I don't know if any of you have tried it but I was hoping you would know a little more than my aging local pharmacist. Lol.
Massaging the perineum a month or two before your due date?
Does it work?
I can't seem to find anything on it, and the magazines basically say the jury's out on this one.
At the moment we use E45 cream and rub it in for about 10 mins.
You think this will reduce the risk of tearing?
Or should I use an oil?! ↓
|
|
| Name: nicole miller | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 6:45 PM |
I tried the massage and still would've tore a bit. I ended up having an episiotomy because my baby's head got stuck. He was a preemie, too... I don't know how bad it would have been had he been full term.
I don't know that it could hurt anything though... I'd keep doing it. ↑ |
| Name: Lola | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 6:50 PM |
Is it safe to use the E45?
Did you use anything?
And what was it like getting the episiotomy? ↑ |
| Name: nicole miller | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 7:12 PM |
Well, my episiotomy was a bit of an ordeal... my doctor didn't know that I hadn't used my epidural (it was one of those you re-dose yourself) again and at the last second the baby's head got stuck. He pinched me and asked if I felt it, I told him I could feel it plain as day... but it was too late and he just said "Oh, well this is going to hurt then..." I screamed when he cut me and it was pretty painstaking while he stitched. I remember thinking "OH MY GOD! HURRY UP!". lol. But that's not normal. Usually they numb you up pretty well. The recovery wasn't so aweful either. It's still not totally healed, 17 days later, but it doesn't hurt. The pain pills they gave me took care of it afterwards - Darvocet I believe. And I was very meticulous about cleaning it. I've never had stitched before and I was nuerotic about cleaning that whole area with soap, water, wiping with Tucks pads, and spraying the numbing spray every couple hours. I did that routine for about a week.
I'm not sure about the E45... I don't know what that is. I used some KY warming massage stuff. ↑ |
| Name: Kristy84 | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 7:50 PM |
| If you're going to tear, you're going to tear. There are things such as the perinium massage and evening of primrose oil that can lessen the severity of the tear, but lets face it, if you're baby is 9 or 10lbs. chances are you're going to tear a bit. I had a 6.2 lb. little girl and tore just a tiny bit, but the recovery still hurt ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 8:20 PM |
google always works when looking for stuff!! LOL.... here:
Excerpt from The Birth Book By William and Martha Sears
The better you prepare your perineal tissues for the stretching of birth, the less they will tear, and the better they will heal. Like training muscles to perform at their best in an athletic event, conditioning the tissues around the vaginal opening with massage prepares the perineum to perform. Midwives report that women who practice perineal massage daily in the last six weeks of pregnancy experience less stinging sensation during crowning. Mothers with a more conditioned perineum are less likely to tear or get an episiotomy. An added value of perineal massage is that it familiarizes a woman with stretching sensations in this area so she will more easily relax these stretching muscles when stinging occurs just before the moment of birth.
Try this technique:
Scrub your hands and trim your thumb nails. Sit in a warm comfortable area, spreading your legs apart in a semi-sitting birthing position. To become familiar with your perineal area use a mirror for the first few massages (a floor-to-ceiling mirror works best). Use massage oil, such as pure vegetable oil, or a water-soluble lubricant, such as K-Y Jelly (not a petroleum-based oil) on your fingers and thumbs and around your perineum.
Insert your thumbs as deeply as you can inside your vagina and spread your legs. Press the perineal area down toward the rectum and toward the sides. Gently continue to stretch this opening until you feel a slight burn or tingling.
Hold this stretch until the tingling subsides and gently massage the lower part of the vaginal canal back and forth.
While massaging, hook your thumbs onto the sides of the vaginal canal and gently pull these tissues forward, as your baby's head will do during delivery.
Finally, massage the tissues between the thumb and forefinger back and forth for about a minute.
Being too vigorous could cause bruising or swelling in these sensitive tissues. During the massage avoid pressure on the urethra as this could induce irritation or infection.
As you become adept with this procedure, add Kegel exercises to your routine to help you get the feel for your pelvic muscles. Do this ritual daily beginning around week 34 of pregnancy.
Many midwives and obstetricians believe that perineal massage is neither useful nor necessary as long as the mother's perineum is supported during crowning, her pushing is properly timed, and the baby's head and shoulders are eased out. Discuss the value of perineal massage with your birth attendant. ↑ |
| Name: bmes | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 8:22 PM |
also they show some results from some research they did:
OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of antenatal perineal massage on subsequent perineal outcomes at delivery.
DESIGN: A randomised, single-blind prospective study.
SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Watford General Hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: Eight hundred and sixty-one nulliparous women with singleton pregnancy and fulfilling criteria for entry to the trial between June 1994 and October 1995.
RESULTS: Comparison of the group assigned to massage with the group assigned to no massage showed a reduction of 6.1% in second or third degree tears or episiotomies. This corresponded to tear rates of 75.1% in the no-massage group and 69.0% in the massage group (P = 0.073). There was a corresponding reduction in instrumental deliveries from 40.9% to 34.6% (P = 0.094). After adjustment for mother's age and infant's birthweight these reductions achieved statistical significance (P = 0.024 and P = 0.034, respectively). Analysis by mother's age showed a much larger benefit due to massage in those aged 30 and over and a smaller benefit in those under 30.
CONCLUSION: Antenatal perineal massage appears to have some benefit in reducing second or third degree tears or episiotomies and instrumental deliveries. This effect was stronger in the age group 30 years and above. ↑ |
| Name: babey_g_311 | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 9:27 PM |
| my baby was 8lb. 8oz. and I didnt tear or have to be cut or anything....so I wouldn't worry about it too much it doesn't always happen.... ↑ |
| Name: missmara | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 9:28 PM |
| I did not do any massage or use any cream before delivery, but my doctor used oil (vitamin e or olive oil I believe) during the delivery, and she did a lot of massaging and stretching as the baby crowned to prevent tearing. My daughter was almost 8 pounds, and I had a tiny tear that required 1 stitch. I also only had to push for 10 minutes, so I think that the oil and massage during the delivery, as opposed to doing it beforehand, were actually quite helpful. ↑ |
| Name: nicole miller | Date: Feb 25th, 2007 9:43 PM |
| I forgot about during delivery.... my doctor also attempted to stretch my perinium with his fingers during the crowning with some sort of oil, but it didn't help in my case. ↑ |
| Name: automansgirl | Date: Feb 26th, 2007 7:12 AM |
| A very dear friend of mine had a very good midwife for both of her pregnancies. She told her to use olive oil to massage her perineum for one to two months before giving birth. She gave birth to a 9lb 10oz baby boy during her second pregnancy and did not tear. She was told to use it (olive oil) during intercourse also, so that her partner could massage the perineum as well. I would try it! It worked for her ↑ |
|
|
