Perineal Massage - Does it actually work?

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Am 34+5 and have been meaning to start this... After seeing a lovely 'How to Guide' on Wiki How I'm not sure, and would like to know if any of you non first timers felt it was beneficial?

Hiya, I did it religiously with my first pregnancy every morning for the final six weeks. Baby was born super quick with his hand over his face so I had a small tear and needed stitches. Baby 2 came two weeks early so I hadn't really done much, maybe a few times but he came in one hour and I had no tears at all. I don't know if it helped with first baby but I would do it if you can just incase! Good luck

Thanks will give it a go, just a little skeptical

I was of the 'it can't hurt, but could help' camp, so did it, for last month or so, I think. I didn't tear at all with DD (but she was pretty small) - just a few labial grazes (ouch!). I plan on doing it again this time, unpleasant as it is...

Thanks citydweller good to know that it seems to have worked :)

I can't say whether it works, but it is NHS-approved to help avoid episiotomies and tears. From their website:

"Research suggests that massaging the perineum in the last few weeks of pregnancy can reduce the chance of having an episiotomy during birth. A review of four trials showed that in women who had not given birth vaginally before, massaging the perineum from 35 weeks of pregnancy reduced the likelihood of perineal trauma (mainly episiotomies) and ongoing perineal pain. The benefit was less clear for women who had given birth before.

The type and frequency of massage varied across the trials. Most involved inserting one or two fingers into the vagina and applying downward or sweeping pressure towards the perineum. The benefit was more marked among those women who carried out perineal sweeping twice a week. "

Like Citydweller I wasn't sure if it would help but thought it was worth a try as it wouldn't do any harm. I had forceps delivery with ds with only a tiny tear which wasn't on the perineum so maybe it worked...

One of the hcps I was involved with during pregnancy swore by it and said she would encourage her daughter to do it... I read somewhere that women in I think it was Africa use large vegetables to prepare their bodies for labour... I'm not sure if this is true...

Thanks both :)

Large vegetables.....

I'm sorry to add that I too did this, religiously in my last pregnancy, and it did not work for me.

I tore like a wet paper bag cause dd shot out. But really shot out. My whole labour was about 5 hr.

However it didn't feel that bad, I did heal well and there was no bum damage (they were surprised) so imo it helped me as a birth that fast you can tear worse. Had I had a slower birth I might well have got away with it.

I didn't with my first and ended up almost going to theatre due to the tear, didn't help that is was a very quick labour and would have been a real shame after only having gas and air until then.

Will be doing it this time, as said above it can't hurt and might help.

I used an Epi-No, which works on he same principle, and had no tears or grazes, but like stretch marks, I think genetics plays a huge part in how elastic you are