Please check with a healthcare provider before using any remedy.

Preventing Tears:

• Perineal Massage: Begin streching the perineum in the third trimester with olive oil, Comfrey ointment, wheat germ oil, lanolin, or sesame oil. Check with your midwife about the exact procedure she wants you to follow.

• Use warmed oil or hot compresses of Plantain or Comfrey during labor to encourage stretching of the perineum.

• Try squatting, hands and knees or semi-sitting positions in labor to give the baby the maximum amount of room possible to be birthed. Any of these positions is less likely to cause tearing than lying on your back (lithotomy position).

• Use controlled breathing instead of "purple pushing" to encourage the baby to come out slowly, decreasing the chance of tearing.