"All right. Do as I do." She then draws a slow breath in through her nose and exhales through her mouth. Though she was far from a midwife, she'd been called upon in the past to drop off elixirs and potions at the houses of women in labor, and they had a way of breathing through the pain. She figures it could work to calm themselves as well.

After several breaths like this, she adds, "Try releasing yourself of your excitement on the exhale."