Preparing Your Body for Birth
Pregnancy brings a lot of changes, and one thing many women start thinking about—especially toward the end—is how to prepare for labor and reduce the risk of tearing. Perineal tearing, which happens when the tissue between the vagina and anus stretches or tears during childbirth, is common but not inevitable.
The good news is that there are gentle, effective ways to help your body prepare for birth. At Taylor Physical Therapy & Wellness, we support women during pregnancy with a whole-body approach to birth prep that helps reduce the likelihood of tearing and encourages a smoother recovery.
What Makes Tearing More Likely?
Every birth is different, but some factors can increase the chances of tearing. These include:
- Being a first-time mom
- Baby’s size or position during delivery
- How quickly the pushing stage happens
- Tension or tightness in the pelvic floor muscles
- Certain birth positions that put more pressure on the perineum
- Assisted delivery, such as vacuum or forceps
Understanding what contributes to tearing can help you make choices and build habits that support your body as it prepares for labor.
How Prenatal Therapy Can Help
Our approach to birth preparation is hands-on, individualized, and rooted in evidence-based care. We focus on supporting your entire system—not just your pelvic floor, but your nervous system, breathing, posture, and tissue mobility as well.
Here are some of the ways we help patients prepare their bodies and reduce the risk of tearing:
- We teach your pelvic floor to relax, not just contract. Learning how to consciously release these muscles during labor is just as important as strength work—and it’s something many people have never been taught.
- We support the nervous system. If your body is in fight-or-flight mode, it’s more likely to hold tension during birth. We use breathwork, manual therapy, and relaxation techniques to help your body shift into a state where it can open and release more easily.
- We offer prenatal massage. Therapeutic massage helps reduce muscular tension in a mom’s body which helps her overall relaxation in labor
- We integrate yoga-based movement. Gentle, functional movement—like what we teach in our prenatal yoga classes—can improve pelvic mobility, reduce tightness, and support optimal positioning for baby.
- Pregnancy Prep Program. Our Pregnancy Prep Program offers birth education to reduce chances of interventions and tearing during birth.
- We tailor birth position strategies. Based on your specific mobility, we can help you identify pushing positions that minimize strain on the perineum and make it easier for baby to descend gradually.
Rather than focusing on just one area, we work with your whole body to create the conditions for a smoother, less traumatic birth. It’s a layered approach—but one that makes a real difference in how your body moves through labor.
FAQs: Preventing Perineal Tearing During Birth
When should I start pelvic floor therapy?
Ideally, sometime in the second trimester or early third. But if you’re further along, even a few sessions can help. We recommend starting at 20 weeks gestation if you are not currently experiencing symptoms. If you are having symptoms such as pain or bladder issues, then any time in pregnancy we can begin!
Is perineal massage really helpful?
Yes—especially for first-time births. When done gently and consistently in the weeks leading up to delivery, it can be an effective tool to reduce perineal tearing.
What if I’ve torn in the past?
We can still help. We’ll take your birth history into account and work to support your tissues, reduce scar tissue tension, and prepare for a more comfortable experience next time.
Want to feel more prepared for birth?
You’re not alone in this—we’re here to help you feel strong, capable, and ready.
We offer
- Free pelvic floor screenings
- One-on-one prenatal therapy sessions
- A dedicated Pregnancy Prep Program
- Prenatal massage
- Prenatal yoga
- Birth preparation classes
- Trigger point dry needling