Research shows that during birth, around 9 out of 10 first-time mothers and 7 out of 10 having subsequent births will have some form of damage to their perineum, such as tearing.
I want to talk a bit about ways we might reduce the risk of tearing during delivery. Perineal massage has been shown in many studies to reduce the risk of spontaneous tearing in first-time mothers (especially significant tearing) during childbirth and perineal pain after labor. It can be done easily in the comfort of your own home. From 34 or 35 weeks of pregnancy, a woman or her partner can start massaging the perineum 2–3 times per week, with each session lasting for about 5 minutes.
Perineal massage can sometimes be a bit difficult to do on your own. If you are like most women, bypassing your baby bump is a huge challenge (unless you are ultra-flexible of course!)
By using the Perimom Perineal Massager shown here, you can easily reach the perineum completely on your own, to help prepare the area for childbirth in the weeks before labor.
The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests the following:
First- and second-degree perineal tears are the most common type and are unlikely to cause long-term problems.
For third- and fourth-degree tears, there is often no clear reason why this happens, and it is not possible to predict. However, it is more likely if:
This is your first vaginal birth
Your baby is over 4kg (9lb)
You have a long second stage of labour (the stage during which you push your baby out)
Your baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the pubic bone (shoulder dystocia)
Paying attention to the area that stretches the most during delivery allows you to focus on relaxing and learning the sensations you may encounter during childbirth. This may help you get in the zone both physically and mentally. Perimom may also help you to become comfortable with some of the sensations of muscle stretching to accommodate your baby's head, allowing you to relax and ease your baby out.
For those of you reading this who have maybe already had your babies but are experiencing pain in the pelvic floor area, perineal massage has been shown to improve the dyspareunia caused by tenderness of the pelvic floor muscles. Doing perineal massage regularly could even aid in pain relief as soon as the 3 month postpartum mark. Study linked here.
The Perimom Perineal Massager is the only product of it's kind that has been cleared by the FDA and I have partnered with them to offer my following a limited time discount. You can click here and use code SWEETHOMEBIRTH for a discount at checkout!