What Is Perineal Massage?
Ok. My mother-in-law and mother both will be horrified by this entry. It's kinda Our Bodies, Ourselves. Basically, I've heard about perineal massage from different doulas, and from our childbirth educator (also a doula), and I just last night read about it in a book Duffy loaned me, called Hypnobirthing. This book is like super hippie-dippie, but I kind of like it. (Thanks Duffy!) The book is about how to visualize and breathe through your pain, using self-hypnosis techniques.
So, perineal massage (http://www.childbirth.org/articles/massage.html) is basically when you or a partner stick their fingers into your perineum--the area between your vagina and your anus--to stretch and massage that tight skin, in order to help relax/open it more to make the pushing out of the fetus easier. Everyone who is doula-minded or natural-childbirth-minded at all recommends doing this. I forgot all about it until I read it last night. I was very sore in the hips so I took a bath and read the hypnobirthing book and was reminded of the perineal massage. So I got out some oil and lubed up my thumbs and put them inside the bottom of my vagina. Far from being pleasurable, as I thought it might be, it was uncomfortable--WAY uncomfortable. All the books and the doulas say that it gets easier as the skin stretches. I did it this morning again, and lo and behold, it was easier!
Will report back in a month as to whether this helped or not....
posted by lizwallace @ 4:15 PM
1 Comments:
Liz,I am a nurse,massage therapist and have advanced training in pre/perinatal massage. I would recommend that perineal massage not be done until your at least past 36 weeks.And you should always consult your OB to make sure he feels that it would be safe for you and your baby. It has been used and being more used to help prepare your body for the birth and to avoid a episiotomy procedeure. You or your partner can do perineal massage making sure that hands being used have been thoroughly cleansed to decrease chance of infection. At first this procedure may be done with only one finger because of the tension of the peroneal wall. After doing this 10-15min a day for a few days you will notice the tissues start to relax allowing the use of two thumbs or fingers. The sensation is usually feelings of taughtness and slight burning/tingling but NEVER to the point of painful. This technique will be helpful to the skin and musculature around your birth canal to relax and will be benificial to the progression of a vaginal delivery. You may also want to see a massage therapist in your area who "specializes" in prenatal massage as there are also many benificial techniques to help alleviate the pelvic/low back pains. Best wishes for a healthy safe delivery..and congrats on being a new mom.
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