Perineum massage before childbirth: technique and contraindications.

Childbirth - difficult process for both mother and newborn. Often one of the unpleasant consequences is a rupture of the perineum. This moment can be facilitated by qualified doctors, but you can prepare for childbirth on your own. One way to avoid unpleasant consequences after childbirth is to massage the perineum. It's not only physical training organism to childbirth, but also moral.

What is the benefit of massage?

During childbirth, the baby's head stretches the muscles. To push the child, the woman strains, exerting a large load on the perineum, which consists of soft tissues and closes the exit from the pelvic cavity. With tension, the perineum can be injured, and with difficult cases tissue rupture occurs.

The main prerequisites for unpleasant consequences can be the following reasons:

hereditary predisposition;
The weight of the woman in labor;
Location of the baby in the womb;
First birth;
The elasticity of tissues.

Periodically performed massage procedures contribute to the following positive effects:

Muscles become softer, more elastic, more supple due to the activation of blood circulation.
Comes back to normal emotional condition expectant mother calms down nervous system.
A woman learns to relax, to feel that part of the body, which will have the most severe load. This will not only reduce the risk of perineal rupture, but will also reduce the pain of childbirth.

Obstetrician-gynecologists in most cases approve the desire of the expectant mother to do such a massage, if there are no significant contraindications to the procedure. They highlight big list benefits similar procedure, and refer it to one of the most effective in the fight against pain during childbirth.

Rules for the procedure

As with any procedure, perineal massage implies a number of rules and recommendations that must be observed during its implementation.

Up to 12 weeks, massage is prohibited;
Up to 28 weeks, the procedure can be performed once a week;
From 28 to 37 weeks, you need to prepare muscles for childbirth two to three times a week;
After 37 weeks, massage should be done daily.

When performing a massage, it is important to understand that the main objective procedures - to increase the elasticity of tissues. To maximize the effect, you must follow a few rules:

Massage should be carried out regularly, preferably in evening time;
The procedure must be done with an empty bladder and intestines;
It is recommended to take a warm bath or shower before the massage;
Before the massage, you need to treat your hands well disinfectant and cut your nails so as not to injure the skin;
Use only boiled oil, or immediately buy sterile;
At high sensitivity skin should wear medical sterile gloves.

Massage can be done on your own (in the early stages, and if it does not cause discomfort and there are no contraindications from the gynecologist to self-massage), ask your spouse, or visit a professional. The latter will make the massage better and the effect will be higher, as the specialist knows all the subtleties of the procedure.

It is very important to pay attention to the oil to be used. So, Castor oil in no case should it be used for this type of procedure, since it has the property of causing uterine contractions. Chamomile, olive, almond, peach oils are ideal.

How to perform perineal massage before childbirth?

When massaging the perineum, it is necessary, first of all, to take comfortable position. The specialist will tell you how best to position yourself, but if the massage is done by the husband, then you need to follow small rules: the stomach should not be transferred, and the woman should be comfortable. Next, it is important to follow the massage algorithm:

After disinfection of hands, it is necessary to lubricate them with calcined oil.
Also, the oil should be applied to the skin of the perineum.
After that enter thumb about half, to the second joint, and then begin to gently press on the perineum, while making small circular movements directed towards the anus. At this moment, the expectant mother should relax as much as possible.
The duration of the procedure is 2-3 minutes. Moreover, during the first sessions, the time may be a little shorter, 1-2 minutes.
If the first few procedures to achieve relaxation is not possible, do not worry and give up classes. After several procedures, the woman will be able to relax, which will be evidence that the muscles have become softer.
It is important not to overdo it during the massage. A woman should relax, feel only pleasant sensations in no case pain or any other discomfort.

