The Perineal Massage Tool Birth Professionals Recommend

Reach ★"Perimom is basically an arm extender when we're talking about perineal massage."

Thumb-shape"Take a look at the shape of Perimom and the shape of your thumb — if you notice similarities, you'd be right. It lets you use this in place of your thumb, but you've extended your reach."

Oil channel"The Perimom itself has an area that you can insert the lube, so you don't have to get your hands all dirty… it flows right down to where you need it."

Oil"This is their sweet almond oil — it's a really nice lubricant, it's not super sticky, it lasts a really long time and has a very gentle sweet smell."

Technique"Insert down into the back wall and, with gentle pulling pressure, make a U-shaped motion to stretch out those tissues. Perineal massage should not hurt — it should be very gentle."

Close ★"Perimom is not going to solve the world's problems, but it is going to solve your reach problems."

Verdict ★"I actually tried it myself and I walked away being like — this is genius."

Verdict ★"I rarely promote products on my channel, and it wasn't until I tried it myself that I had an aha moment: why didn't I create such a thing?"

Ergonomic"The design is super ergonomic — it's really easy to work with."

Oil channel"It has this little slit in it for your oils… you drip the oils into the top and it drips all the way inside you to help lubricate the area. My mind was blown."

Depth guide"If I can see the purple part, we're good; if it disappears, I'm way too deep inside."

Self-use"When you do it yourself, you can gauge how much pressure is too much pressure."

Comfort"This is so soft… when I tried it myself I really pressed very hard and it was not uncomfortable for me at all."

Reach"Can you reach your own vagina when you're fully pregnant? Unlikely — but with this tool it makes it a lot easier."

Anatomy"The perineum is an area of muscle that separates your back passage from your front passage."

Tested"It's passed lots of testing, and it really has been carefully considered to make sure perineal massage is as easy as possible."

Reach ★"So many women will say to me, 'I can't reach down there, I've got a big bump in front of me.'"

Design"It's really nice and smooth, quite nice and firm, and it's got this beautiful channel down here which really allows you to put some oil down there to stop your hands getting messy."

Verdict ★"This is really going to be a game changer for women — it's going to really help you prepare and get ready."

Barrier"One of the biggest challenges is the larger bump, particularly from 34 weeks onwards — it can be more challenging to actually reach the perineum."

Reach ★"It's essentially an extension of your hand so that you can more comfortably reach your perineum."

Not scary ★"The problem with vaginal dilators is they look terrifying, and it's off-putting for a lot of women — the Perimom is not a terrifying device."

Hygiene"You can clean it between uses as well."

Impact"It has a huge impact not only on your birth, but also on the whole experience of your birth looking back."

Consistency ★"Incorporate perineal massage into your last month of pregnancy easily with the Perimom perineal massager."

Technique"The tip of the massager can be used to gently stretch the perineal tissue in the month leading up to labor and delivery."

Reach ★"One of the biggest factors that stop women doing perineal massage is the fact they can't reach."

Oil channel"There's an area you can place oil and it runs straight down to the perineum and the vagina."

Belly-bypass"It allows you to reach around your bump, and there's no restriction to you being able to reach."

Technique"Think of the area like a clock — 12, 6, 3 and 9 — start at 6 o'clock, hold a gentle stretch down for 30 seconds, then repeat in all directions between 3 and 9."

Reach ★"A tool that helps you reach the perineal area for perineal massage without straining."

Ergonomic ★"The comfortable ergonomic grip allows for better wrist and hand posture during the massage — important in pregnancy when you may also be having carpal-tunnel symptoms."

Reach"It makes things a lot easier to reach, especially when your belly gets so big that you just can't see or reach anything down there."

Demo"I don't have to reach nearly as far to get to that spot, and I can just kind of rotate with my hand."

Design"A very sleek design that is easy to clean, and it even comes with a discreet, cute bag to store it in."

Endorsement"It has JoJo the Pelvic Pro stamp of approval."

Barrier"You lay down on your bed and you're like, I literally can't reach around my belly bump to do perineal massage."

Self-use"I've changed my opinion on having your partner help — I believe we need to be intuitive and tapped into our body as we perform perineal massage."

Reach"It's a perineal massage device that allows you to reach your perineum so you can appropriately massage that area."

Ergonomic ★"What I like about this one is that it has a wider grip, which feels better on our wrist and our hands."

Oil channel"There's a little channel for the lubricant."

Self-use ★"It's a great tool to help with self-massage, especially if you don't have a partner."

Technique"Take your right thumb, put it in this indentation where it's purple… find the vaginal opening and insert — just the tip going in — and then stretch down."

Technique"You can go at different angles, side to side, and a little further in — staying right at the transverse perineal muscle."

Guidance"As always, check with your OBGYN before you start using the tool and doing perineal massage."

Without it"I applied perineal massage using my thumb but it was just really awkward — I couldn't really reach around my bump to get that consistent pressure through the perineum."

Reach ★"It's got this really long lever, and its intention is to give pregnant women easier access to the perineum… you can gain consistent pressure through those tissues."

Ergonomic"It's designed for a right-hand hold… your thumb sits into that groove."

Oil channel"You can pour massage oil down through the gully towards the tip."

Technique"With clean hands, insert the thumb into the vagina and gently sweep from side to side along the base. Apply a downward pressure and try to stretch the tissue."

Reach ★"If you can't reach because of the bump, this is a great tool for you — it makes perineal massage a lot more comfortable."

Recommends all"I usually recommend doing perineal massage to all pregnant people who are planning a vaginal birth."

Confidence ★"It can help you to be more familiar with your vulva and your vagina and feel more confident."

Reach"This device can really help you to reach the perineal area by your own — do the perineal massage independently."

Neutral rec"You can use a finger or a tool such as the Perimom."

Problem"Quite a few of you have messaged me saying you're struggling to reach and you don't want to ask your birth partner — so here is the device for you."

Ease"This is Perimom — very easy to use. You put in your unscented oil down here and you use this to do the U-shaped massage."

Confidence ★"Every time you do this you'll feel your muscles stretch, and that will help instill a sense of confidence that your body can and will open for birth."

Strategy"The one strategy I want to talk about today is massaging your perineum, specifically with the Perimom perineal massager."

Consistency ★"You can start this at 30 weeks — four days a week, five to ten minutes a day, super easy. Just make it routine, something you do every other day."

Technique"Hold it in your right hand… insert it just barely into your vagina and really work on massaging the skin of your perineum."

Without it"If you've tried to do a perineal massage on yourself, you'll know it's a little difficult, a little awkward."

Reach ★"It has this long handle — think of it almost as an extension of your arm — and it allows you to do your perineal massages a lot easier by yourself."

No partner"You don't have to be uncomfortable with asking your partner to do it for you."