Has anyone tried Gowri Motha vaginal self stretch pre-birth?

[Uhohmummy]

It’s this: www.gentlebirthmethod.com/videos/vaginal-stretch-videos/
Has anyone tried it? If so do you think it help? (
I’m 38 weeks with time on my hands and willing to try anything that might help birth easier!

Your vagina will stretch on it own with the help of hormones released in birth. The best thing you can do is relax, know that your body can do what it needs to do and forget about silly gimmicks like these.

Hey!
I did perineal massage and stretching but did start at 34 weeks(using special oil from Boots) and tried doing it 3 times a week at least and when bump got too big I got my partner to do it for me. Not sure if this helped but I didn't tear. Woohoo 🙌🏼

"Your vagina will stretch on it own with the help of hormones released in birth"

In some hospitals over half of first time mums will have an episiotomy, and the rate of intact perinea in overall for women having their first baby is about 10%. There's enough evidence for the efficacy of perineal massage in reducing tears to not call it a 'silly gimmick'. I get where you are coming from in relation to the body having its own wisdom, but most women reading this will end up giving birth on a bed on their backs, a large number will be induced, and lots of them will have epidurals. Some of them might be rushed through their second stage or have experienced lots of disruption to their labours at this point, which impacts on normal physiology and makes it harder to push a baby out.

Wish I had done the massage during my first pregnancy as I needed so many stitches :(

So will 100% be doing it this time, especially around the scar tissue from last time!

Every midwife, and consultant I've seen has recommended doing it to help prevent tears!

Got nothing to loose so will deffo be trying it!

Vaginal stretch?

Can’t watch a vid at the mo but I thought it was the perineum you’re supposed to massage? The actual vagina is pretty flexible it’s the surrounding tissue that needs massaging I thought?

I found it really helpful to get DH to do it and for me to focus on the sensation of pressure on the perineum and relax into it. Then when the time came I didn’t panic and tense at the new sensation. Worth doing for that reason alone IMO

I did perineal massage in my first pregnancy too on the recommendation of my midwife and my Mum.

No idea if it helped as I ended up with an emergency section but my Mum had twins with no tearing after doing it.

Sounds like vaginal stretch might not be worth it but I'm going to give perineal massage a go.

I did the perineal massage too, started at around 35/36 weeks twice a day. Gave birth to an 8lb 13oz baby girl and didn’t need any stitches

Interesting post minifingerz - am surprised only 10% don’t tear. I do think hospital protocol has a part to play - at least in my experience. I refused intervention after two hours of pushing (the doctors came round and my birthing partner sent Them away requesting monitoring instead). Pushed for another hour and remained intact. I am convinced that hospital protocol at that time was intervention after two hours and DS would have been an assisted delivery had my birthing partners not checked what I wanted and questioned it with the MW. It was 16 years ago so things might have changed.

Saying that, I don’t know what made the difference, but I did massage (with wheat germ oil IIRC). No tearing/episiotomy for any of my four births.

Might just have been lucky. Or super-stretchy.