Contraindications

Despite high efficiency and the benefits of perineal massage, there is a category of women for whom massage is contraindicated:

A woman has vaginitis, candidiasis, genital infections and other diseases of the genitourinary system;
On the body is skin rashes, allergic irritations, etc.;
If allergic reaction appeared after the massage, the procedure must be suspended, the oil changed and the massage continued only after complete cure;
There was a threat of miscarriage;
Low placentation;
Polyhydramnios;
multiple pregnancy;
Pregnancy up to 12 weeks, as massage can provoke a miscarriage, or simply annoy the expectant mother. It is better to start massage from a later date;

In other cases, massage can be carried out, and even necessary, but even with full health of the body, it is necessary to consult with an obstetrician-gynecologist to exclude the risk of miscarriage or premature birth.

To enjoy motherhood as much as possible, it is important to go through all the stages of childbearing and childbirth. So that these stages do not become a horror for the expectant mother, it is necessary to properly prepare for pregnancy and think about the birth process, resorting to effective ways decrease pain during childbirth. Perineal massage is one of the simplest, most affordable and effective methods which will make the process of having a baby as painless as possible.

Especially for- Elena Kichak

To prepare your body for the birth of a child without injuries and ruptures, isn't this what every expectant mother dreams of? It turns out that there is a procedure that can protect you during childbirth from unpleasant and painful tears in the intimate area. This is an intimate perineal massage before childbirth, which is no longer embarrassing to talk about to pregnant women and their gynecologists, and the industry has developed a special intimate oil for pregnant women, which is designed specifically to massage the perineum during pregnancy.

But first things first.

Nature has created a woman's body ideally suited for the birth of a child. We are designed for this, to safely bear children and give birth to new generations. And if so, then? Why is the birth of a baby associated with pain and blood?

The fact is that reason is superimposed on nature and instincts, we are smart, and this is our problem. A woman knows that childbirth can be very painful, and this prevents her from relaxing and enjoying it, in general, natural process. And if you can’t relax, then there is a risk of breaks. The uterus is so arranged, it will contract as long as it is capable of, or the child will be born, or there will be a rupture of the uterus, no matter how you resist and do not pinch. Fortunately, the muscles and the perineal region in general are weaker than the powerful muscles of the uterus, and childbirth ends as it should, even if the woman in labor does her best to prevent the baby from being born. True, if the muscles of the perineum do not relax, it will end with ruptures to one degree or another.

Perineal massage during pregnancy not only makes the skin and muscles in the intimate area elastic, they are already perfectly stretched by nature, but they teach future mother relax properly and not interfere with the pressure.

Perineal massage for pregnant women has the same contraindications as: you can not do it if you have,. In addition, it should not be done if there is an exacerbation of thrush or another inflammatory process into the vagina, and you should not start before 12-16 weeks of pregnancy, yet at this time pregnancy is vulnerable, and there is a high chance that by the end of pregnancy you will get so tired of this activity that you will abandon it at the right time when it is desirable to do massage daily.

How to massage the perineum

Perineal massage during pregnancy can be started at any time, and it doesn’t matter if you have the first childbirth or the second. At repeated births often it is even more important if the former are complicated by breaks. Ruptures leave a scar in the perineal region, which is usually poorly extensible, and bad memories for the expectant mother. It is known that with repeated births, if the first birth was with ruptures or perineotomy, a repeated rupture often occurs - in the same place. But it can be avoided, perineal massage for childbirth helps to make the scar more elastic, and the pregnant woman passes this expectation of a mandatory second rupture.

Perineal massage during pregnancy is worth starting to do. In the early stages of pregnancy, it is enough to do it only 1 time per week, with an increase in the period up to 32 weeks, repeat 2 times a week, in recent weeks useful if it is daily. If you already have a long term and childbirth is very soon, and you have not done massage before, start with twice a week, then do it every other day, and then do it daily until the very birth.

Massage of the perineum from gaps is a deeply intimate, family thing, and it would be best to involve your husband in this matter. Doing it on your own is not only difficult, but also not very effective, it will not the right sensations, more correctly, if you will be helped.

Be sure to use oil to massage the perineum, it will make the procedure much more enjoyable. Now in pharmacies you can buy weleda perineal massage oil with rose and sage extracts, designed specifically for pregnant women, but you can get by with olive and even just vegetable oil.

