Vaginismus and giving birth

[Lifi]

Hello Everyone,

I am now 34 weeks pregnant (yay) and getting really nervous before the birth and I wondered if you have
any tips for me. The only part I’m really afraid of is when the baby is
exiting and that it can cause tearing! Just the thought of it makes me
want to opt for cesarian!

You see, until about 10 days ago, I was told I only had the option
of a cesarian because of a large fibroid blocking the exit of the
baby… but now it moved! So now the option of a natural birth has come
up… and I would like to go for it… but I need to find a way to
reduce the risk of tearing!

I read online that the best way to do that is to do a perineal
massage. I tried that today and saw that I was REALLY stiff… so now
I’m REALLY REALLY scared about tearing! Do you have any recommendations
for what I can do? Has anyone been through this?

Any tips and suggestions would be highly appreciated!

[Dr. Pacik]

Dilating prior to giving birth is always a good idea. There are a number of ways this can be done. Use your dilators and dilate back up to the largest dilators. We now carry the #7 and #8 glass dilators which can create an excellent stretch prior to delivery.

An inflatable device to help avoid episiotomy is the so called “Epi-No” which can be inserted into the vagina and inflated to help with stretch.
http://www.avoidepisiotomy.com/epi_no_childbirth_training.html

These devices can be discussed with your doctor as well as the pros and cons of an episiotomy. The best time for this conversation is well before going into labor.
What wonderful progress you have made!

[sweetiani]

Hi Lifi,

Congrats on your pregnancy! I just gave birth 2 weeks ago but I had to have c-section because the baby was in a breech position (head top, feet bottom). I did read that a perineal massage helps prevent tear and you can include that on your birth plan. My friends that had rips said it wasn’t very painful and they recommend the “earth mama angel baby bottom balm” for recovery: http://www.amazon.com/Earth-Mama-Angel-Baby-2-Ounce/dp/B0021HR94K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365658580&sr=8-1&keywords=earth+mama+baby+bottom+balm.

Good luck!