So... how common is tearing...?

[ChessyEvans]

This is something that terrifies me! From watching OBEM this is never mentioned, but then neither is delivering placenta etc which I know has to happen after the baby comes (forgive my complete ignorance about childbirth, I will be going to NCT! )

So I was just wondering, do most people get some tearing? And if so, what happens . Do you have to just lie there getting all stitched back together? Or whisked off to theatre? Or do you get left for a bit to bond with your new baby and then sorted out afterwards?

Am sure the answer to all of the above will be "it depends" but interested to hear any experiences. I'm planning on having a water birth if that affects anything?

EauRouge - I accused the doctor of stitching his name as well! After the G&A I thought that was hilarious .

I had an episiotomy and it's not too bad really. Once they've put the local anaesthetic in, they ask you if you can feel anything, if you feel any pain, tell them and they will put some more anaesthetic in.

It's really not that bad, just get the gas and air so you won't have a clue what's going on! All I felt was the anaestheic injections was a bit of pulling of the thread. Suggest you don't look for a few weeks though....

With DD1 I had what they termede a graze - but it still needed stitching - to be honest it was fine, a great excuse to get more gas and air. DD2's birth was very quick and I was sure I must have torn badly - but I didn't have any tears, grazes or anything.

EauRouge and BecauseImWorthIt - there should be a smiley face for having a great big belly laugh. Just love MN'ers sense of humours ... in any situation apparently !!

PS. I too didn't understand the strength of the Gas & Air until I sucked up a great big lungful when a midwife was aiming a needle at my soon-to-be-stitched-up-nether-regions. Was nearly cross-eyed and flying around the room on it and yet I was convinced it wasn't working during my contractions

I won't lie - It does hurt when you tear. Some people say they don't feel it, but I did, it's a very acute, burning sensation BUT it doesn't last long. It'll happen as the baby emerges, and tbh once the baby is out, you really won't care about anything else. I used gas and air for stitching up, but tbh, even though I felt some of the stitching, you are on such a high having pushed a baby out that it hardly matters.

I had a second and third degree tear and I didn't feel it. I was rather surprised actually! I had stitches in theatre (annoying after a home birth!) and was back horse riding 5 weeks afterwards. There are people who suffer complications, but for most people who have a tear they get stitched up and it heals. Pelvic floor exercises are essential, whether you tear or not. Even (to my surprise) after a CS!

Ah, yes! And what Snowstorm says about g&a! Really worth having a go on it when you are not having contractions. Lovely stuff!

I was told I had a small tear (I didn't know) which they didn't bother stitching. I never looked at it!

They warned me it might sting a bit when I weed & if it I should pour some water over my bits while I weed - also, drinking alot of water makes your wee more dilute & so less likely to sting. It made going for the first wee a bit worrying, but was all fine & sting-free!

Once you have that little baby in your arms, you wont care about anything else

I had an episiotomy with DS1 - didn't feel a thing as I had already had an epidural so I was talking with DH who was holding DS1 as I didn't feel comfortable holding him with my legs in stirrups - I thought I might drop him. The doctor was working down the other end. He didn't make me wait to be stitched up. He did it straight away.

DS2 was an surprise homebirth, a much bigger baby, and I had a minor tear along the episiotomy scar. The midwife didn't consider it worth stitching it was so minor which is a relief as I would have had to transfer to hospital apparently. I didn't feel it happen but then I didn't really feel DS2 crown either, despite no pain relief whatsoever.

I wasn't really aware of the placenta being delivered either time. The second time the midwife did a bit of pushing on my stomach but when it finally came out I didn't notice. I didn't even see it.

Didn't feel the internal tears in my perineum, but the clitoral tear I did feel and to be honest I don't think I'll ever forget the pain!

But whatever happens you will get through it, simply because you have to! At that point there's no choice but to push, so you will. What was just as bad for me was the pain for weeks afterwards, with no proper painkillers in the first few days. If you are suffering, make sure you see your GP asap and get them to prescribe you some hardcore stuff! (you can take more potent stuff than paracetamol, even when you're breastfeeding)

I had an episiotomy and tore, but really, honestly, I didn't feel it happen AT ALL. Honestly. DD came out like a bullet from a gun during the episiotomy. She was handed to me, and while I cooed and cried and examined my beautiful baby a doctor came to have a look at the damage then the midwife got to work with stitching me up. I had a local anaesthetic injection and the stiches didn't hurt that much. I didn't have my feet in stirrups. I was very swollen down below, but the stiches healed up well and quickly. I was very worried about tearing before the birth, but really it wasn't that bad, it certainly wouldn't put me off having another one. It's not worth worrying about, if it happens it happens. Best wishes for your delivery.

Arnica.
Is all I have to add.

It won't be too bad!

Another positive outcome after tearing.

I had two 3rd degree tears, the 1st one with DS1 I think was because I had an epidural and basically couldn't feel how hard I was pushing. and the 2nd one was due a very fast delivery.

It did hurt the 2nd time as I was only on the gas & air and definitely felt a stinging sensation, although as others have said you don't notice the pain of that so much as you are focused on the tiny person coming out of you.

Every time i spoke to a midwife/doctor/physio after my tears, they looked very serious and concerned about the fact that I had torn badly twice, but all healed very quickly and I never had any problems with my functions as it were.

Nothing will stop you worrying about the birth, but when you actually do it, you kind of forget all that and just get on with it because you have to and afterwards just try to take things one day at a time and you will slowly start to feel back to normal.