Wash your hands thoroughly before the procedure female vagina during pregnancy is vulnerable to infections, and our task is to help and not harm. It is best to do massage in the evening, taking a shower or a relaxing warm bath. Before going to bed, in the calm familiar atmosphere of your bedroom, it will be easy for you to feel this procedure and get great pleasure from it.

Oil should be lubricated with large and small labia, the entrance to the vagina. At the same time, oil is poured onto the hand, and fingers are not dipped into it - this way it will remain clean in the container.

Vaginal massage during pregnancy is not needed - we work only with the perineum, the vagina itself is extremely rarely injured, it is a very easily extensible organ. This means that deep penetration does not make sense, it is enough to put 2 fingers into the vagina just a couple of centimeters, to feel the muscle ring with them.

The husband must press his fingers on back wall vagina, the pressure is increased slowly, shaking, feeling how the muscles of the perineum relax and give in, towards the rectum. A woman at this moment should try to relax as much as possible, with proper conduct massage appears tingling and a feeling of tension in the perineum.

The pressure should be continued for 2-3 minutes, then released, the exercise is repeated for 10-15 minutes. Every day it will be possible to stretch the perineum more and more until discomfort appears, and by the time of childbirth you will be able to completely relax and not perceive this pressure at all, do not resist it.

When during childbirth your baby will move towards the exit, and his head will put pressure on the muscles of the perineum, you will not experience any new and frightening sensations, you will be able to relax and help the baby be born easily.

The perineal massage ends with re-lubrication of the labia with oil, massage of the labia minora with sipping, they can also be easily injured in childbirth and it is necessary to pay a little attention to them when massaging the perineum of a pregnant woman.

Happy childbirth to you without breaks.

The perineum is the muscular floor of the small pelvis (the area that is located between the vagina and anus). At insufficient elasticity the perineum under the pressure of the fetal head becomes thinner to the extreme limits and can tear. Massage of the perineum will help increase the elasticity of the skin and tissues, they will be able to stretch better during childbirth.

Can't say with a hundred interest guarantee that massage and Kegel exercises will help avoid tears or cuts (episiotomy) during childbirth, but minimize these backfire quite possible. Massage is also good because it teaches you to relax the muscles of the perineum. It definitely won’t get worse from this, the main thing is not to be lazy, paying attention to your health.

When to start massage

It is possible to prepare the perineum at any stage of pregnancy, however, for many, having begun to intensively engage in massage in early dates pregnancy, it gets boring very quickly. Therefore, start at least from 34-36 weeks with 1-2 times a week, and from 38 weeks - daily once or twice a day.

However, if you have any infectious disease vaginal mucosa (vaginitis, candidiasis, herpes), then perineal massage should be done only after treatment, so as not to aggravate the existing disease.

Which oil to choose

Massage can be done with any natural oil: olive, almond, peach, wheat germ oil, castor or buy special ladies massage oils.

How is a perineum massage done?

You can perform the massage yourself (at first using a mirror to understand what you need to do) or ask your husband to help you.

NECESSARILY! Before the massage, you must thoroughly wash your hands, cut your nails short so as not to infect and injure the vaginal mucosa. You can also wear disposable sterile medical gloves.

Find the optimal position for yourself: lying on your back or half-sitting (if your husband will do the massage), or, if you do the massage yourself, stand up with one foot on the edge of the chair.

Locate the perineum, directly below the vagina. This is the skin between the vagina and the anus.

Liberally lubricate the fingers, the outside of the perineum and the back wall of the vagina (the one closest to the intestines) with oil. Shallowly (on one phalanx of the finger), enter one or two fingers (thumb or index) well lubricated with oil into the vagina and begin to massage with pressing (with light pressure) movements on the back wall of the vagina until you feel a feeling of tension and tingling. Lock your fingers and hold the pressure. Breathe deeply and slowly (inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth), try to relax and ignore the feeling of tension. Hold for 30-40 seconds and slowly release the tension. Repeat this procedure several times.

Then massage thumb vagina, then accelerating, then slowing down the rhythm of movement, carefully moving to the perineum in the direction down to the anus and back for 3 minutes. Finger movements should be gentle, but at the same time, slightly pressing, sliding up and down.

