The sensations of vaginal birth are unique and often intense, and many women who are preparing for their first vaginal birth are concerned about how to best prepare for this physical and emotional experience.
Miracle Physical Therapy's perineal preparation techniques ARE A COMFORTABLE WAY to empower women in their birthing experience.
Miracle PT's perineal preparation is similar to perineal massage, but with a different technique and focus. While perineal massage focuses solely on stretching, perineal preparation helps you learn how to relax into the natural opening of the vagina during childbirth and how to become accustomed to these sensations.
During vaginal birth, the muscle and tissue of the perineum is required to stretch more than ever before in order to allow the passage of your baby. The most current evidence shows that the body's flexibility depends primarily on the brain's perception of stretch and not a muscle's physical length (Holzman 2010). We apply the same principles to the muscles of the perineum, gradually and gently increasing your comfort with a greater degree of opening at the vagina. Perineal preparation should never be painful. Its goal is to increase your ability to relax into stretch with greater comfort and ease.
Holzman Weppler C, Magnusson SP. Increasing Muscle Extensibility: A Matter of Increasing Length of Modifying Sensation? Phys Ther 2010; 90:438-449.