First time I was given an epi & stitches, second time no tear (active homebirth), third 2nd deg tear along epi line (superman style baby). I chose not to have stitches as it lined up well, I healed far more quickly than with the stitches 1st time round.
Second & third labours felt the same, I didn't know I'd torn.

To counteract the sting potential when going for your first wee after stitches ... I can thorough recommend leaning forward as far as you can on your thighs (once seated on the loo obviously), so that your chin's practically on your knees and then humming the theme tune from Easterenders (although I dare say any tune might work ... whatever comes to mind at the time)to distract yourself. Once you've had a shower and a clean up and several wee's in this way, normal service will resume .

For what it's worth I didn't tear or have any grazes- first baby, 6 weeks of perineal massage which may have helped and straightforward labour. Sounds like I was pretty lucky but I guess it is possible!
X

I had an episiotomy with my ventouse delivery. Stitches were numbed anyway for me as I effectively had a makeshift spinal delivered through the epidural, but they'd have used a local as folks say if not. I was also in the theatre anyway and they stitched me there, so can't help with more info there I'm afraid.

Don't worry about it though, just one of those things, honest!

Best thing you can stock up on, apart from the allowed painkillers afterwards if you need them, are those ice pack things to keep things all comfy. Amazing how much sitting on those can make a difference to stitches and any soreness! :)

I had episiotomy with DS, but still ended up with 3rd degree tear anyway, as the delivery was very violent (1hr 20mins to ventouse him out!). They whisked me off to surgery afterwards, but DH was able to come in too with DS in push trolley crib, so at least I could look at him even if I couldn't hold him. They just left the epidural in when doing the surgery as I already had one.

Had loads of problem for about 13 weeks after both, culminating in post-op infection, but I genuinely think that my case was very unusual, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Worrying won't help, put it that way!!

First time I had an epidural and a ventouse, so an epis too - but also a bit of a 2nd degree internal tear. The epidural masked any pain from the stitching. Tugged a bit though! Was done by obstetrician, soon after delivery. He did a neat job, I think.

Second time, I had a fast and drug-free birth at home. I was given a small episiotomy because DS2's head hung around in the canal long enough to worry us. MW gave me a local for that, so didn't feel the cut as painful, and then more local to stitch up again, about an hour after the birth. I won't lie - the injections of local stung like buggery and I was on G&A more ardently than during labour! And then one area didn't numb up enough so she had to reinfiltrate the area. Ow ow ow.

However, it really isn't that bad, especially if you're not a needlephobic wimp like me! You can have g&a, and your lovely babe in arms to distract you.

amandine07 - good post, but - wtf? This happened to me, 3rd degree tear, insufficient local anaesthetic. Ended up screaming by the end, it hurt worse than labour, and all they kept saying was "nearly there" and then carrying on and on. Hope that doesn't upset anyone - not reassuring I know! I'm due in 8 weeks and this time I will FORCE them to stop and apply more pain relief if its like last time.

I had two fast deliveries - TENS and G&A with DS and just TENS with the second, DD, because we didn't get to the delivery suite until it was time to push DD out and you don't get G&A for that last bit (and they don't tell you that at the classes!) I got two second degree tears, didn't notice them happening except as a part of childbirth. Both included grazes and I needed internal stitches as well as the main tear repair. In both cases I had an assisted delivery of placenta because the cord had to be cut for the children's safety so there was no point in waiting for the cord to stop pulsing and have a physiological third stage. There was then what my DH considered a lot of waiting, where I was sitting in a pool of gore - with DD that was spent feeding and cuddling my baby and having lovely skin to skin, whereas DS was whipped away for a bit and returned all cleaned up later. They kept checking on me periodically, but this was a key time for us to take a breath and say hello to baby. For the second birth they waited for the best stitcher on delivery to do her embroidery. The midwives then did some cleaning up of me and baby and popped me in stirrups for the stitching. I think I was cuddling them again for that bit, I can't remember clearly. The worst bit by far for me of the whole childbirth was the anaesthetic needle down there, probably partly because I am needlephobic, but it hurt! Once the anaesthetic took effect, stitches were just a little tuggy and I felt quite removed from the stitching, as if they were doing it to a part of me miles away. As soon as I winced at a stitch, they popped a little more anaesthetic in. The midwives stitched me up and were very careful, chatting to me (high on G&A) and I felt they had their attention on my well being and how I was coping with the stitches and everything, as well as the stitching. After that there was some more recovery time, tea and toast and jam, (or maybe that appeared sooner, I don't quite remember) and a shower, then transfer to the ward.

Did tear, stitched up in the same room as I gave birth in - had an injection down there to make it more comfortable. I did feel it, it was sore, rather than really painful - ask to keep using the gas and air.

I wasn't holding DD while this was done - I think it could have been an hour later that I was stitched up. I only have had one child, but friend who tore badly first time, then second time had water birth - had minimal tearing and was sure that it was down to the water.

....sorry, meant to add to post before - no one told me about breastfeeding lying on your side - it was sore sitting up feeding for a while afterwards and this may not have helped healing. It was much later that i discovered lying on your side to feed which took the pressure off down there!

I had two water-births and had a small 'graze' with DD (first baby) and nothing at all with DS, who had a perfectly small head. I think a lot of it is to do with speed of delivery, position of yourself and the baby as well as many other factors.

I did the olive oil around the fanjo thing for weeks before DD was born, I didn't bother with DS so draw your own conclusions from that.

FWIW out of my friends and family that I know of, only me and my sister had no tears or stitches so I think its quite a common feature. My sister had a WB too.

Definitely have your first post-birth pee in the bath if you can as its a bit of a whether you have torn or not!