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Perineal Massage Pain?

jelly0822jelly0822 member
in Natural Birth
So I know I'm starting really late, but it's one of those things I haven't gotten around to. But I just tried it last night and, besides feeling like I wasn't doing it right, I felt extremely uncomfortable during and after. I'm still a little sore and am wondering if it's from that. And should I be feeling this way? I felt like everything (without being too TMI) was pushed out already, as though everything is being crowded from pressure of LO, and I couldn't get too far inside anyway. And I felt like I couldn't reach because of the belly. But I used a lot of oil and was trying to breathe through it, but it still burned and stung, and I felt that way for at least a half hour after until I laid down for bed. And today I'm feeling that discomfort as well, but not to that extent. I wasn't trying just because; my doula suggested I try it, and I really should've tried sooner, so that I could be better at it or I would know not to continue.
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Re: Perineal Massage Pain?

  • aylafsu88aylafsu88 member
    My Bradley instructor suggested it as well but I never ended up doing it because I heard it was uncomfortable.  From what I have heard there are mixed feelings about doing it when you are pregnant. Some people say it helps and others not so much.  My LO had a nuchal hand so my OB was doing a perineal massage while I was pushing.  I did not feel a thing and still would have torn during delivery even if I had done the messages. 
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  • annabelle.27annabelle.27 member
    It is supposed to hurt, at least according to my midwife. She said the goal is to get used to the pain and learn to breathe through it because when many women feel the "ring of fire" they tense and push harder to end it, which causes tearing. By getting used to that feeling and keeping calm and determined is supposed to be training for the real thing. So you are probably doing it right, however awkward it is.

    For what its worth, I didnt bother, and I didnt tear. I am not sure it is necessary.
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  • jelly0822jelly0822 member

    imageannabelle.27:
    It is supposed to hurt, at least according to my midwife. She said the goal is to get used to the pain and learn to breathe through it because when many women feel the "ring of fire" they tense and push harder to end it, which causes tearing. By getting used to that feeling and keeping calm and determined is supposed to be training for the real thing. So you are probably doing it right, however awkward it is. For what its worth, I didnt bother, and I didnt tear. I am not sure it is necessary.

    OK. So then it might help stretching, it might not? But the real point of it is to get used to feeling stretched to burning and stinging? Well, then. I may just do it a few more times, because in addition to all the pushing and stretching in my abdomen and uterus, I don't feel like being much more uncomfortable! Thanks! 

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  • reason00reason00 member

    One of my doctors last pregnancy went natural twice. She said the "stretching" thing doesn't really, really work.

    My friend stretched and tore and I didn't stretch and tore.

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  • emmavenus77emmavenus77

    I feel pretty much the same way you described, particularly not being able to reach it with my thumbs because of the belly.  I also read that the stinging and burning pain is normal and subsides after a couple of weeks of massage.  I've been doing it for a few weeks, not as consistently as I should, but it seems to have gotten less intense. 

    Good luck!  

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