All women who are waiting for the birth of a new life really want the process of childbirth to be without breaks. In order for everything to turn out the way you want, it is important not only to obey the advice of a specialist during birth process, and engage preliminary preparation birth canal before the upcoming event.

Perineal massage is very good for this purpose. This option makes it possible to make the tissues that will be involved in the birth of the baby elastic. As a result, they will be able to stretch well and not tear. Let's take a closer look at how such a procedure should be carried out.

The benefits of massage

The perineum is a muscle tissue that is found in the pelvic bones, as well as in the area located between the vagina and the anus. It is this place that needs to be massaged, since it is on it during labor activity turns out to be the most strong pressure, and the muscles in question are not particularly strong.

There are many cases when in women during childbirth they are torn and they have to be sewn up. Some experts consider it necessary to perform a small incision beforehand during childbirth. They do this so that there are no complications during childbirth. But if you are serious about your health, and do not want to make such incisions, then you should prepare your muscles during pregnancy.

Perineal massage makes it possible to make the muscles highly elastic, if you do it, this will make it possible to avoid cracks and tears.

Many women think that if after the birth of the first uterus they had, then the seams will open at the birth of the second crumb. In fact, this is not the case, because due to massage, the scars also become elastic and they will not break again.

Due to the massage, the blood circulation of all organs is significantly improved. Also, your nerves will be strengthened, your psycho-emotional state will improve.

How to perform perineal massage before childbirth?

Doctors emphasize that massage is not allowed to be done at the first stages of pregnancy. You need to wait a bit and start the procedure after 28 weeks. Massage is recommended once every 2-3 days, not more often. And after 26 weeks - every day. If you want to enhance the effect of the procedure, you can do Kegel exercises in parallel.

The optimal time for the procedure is evening. Take a warm bath and get started. Before starting the course, you will have to buy some oils - suitable oil daisies, roses, grape seeds, olive oil. Before applying the oil, it must be boiled.

Do not use as it can provoke uterine contractions. In addition to oil, you will need gloves, make sure they are sterile. If you don’t have them at hand or you forgot to buy them, and you want to do a massage already, then in this case, wash your hands very well with soap, preferably antibacterial.

Although such a massage is very useful, it cannot be carried out by some categories of women. So, this manipulation It is forbidden for future women in labor who have vaginitis, herpes and other genital infections. This rule is mandatory, this is necessary so that infections do not enter the vagina. In addition, manipulation is prohibited if there is a risk of miscarriage, allergies, heat body.

How to massage the perineum correctly?

If for more early stages gestation, a woman can handle the massage herself, then the closer to childbirth, and the larger the tummy becomes, the more difficult it is to perform the exercises on her own.

In this case, you can ask your husband to help you. So, take a comfortable position for you so that you can feel comfortable. So that the stomach is not transferred. If the massage will be done by your loved one, then it is better to take a semi-sitting position. So, first of all, you need to wash your hands and grease with the selected boiled oil.

Apply the same oil on the skin of the perineum. The finger must be inserted into the vagina (about half way). Lightly and gently press on the desired area. Movement should be directed towards the anus. At the same time, you should try to relax your muscles to the maximum. Such a massage is carried out for about 2-3 minutes.

Of course, during the first procedures, it will be a little problematic for you to relax your muscles. But for 3-4 manipulations, the muscles will get used to and be able to be relaxed. This will indicate that their elasticity has increased.

The most important thing is to know the measure, do not overdo it. During the manipulation, you should be comfortable. You should not feel any pain. Only in this case, the massage will be useful and will make it possible to avoid ruptures during further upcoming births.

If you are interested in childbirth going smoothly, quickly and without breaks, you should properly prepare your body for the upcoming load. Perineal massage is one of the methods to increase the elasticity of tissues that will be directly involved in labor.

What is perineum

To increase the effectiveness of massage, you should know what the perineum is. IN medical terminology crotch are called soft muscle tissues, which are located at the bottom pelvic bones. This area is located between the anus and the vagina, and it is he who needs a special massage.

