What’s the deal with perineal massage?

[AliceRR]

I have seen posters about this in the hospital waiting room but no one has spoken to me yet.

I’m 32 w + 3 and next appointment with MW is on 31 December

Is this something I should expect to discuss with MW?

Not sure when / if I should be doing it

Haven’t discussed birth at all with MW or anyone but it feels quite close now!

Just wondered what your experiences are of when to do it whether you did and whether it helped 🤔

Presumably you use some lotion or oil on your perineum (which is frankly a very small area) and gently massage it so that when you have your baby it stretches more easily. I'd not heard of it and never did it but sounds feasible. Anything that might help can't be bad.

This blog post is quite helpful (and written by a midwife)

gasandairblog.com/2012/02/10/p-is-for/

I’m giving it a go as if there’s a chance it helps with stretching/not tearing then I’m definitely up for that!

Marking place!

Just Google how to do it, I think the NCT website has good instructions. I can’t reach myself so I get dh to do it, I’ve had two labours and no tears or cuts (obviously no proof the massaging helped but we are doing it again in preparation for dc3.)
Dh did say after doing it a couple times he could notice a difference, that there was a bit more stretch I think.

Interested in this as had a bad tear with DS. I heard coconut oil works well.

I had a second degree tear with my first and had heard that it’s common to tear again in the same place with subsequent labours. I started massage from about 36 weeks with my second- thought I started too late but didn’t tear after a really quick labour (15 mins of pushing)

I looked at how to do it, thought “errr no” and so didn’t 😂

I did tear, but not on my perineum.

It does sound a bit daunting

Wasn’t sure if it was one of those things everyone secretly does or if no one really does it IYKWIM

Will definitely read up in more detail

I’m slightly embarrassed to ask MW about it although that’s probably silly!

I did it religiously during my first pregnancy (I used almond oil). I had a second degree tear (upwards 😬). I haven't really done it much during this pregnancy

I did it before my first fairly consistently. No tear.

Iirc the evidence really only suggests it being useful before a first birth.