dear Henci
Thank you so much for your replies. I have another question.
Now I am34 weeks pregnant and I am starting to do a perineal massage.
The thing is that I am not sure how I am suppose to do it and if I am dping it right.
Do you think you could help me? Do you know of any good sources where to find out about it and see it done?
What concerns me most is whether I am suppose to put my fingers into my brith canal and how far into it? Or am I suppose to just maasage the part in front of the birth canal opening and towards the anus?
Thank you so much!
Kat

Detailed instructions can be found in Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Simkin, Whalley, and Keppler on pp 204-5. They are too long for me to type in here. Perineal massage does help to reduce tearing, but your best bet in that respect is to have a caregiver who rarely does episiotomies, to ease the head out in between contractions, and to give birth with legs comfortably apart, not so wide apart that the perineum, the tissue between the vagina and the anus, is already at full stretch. 

-- Henci

I'm pretty sure I  can do that for you. I've got an all-in-one printer that scans, although I have only tried scanning once. I've still got your e-mail address.

-- Henci