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Preparation for birthing

Does perineum stretching help to prevent tearing?

It does! Evidence shows perineum stretching helps to prevent grade 3 and grade 4 tears and the complications that can come from those. Starting week 34-35, it is recommended that your perineum gets stretched every 2-3 days. In your birthing preparation sessions, not only do I mobilize, desensitize, and stretch the muscles that are most commonly torn during childbirth, but I also show you how to stretch those muscles yourself (and sometimes with the help of a partner!) to make sure they are as mobile as possible going into your birth.

When should you start the pregnancy/birthing prep physiotherapy?

I recommend that you start this process early in the second trimester, because it will give you time to treat any pelvic floor issue that arises before labour. However, there is no set guideline, and you can start as late as 4 or 5 weeks pre-labour.

In the initial physiotherapy assessment, I assess and analyze your pelvic floor tone, strength, and coordination to see what your pelvic floor needs. For some, this may mean doing strengthening exercises. For others, it may mean learning how to connect with their pelvic floor muscles and doing pelvic floor relaxation exercises.

Once you start to approach the 34th-35th weeks, I will help you with the perineum stretching, and show you birth positions, breathing strategies, and pushing techniques that make birthing easier. I will also show you how to care for your pelvic floor in the initial stages postpartum as it recovers from the strain of labour.

What if you are going to have a Cesarean birth?

A Cesarean section is a major abdominal surgery and requires special care postpartum, since you will be recovering from this surgery while caring for a baby (and sometimes even other children).

If it turns out that you will have a Cesarean delivery, I will show you what to do in your hospital recovery and what to expect with the healing process. I will show you ways to move safely, how to care for the scar, and what signs to watch out for while you are recovering.