Natural Birth
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Perineal Massage
Has anyone started doing this?
How do you do it? and anyone know if it helps!!
Im freaking out over tears and pp.. IDK why but im starting to really freak
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Re: Perineal Massage
Here is an illustrated guide for perineal stretching massage: https://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/PerinealStretchingMassage.pdf
My midwives said perineal massage does help, as long as it's done strong enough for you to feel it stretch (it should burn just a little).
And here is a link to something I've been considering, the Epi-no Childbirth Trainer. I have a fear of tearing too (despite LOTS of women who tore saying it's not really that bad). You are supposed to use this contraption daily for one month prior to delivery. My midwives said their midwife friend swears by it (says her first time moms have no tearing and much faster pushing times), but none of my midwives' clients have ever used it. Looks like I'll be the guinea pig! https://www.avoidepisiotomy.com/epi_no_childbirth_training.html
Hope this helps!
Yes, it helps. It does not totally alleviate the risk of tearing, but it helps! You can use olive oil if you cannot find someone who has oil that is good for perineal massage. It's easiest to get your DH to help b/c it's not too easy to get to everything down there while pg!
I'd recommend using gloves - like latex gloves, but they don't have to be latex - you know, the kind they use at the doctor's office. Put some oil on your (your husband's) index finger, insert it into the vagina up to about the second knuckle. Start by applying pressure on the perineum (the place between your vagina and rectum. Slowly increase the pressure and then start moving your finger back and fourth in a U shaped motion along the sides and perineum. You want to keep the pressure up as you are trying to get the muscles ready to "stretch." Once you're comfortable with one finger, increase to two. Try to relax as you (or your husband) are doing it. Do it every night before you go to bed (that's what we did).
Good luck and don't worry about it! If you get nervous or freaked out, then you'll tense! If you tear, it'll be okay!
I'll tell you, I used something like this as well as other forms of stretching and I delivered my 8lb son with no tearing and in three pushes. Granted.. I did start practicing my stretching even before I conceived. My husband had read testimonies from women who had indulged in 'size play' who had really easy deliveries with little or no tearing so we decided to give it a try. Worked for us!
Size play?
I tried perineal massage a few times. It was awkward and it hurt.
I did tear... and honestly, that was better than putting myself through that pain and discomfort for weeks beforehand. I didn't even feel it happen and it's healed up with very little pain at all.
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Yes I just started. DOing it makes me understand how painful it will be when that is multiplied by a thousand so it motivates me to keep on it so that I don't tear or have issues down there.
My MW gave me a hand out with a picture and directions. Basically, sit against your headboard with some pillows to prop you up so your abs aren't strained. Make sure your thumb nails are cut short. Use oil (I use Vitamin E oil) and put it on both your thumbs and liberally on your lady parts. Insert your thumbs about 1 inch, with your hands on the insides of your thighs. Push down and away with your thumbs and move them side to side making a "U" on the bottom half of your vaginal opening. The handout says htat it will sting some in the beginning but after doing it for a few weeks, you'll notive that it is less tight and more flexible. I hope this makes sense!
I wrote a whole long post on it here. In my 10 years of doulaing and apprenticing with/assisting midwives, I have only found ONE midwife who believes that prenatal perineal massage does anything beneficial. IMHO, there are many more easier, less invasive things that you can do to promote elasticity in your perineum. It's all there on that post.
I am not a huge proponent of clinical perineal massage during pregnancy. By clinical perineal massage, I mean the type where a woman or her partner hooks their finger into the vaginal opening and pulls/rubs at 8 and 4 o'clock positions until the perineum burns. This is not natural and can be psychologically damaging.I believe that it sends the wrong message. It tells women that their body's are not capable of stretching well enough unless the woman does something unnatural to encourage it. It also sets a woman up for fear: fear if she didn't remember/know to do it prenatally that she will tear orfear that she will feel the burning that she experienced prenatally if she did perform clinical perineal massage.
What I do encourage is for women to have a healthy and active sex life during pregnancy and for she and her partner to be comfortable and familiar with her perineum and vagina through personal/pleasureable perineal massage.
If a woman is familiar with how stretchy her perineum is, if she is comfortable and knowledgeable of her vaginal muscular bands, if she is familiar with how to touch those tense bands or tendons, feel the tension, and release it or massage it away, she is more apt to do that in labor. If a woman's partner is used to the same, the woman is more apt to respond in same to similar touch/sensations during labor and birth.
Likewise, if she is familiar with what PC contraction is, she is more apt to be able to release that common tension during pushing if she can feel it with her own fingers, or feel her partner's touch and recognize the resistance and relaxation of this muscle.
The moms that I work with have a very low incidence of tearing based upon the points I outline in the post. Those that do tear tend to have very small, superficial tearing (skid marks).
Good luck!
So, I'm just gonna ask. Don't judge. Lol. Does uh.. anal sex count as a healthy active sex life that may help stretching/non tearing?? In my head, this seems logical, but I'm not even gonna bring it up to my husband unless someone recommends it. Haha.
LOL, no judgement here. Anatomically, you want to be focusing on the skin from the vaginal opening, on back. So, I have a feeling (although no info to back it up with) that vaginal intercourse is more of the stretching we are looking for. Although anal intercourse would stretch the anus, we want to encourage healthy normal stretching in the vagina/vulvar perineal region.
That would be playing with large toys. ^^;