | | sleep on his own if he wakes up in the middle |
| importance. | | | | of the night. |
| | | | |
| 3. There is a minimum of chest expansion | | | | To summarize, the classic baby breath example |
| because the lungs have not gotten large | | | | most often involves under developed lungs |
| enough to need more space. | | | | which makes it not a very good example or at |
| | | | least a very limited one and is only during |
| 4. Balanced integrated breathing has not | | | | quiet breathing anyway. Most breathing |
| developed and the belly, mid chest, sides, | | | | issues involve an abnormal percentage of high |
| back and abdomen is still to be. | | | | chest breathing that occurs more often during |
| | | | activity (making it harder to track) and |
| 5. The mid back above the kidney area has the | | | | increased oxygen needs, including more severe |
| larger lung volume but when the baby is on | | | | aspects of anxiety, high |
| its back there simply is no where else for | | | | bloodpressure,hyperventilation, asthma, most |
| the baby to be able to breathe but into the | | | | bronchitis and many forms of COPD. They |
| belly area. | | | | breathe deeper and in the effort of that they |
| | | | cough, gasp or wheeze even more. That |
| 6. The soft tissue of the frontal belly area | | | | encourages shallow breathing and the cycle |
| is the path of least resistance so the | | | | repeats itself. |
| majority of visual emphasis is in that area. | | | | |
| Being on the back is mostly better then the | | | | Essentially non-activity oriented forms such |
| side or stomach as it allows the rib cage to | | | | as bronchitis, emphysema and COPD stem from |
| raise and that allows the diaphragm to rise | | | | BOTH mechanical and toxemia/chemistry |
| for a deeper easier inhalation and the baby, | | | | aspects, the variations of issues related to |
| or most people for that matter, to breathe | | | | air quality, diet, stress, smoking history |
| easier, but not necessarily "better". | | | | and lifestyles. Both mechanics AND chemistry |
| | | | need be addressed to achieve optimal |
| Ideally, standing straight up, or swimming | | | | breathing. |