Avoiding tearing during labour

[Nanc]

Hi, I don't know about you ladies, but a bad tear is one of my biggest fears about labour. Have googled it and found a few website pages giving tips on how to avoid which I thought I'd share. The first involves the midwife being quite 'hands on' which I'm unsure about asking for! What do you think? X

http://www.ehow.com/how_4934015_avoid-tearing-during-childbirth.html

http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-reduce-tears-during-birth-a55314

http://www.helium.com/items/1655033-how-to-avoid-a-perineal-tear

 

[Annie050408]

Hi hon,

As someone who didn't get a bad tear, I can tell you that the midwife told me that women who listen closely during pushing and who are able to stop pushing when told to do so tend not to tear. Easier said than done at the time but pelvic floor exercises and rlt help.

 

[cosmicgirl]

I think if you are going to tear then you will do, depending on baby's position, the elasticity of your skin and the speed of the head being delivered. Your skin is so stretched at that point so you can't feel it as much as you'd think, I had some bad tears with my deliveries and didn't feel any of them xxx

 

[Nanc]

Thanks Ladies. Annie, I have heard this and am going to definitely do what I'm told and stop pushing when they say. Thanks for the advice. X

 

[isobel84]

hi. I was really scared aswell to tear. but the pain i had When i was in labour made me not even notice they where cutting me all the way back (sorry tmi). I dont think many know when they tear as the pain takes over anyway. (gosh im trying to help but makes it sound horrible!!)

But its only for a few hours then you got your little one in your arms, and if anything i think its perhaps the healing after that is a little worse if you have a bad tear XX

 

[isobel84]

hi. I was really scared aswell to tear. but the pain i had When i was in labour made me not even notice they where cutting me all the way back (sorry tmi). I dont think many know when they tear as the pain takes over anyway. (gosh im trying to help but makes it sound horrible!!)

But its only for a few hours then you got your little one in your arms, and if anything i think its perhaps the healing after that is a little worse if you have a bad tear XX

 

[Nanc]

Hi Isobel, it is afterwards that I'm worried about, after hearing about a friend's horror story, which I wish I'd not heard! How bad is it after?

 

[PinkPunch]

I hate it when ppl tell horror stories!

First baby I had 2nd degree tear and afterwards it was stingy to pee that's all. Everything goes back to normal through time. I honesty wouldn't worry about it, easy to say but it's not that bad.

 

[cosmicgirl]

Well said pinkpunch, it serves no purpose. I can guarantee that if you do graze or tear a little you will barely notice, please don't worry about it xx

 

[treeze]

i had a 2nd degree tear too but didn't feel it as i had an epidural... thank god the epidural was still in for afterwards when they stitched it i actually fell asleep while they were doing it. i had no pain with it at all afterwards (not even peeing). I had done perineal massage too so son't be bothiering with that again this time! Although i think with the epidural you don't really feel whether you are pushing too hard or not...

the worst worst pain i had with my first baby was the enormous piles i had leading up to and after the birth. They were horrendous and so painful to sit down. I think the pain of these probably outweighed anything else that was going on down there.Even the midwife said she had never seen piles so bad - i even took a picture of them and i cannot believe it now that they were so big! Hopefully they will stay away this time fingers crossed!!!!

 

[Emmamb]

I've luckily never torn with any of my babies and they were all a good size ;(between 8lb and 9lb 5!) the mw's always commented that I must have listened to my body well,not pushed too soon,stopped pushin wen told etc etc. This time the mw didn't check how far dilated I was after 4cm,she just kept askin me were the pain was and to let her know wen it moved into my bum-then she just told me to push if I wanted or breath thru if I wanted. This made sure I was doin what my body wanted and not what the mw wanted. Xx

 

[snr1982]

With my first I had a graze but never noticed at the time. It wasn't until I went ot the toilet t have a number one and boy did it sting - it probably felt a lot worse coz I wasn't expecting that at all as nobody warned me about it.. . not looking forward to that part again.

 

[mumofmany]

I would definately say listen to midwife when she tells you to pant, My 1st 4 i had no tear or grazes nothing, but my 5th i had a 2nd/3rd degree tear, i was hysterical when i found out i needed stitches as i had heard so many horror stories about having them, i think i made it alot worse for myself. I believe the reason i tore last time is because i had my son on induction ward midwife said it was because he was born so fast only 8 minute labour from start to finish, but my 3rd was 18 mins and 4th was 15 mins, i belive it was because midwife ignored me not believing i was having him and my husband vertually delivered him I had already had the head by the time the midwife decided to come and check me, so i had noone saying pant or dont push, push now etc. obviously I am not a doctor or midwife but i do believe that this was hte reason, I think i will tear again this time but only because my son is only 14 months old and i have not given my body long enough to recover but again i not a doctor or midwife. Try to not listen to the horror stories as people always like to tell you how brave they wre going through such a hell of a time, but who likes to hear someone like my story i went in had a baby no stitches straight home, it doesnlt sound very exciting does it.

 

[isobel84]

i had a 2nd degree tear too but didn't feel it as i had an epidural... thank god the epidural was still in for afterwards when they stitched it i actually fell asleep while they were doing it. i had no pain with it at all afterwards (not even peeing). I had done perineal massage too so son't be bothiering with that again this time! Although i think with the epidural you don't really feel whether you are pushing too hard or not...

the worst worst pain i had with my first baby was the enormous piles i had leading up to and after the birth. They were horrendous and so painful to sit down. I think the pain of these probably outweighed anything else that was going on down there.Even the midwife said she had never seen piles so bad - i even took a picture of them and i cannot believe it now that they were so big! Hopefully they will stay away this time fingers crossed!!!!

^^ agreed! the piles i got after was grape sized and they where the worst thing about the healing. i couldnt sit or move without help. sat on a bag of frozen peas when i was breastfeeding.

 

[Nanc]

Thanks ladies, I really feel better for hearing your experiences. x

 

[abbiecourt]

i had 7 stitches on my first baby none on my 2nd i had to pee in the bath was not nice