my first vbac, i had a 2nd degree tear and stitches....

[biglips]

will i get 2nd degree tear again or it depends on size of baby? as for my first vbac, she had a big head! ouch!

thanks

With my second baby, I had 2nd degree tear + stitches, then third baby a tiny tear and a couple of stitches. Fourth baby, no tear, no stitches, so you may not tear so much again.

fingers cross i hope not! as i remember trying to push her out for 2 solid hours!!

position can make a big difference... you might tear again, and if you do, it might well be down the same place you tore last time

consider a water birth, the water softens and supports the perineum and you can move about more and you will have less damage to the perineum

if not a water birth, then any position other than lying flat down, that will also make things slower and it will be more uncomfortable

size of the baby has little to do with it really.. a slow controlled delivery of the head and position of the baby's head itself has more to do with it and also if the baby has a hand up by the face , that can lead to more risk of tearing

same as TRL except no 4th baby!

thanks everyone as need to start thinking about my birth action!....lol

lulu - couldnt have a water birth as one Im deaf and two ive got a high blood pressure but it is stable.

i was lying on the bed giving birth so gotta think of different positions this time....ill google it now and see what's positions to do.

even if you are sat up as much as possible on the bed, that will help, rather than being flat. also, kneeling up on the bed and holding onto the back of the bed... or lying down on your left side, with the right leg raised,

with dd1 i was on all fours on bed. think this was the best position.

dd2 was walking back from the bathroom - so standing up. less than ideal. difficult to catch the baby.

dd3 was while turning over from side to back. unpleasant.

def go for all fours if you have the choice!

ive gotta do some demonstrations with dp to be prepared.

I had 2nd degree tear and stitches with DS1 but was fine with DS2. Both births were pretty similar in that I had epidural and was bed ridden IYSWIM during the birth - I didn't walk around. Hopefully second time around, you will have done it once before so it will be easier for baby to come out. Looking at photos of DS1 after he was born he also had a huge head!! DS2's was smaller or more average looking thank goodness!