Childbirth render heavy load on the perineum, the muscles of which do not differ high strength. Under the pressure of the baby's head, they often rupture as this becomes the only possible way the birth of a baby.

Sometimes surgical dissection of the perineum - episiotomy, avoids many complications during the birth process. But you have the option to exclude surgical intervention if you prepare the muscles of the perineum in advance.

What is the benefit of massage

Massage actions are aimed at increasing the elasticity of the muscles of the perineum, avoiding cracks and tears during childbirth. Up to 28 weeks, such prevention is not mandatory, but if you wish, you can take a little time by doing a massage once a week. For those expectant mothers whose gestational age exceeds 28 weeks, you should regularly engage in such preparation of the muscles of the perineum once every 5 days, after 37 weeks - even every day.

Try to involve your husband in these activities, because big belly does not allow you to perform massage movements well on your own. It is best to massage the perineum before childbirth in the evening after you take a shower or bath. Your bedroom can become a place for manipulations, where you can completely relax.

benefit intimate massage for a pregnant woman cannot be overestimated, because, in addition to the main purpose - to make soft tissues elastic, it further improves metabolic processes in this area of the female body.

There is an improvement in blood circulation and the condition of many internal organs. Moreover, the nervous system calms down during the procedure, and the emotional state comes into balance, which is very useful for expectant mothers.

Obstetrician-gynecologists claim that massage intimate zone in a pregnant woman avoids complications during labor. That is why, in their opinion, perineal massage during pregnancy is one of the most important elements in preparation female body to childbirth.

Many women are convinced that if there were gaps during the first birth, then the scar will also open during the subsequent labor activity. However, special massage movements can make the scar elastic, which prevents it from breaking during the birth of a second child.

Rules for the procedure

For manipulations to prepare soft tissues for childbirth, you will need sterile oil.

You can use oils such as:

chamomile;
calendula;
germinated wheat;
pink;
olive;
almond;
peach;
sunflower.

If you will use sunflower oil, it should be boiled. It is strictly forbidden to use castor oil, since it tends to cause uterine contractions, which can provoke premature birth.

Before carrying out the procedure, you should thoroughly wash your hands, because the vagina of a pregnant woman is vulnerable to infections. If the skin and mucous membranes are too sensitive, it is necessary during execution massage movements use sterile gloves. In order not to damage the surface intimate organs, the massage therapist's nails must be neatly trimmed.

Perineal massage oil should be used to lubricate the labia minora and labia majora, pouring it over the hands without dipping the fingers into the container. If this rule is not observed, such actions will lead to contamination of the oil and infection of the genitals.

The ideal position is standing with one foot on the edge of the bed or tub. Also, women choose a sitting, lying or reclining position, but in case the husband does the massage.

Massage of the vagina during pregnancy is not needed, since this organ is quite extensible by nature, it is extremely rarely damaged during childbirth. It is the muscles of the perineum that require an increase in elasticity shortly before childbirth, so there is no need for deep penetration, it is enough to immerse your fingers a few centimeters into the vagina.

Execution technique

Having taken a comfortable position, and having generously lubricated the labia with oil, carry out the following actions:

Shallow - 2-3 cm, enter a large or forefinger in the vagina;
Do rocking pressure on its back wall until you feel slight tingling and tension. Hold for one minute and release. Repeat several times, such pressing should be done within 10-15 minutes;
Then perform such movements in a clockwise direction and vice versa;
The massage ends with repeated lubrication of the labia. You should not exclude the possibility of injury to the small labia of the woman in labor during labor, so they should also be given attention during the procedure. They need to be slightly pulled forward without causing discomfort to the woman.

By doing perineal massage during pregnancy, every day you can stretch the muscles more and more until the woman has uncomfortable sensations. Such activities will prepare the expectant mother for childbirth: she will learn to relax and perceive pressure on the perineum without resisting it.

Contraindications

Despite the obvious benefits of perineal massage for a pregnant woman, such manipulations also have their contraindications.