If you had an episiotomy with first.. how was your second?

I had stitches from my arse to my elbow after my first - ventouse delivery, huge cut, painful for around 6 months afterwards.

Second baby was a pound heavier (coming in at 10lb), small tear but no stitches needed and healed quickly with minimum pain

Hi OP. I am a midwife and just wanted to come on and say that episiotomies tend to be more painful and longer to heal than a natural tear. This is because the tear heals better as the wound edges are more ragged and they often aren't as deep or long as an episiotomy.

I can also say that I have delivered a lot of women with your fears and they have gone on to have a normal delivery without needed an episiotomy or instrumental delivery. Obviously this comes with the caveat that I don't know why you had these things the first time but if it was position of baby rather than your anatomy, there is nothing to say you cant have an intervention free birth this time round.

Bear in mind that a lot of woman (around 85% I believe) have some sort of tear during delivery but there are things you, and we as midwives can do to help reduce this.

Episiotomy with first. Second was bigger but didn’t need episiotomy & didn’t tear.

I had a 2nd degree tear and ventouse first time around, lots of painful stitches.
Second time was completely straightforward and a bigger baby

I had forceps and episiotomy with my first.

My second birth was twins, and the babies were ejected at speed and there was no time for anything. I tore. Honestly, who knows why, was a lot less painful than the episiotomy and healed more easily and quickly.

Episiotomies with both my children. Luckily I healed well both times. Best of luck!

Episiotomy with my first, second degree tear with my second - not along the scar. The tear healed much better and was nowhere near as uncomfortable, not sure why - possibly the skill of the midwife who did the stitching (the first was a student which I really shouldn’t have agreed to)

I tore the first time with ventouse but the second I was absolutely fine. My first was 1.5lbs heavier though

I had an episiotomy and forceps with my first, but it healed very well.

With my second I tore, I think along the same scar, and it was a much more difficult healing process than after the episiotomy. In retrospect I should have had another episiotomy really, they offered it but I said no.

My third flew out really quickly, and I only had a slight graze that didn't need stitches.

I had ventouse/episiotomy with my first, and still had a 2nd degree tear. Loads of stitches. I was in a lot of pain for weeks.

However, with the second, I had a natural birth, no tearing just a slight graze. And she was bigger than my first (8lbs, so not huge)

I did hypnobirthing and had a water birth. It was 100% better than 1st time. Also much much quicker. I tore in the same place as the epi but the pain and healing was nowhere near as bad.

I recommend hypnobirthing even if you don't want a water birth. It gives you so much more control over your management of the experience.

I tore along my scar the second time and it healed well.