When you reach your 34th week of pregnancy, you should start making preparations for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. This involves preparing for labour and birth. One of the ways in which you can do this is to start having perineal massages. You should do this every day in order to avoid an episiotomy during the birth. This is a small incision that the doctor handling the delivery may have to make in the perineum in order to enlarge the vagina so that baby can slip through much easier.

It is recommended that you start perineal massages in your 34th week. There are two different ways in which you can conduct this massage. You can have a professional therapist give you the massage but due to the part of the body involved most women prefer to take care of this themselves or to have their partner assist them with it. You will need some form of lubricant, such as olive oil, KY jelly, cocoa butter or ordinary vegetable oil. Find a comfortable and private place in your home for your massage so that you won be interrupted.

First of all make sure you wash your hands and then coat them with the lubricant you choose to use. Place your thumbs about an inch inside the vagina and then press downwards and to the sides at the same time. You should keep gently stretching until you feel a slight burning or tingling sensation. Hold the pressure for a few minutes or longer as long as you can stand the sensation. After a while the area will feel a little numb.

While you keep applying the pressure with your thumbs, gently massage the lower section of your vagina working the lubricant into the tissues in the area. Repeat this motion for three or four minutes. While you are giving yourself this type of massage, you have to take care that you avoid the urinary area because you could get an infection from the lubricant. Pull outward on the lower part of the vagina while you massage the area. This will help to stretch the skin so it will be easier for the baby head to slip out during birth. You can do this massage once or twice a day from now until you go into labour.

Research has shown that women who do perform a perineal massage starting in week 34 of their pregnancy still have the perineum intact after the delivery. This is especially true for those giving birth for the first time.

This type of massage does not do any harm to the baby because you are not in contact with the cervix or the birth canal. What helps the mother relax also relaxes the baby, so you may find that the baby movements slow down somewhat during the massage. You can set a particular time of day for your massage, such as just after you get out of the shower or just before you go to bed at night.

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