Perineal Massage: Should You Do It Before Birth?

Preparing for birth and a baby takes many different forms: setting up the nursery, buying baby gear, throwing a baby shower and so on. Yet amid all these preparations, we often overlook how important it is to prepare our bodies for birth and recovery.

We know that relaxing the perineum (the tissue between the rectum and the vagina) before birth helps reduce the risk of tearing during delivery. There is also current research showing that it not only helps with birth but can also ease postpartum recovery and even improve the baby’s health by raising the baby’s Apgar scores!

Perineal massage increases the elasticity of the fascial tissue of the perineum. It can also reduce perineal pain during birth. From a preventive rehabilitation perspective, perineal massage is important for lowering the risk of perineal tears, organ prolapse, painful intercourse and postpartum bowel and bladder problems.

Studies in recent years have shown that women who used perineal massage had a lower risk of perineal tears during birth and less pain afterwards. As tissue mobility increases, the length of the second stage of labor decreases. Researchers say that a shorter second stage of labor may improve Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes, which points to better newborn health.

Pelvic floor physiotherapy is an important part of all your preparations for your baby and birth. Learning how to do perineal massage matters not only for the birth itself but also for the health of mother and baby.

Studies show that perineal massage learned and practiced with a pelvic floor physiotherapist is more effective than massage you teach yourself. That is why you should get support from a pelvic floor physiotherapist.