Did you have a big baby without tearing?

[LAF77]

There are so many threads about tearing, I'd like to know if anyone can give me hope about not tearing even though my baby will be big. He's nearly 8 and a half pounds with over 2 weeks to go, so he could be 10lbs at birth.

I'm hoping to have a water birth, but we will see how things pan out!

DS was 9lb and I tore really badly. This was because I HAD to get him out entirely on one contraction, so now head out first then breath etc. My contractions had slowed down to such an extent that they said to push him completely out on the next one. Thus he shot out like a rocket! I saw the midwife out of the corner of my eye slowly putting away the "preventing tearing pack" and I knew that my perinium was about to be sacrificed!!

I think the key is not to push when they say, and a controlled delivery.

so no* head out first

8lb 12.5oz, long with a big head (seriously I said that when I was pushing, he does have a big head!) and no stitces. A wee natural tear that healed, I barely notice.

I remember a midwife coming into see if I need stitches and she declared '8lb 12 and a half and not a stitch needed - well done' and my DH laughing and saying to me 'I think she just said you have a fanny like a wizards sleeve'.

It all went back to normal though!

DS2 was 10lb 5oz and I didn't tear. He was born at home.

I had tearing with all three of mine.

DD was only 8lbs and I tore the worse with her - plus the stitches were not good.

DS1 was my biggest - 11lb 4oz - and although I tore I did not need stitiches and Could not notice it at all.

DS2 - was 9lb 15oz - and although I did tear and I did have stitches it was barely noticeable.

DS2 was 9lb 12oz, with a second stage noted at 6mins (so pretty quick!) but not so much as a graze although, perhaps crucially, I didn't really seem to push consciously. He just kinda...arrived anyway.

But subsequent births are typically easier than first timers... so to ease your mind further, DD, my first was 7lb 13oz (not massive for a girl but not exactly a tiddler) and not a tear or graze with her either! When the midwife told me to stop pushing and pant I listened and maybe that's the key?

I didn't have a perineal tear with either of mine but both were as painful as each other.
Dd1 was very small but I gave birth laid n my back on the bed with was difficult, it was also a very quick labour.
Dd2 was 10lb 2oz and it was an induced birth with a fairly long labour including over an hour of active pushing but I was upright for all of it. I stood hanging off the sink for the labour and then when I was pushing I knelt by the side of the bed and the midwife just had to put up with that.
I did have a small labial tear that wasn't picked up until I pointed it out at my 6 week check up but that's because my midwife wasn't very good.
I hope you find a position that's comfortable for you and listen to your instincts. They will help you more than anything else.

my babies were all big, but the biggest, ds4 was 10lb 13oz, i had him in the birthing pool, i didnt even have to push, really he birthed himself, no tear, not even a graze, i tore with my others, not badly but i am sure it was being in the water that meant i didn tear with ds4 :)

oh and his head was off the chart 41cm? or something, mine have all had big heads tho!

Not massive at 8lbs but no tearing.

I think it's because when the Midwife told me to stop pushing, I did.
My friends called me Slack Alice!

DS was 9lb 2oz and I didn't tear. Had a relatively long second stage and the mw said in the end I pretty well breathed him out rather than pushing so don't know if this may have helped (though wasn't intentional-just the way it went).

Didn't have a growth scan, but I had one mw guessing 6lb at 38 weeks based on size of bump (frankly ridiculous as I was the size of an elephant) and one guessing 8lb at 40 weeks (may have been right given DS didn't deign to put in an appearance for a further 2 weeks so would have just been getting chunkier). Interesting how far apart their estimates were though.