Protecting Your Perineum — Birth & Beyond

Your perineum (the tissue between the vaginal opening and anus) plays an extraordinary role during birth. It stretches, softens, and supports one of the most significant transitions your body will ever experience.
Yet we rarely talk about it until after birth, when healing is already underway.

At AlignBirth, we look at it differently.
We prepare before — because understanding how to support this area during pregnancy can dramatically impact how you birth and how you recover.

💛 Why We Think About Recovery Before Birth

Perineal tears and episiotomies can heal well, but they take time and attention. The postpartum perineum is warm, moist, and often affected by bleeding . . . an environment bacteria love. Healing in this area requires care, rest, and good hygiene.

And when you add in the exhaustion of newborn life — the lack of sleep, constant feeding, carrying, and soothing — even mild discomfort can feel magnified. Walking may be sore, sitting may be uncomfortable, and caring for stitches can feel overwhelming.
It’s why preparation during pregnancy isn’t just about reducing trauma — it’s about setting the stage for easier, calmer, and more confident recovery later.

🤰 Prenatal: Preparation That Protects

We can’t always control how birth unfolds — but we can influence how our bodies respond.
Your ability to breathe deeply, move freely, and stay connected to your body plays a powerful role in supporting the perineum and reducing the likelihood of tearing or intervention.

The Role of Movement & Mobility

How you move in pregnancy impacts how your baby moves during birth.
Creating space in your pelvis through pregnancy-specific movement supporting the biomechanics of birth helps optimise your baby’s position — and this can make labour smoother and more efficient.

Because here’s the truth:
It doesn’t matter how much “force” is used (even with synthetic oxytocin or assisted birth) — if your baby isn’t in an optimal position or there’s restriction around the pelvis preventing it from moving freely, labour will be more challenging.
That’s why the movements and mobility work in AlignBirth are designed to maintain freedom through the pelvic inlet, mid-pelvis, and outlet — promoting space and balance for baby throughout your pregnancy.

How AlignBirth Supports You

Inside AlignBirth, we focus on:

✔️ Pelvic mobility & biomechanics — pregnancy-specific movement that promotes mobility, alignment, and space for baby.
✔️ Pelvic floor preparation — learning to lengthen and release (not just strengthen) the muscles that need to soften for birth.
✔️ Diaphragmatic breathing — your breath and pelvic floor work together; deep, calm breathing lengthens the tissues and improves relaxation.
✔️ Nervous system regulation — long, low exhalations support oxytocin flow and help you stay calm, reducing the need for synthetic hormones that can alter natural rhythm.

You may also like to explore perineal massage in the final weeks of pregnancy — from around 34 weeks onwards. This gentle practice helps improve blood flow and tissue elasticity while allowing you to become familiar with sensations of stretching. More than that, it’s about awareness and trust — learning how to consciously release with your breath and prepare your body to open with confidence.

Birthing Positions That Protect

Your birth position can have a big impact on how your perineum stretches and how baby moves.

• Side-lying, all-fours, and supported squats create space and allow the sacrum and tailbone to move naturally.

• If you prefer to be on your back, use pillows under your sacrum to give that movement room.

• Remember: “Knees in, ankles out” helps widen the pelvic outlet as your baby’s head is born.

• Avoid prolonged breath-holding — instead, use slow, deep exhalations to guide your baby down gently.

Tools that can help:
A birthing ball or peanut ball can encourage optimal pelvic positioning during labour, and a birthing pool can aid relaxation and tissue elasticity.
(I’ll link to these in the Members’ Recommendations below.)

🤱 Postnatal: Healing, Care & Compassion

After birth, your perineum continues to need time, space, and gentle care — whether you experienced tearing, an episiotomy, or simply tenderness.
This area is doing a tremendous amount of healing, while your whole body adjusts to new rhythms.

You might feel soreness, bruising, or sensitivity. You might struggle to sit comfortably or feel tender after long feeds. You might be balancing discomfort with sleep deprivation and the emotional demands of newborn life — and that’s okay.

What Helps Healing

• Rest where possible — lie down rather than sit to reduce pressure.

• Rinse with a peri bottle after toileting to soothe and cleanse.

• Use cooling or warm pads depending on what feels best.

• Keep up with pain relief recommended by your provider — it’s easier to stay ahead of discomfort than to chase it.

• Take it slow — lifting, long walks, and overexertion can set recovery back.

If You’ve Experienced Tearing or Trauma

Be gentle with yourself.
Healing is physical, but it’s emotional too.
Your body deserves the same care and patience you’d offer anyone recovering from major physical change.
Inside AlignBirth, the First 6 Weeks Programme begins with breathwork, nervous system support, and gentle mobility — building the foundations for long-term strength and comfort.

And if recovery feels slow or challenging, remember: this doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means your body is asking for time, softness, and support.

🩵 Members’ Recommended Products

Our community has shared what’s helped most for both birth preparation and postnatal recovery:

✨ Birthing Tools
– Peanut Ball
– Birthing Ball

– Perineal Massage

💧 Healing Support
– Peri Bottle
– Sitz Bath / Herbal Soak
– Perineal Spray (e.g. Spritz for Bits)
– Inflatable Doughnut Cushion
– Cold & Warm Perineal Pads

💛 Early Postpartum Essentials
– Disposable Postpartum Underwear
– Nipple Cream

Check out the full list here

(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

You don’t have to prepare alone — and you don’t have to heal alone.
Everything you’re doing now, every mindful movement, every breath — it’s helping your body work with you, not against you.

Your body is wise, capable, and worthy of care.

I’m with you in this — every step of the way.
Love,
Meghan ✨
@everyone