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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

If you didn't do perineal massage...did you tear?

56 replies

Cosmo89 · 30/05/2012 11:09

I've been really bad - meant to do the perineal message stuff but haven't done it regularly. Am now DREADING the massive tear or episiotomy which is heading my way.

Just wondered whether I could find any positive stories to cheer me up and reassure me that my rubbishness hasn't necessarily equalled massive tearing and pain etc.

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Original poster

Cosmo89 · 30/05/2012 11:11

Should have added that I'm 38 weeks....so I feel it's a bit late. I'm also still working, which probably explains the laziness. I haven't been able to focus so much on labour. Haven't even written birth plan yet, which will get done this weekend at some point!
Oh crikey.

OP posts:

JoinTheDots · 30/05/2012 11:13

Did not bother, did not tear. DD 7lb 9.5oz, water birth.

You may well be fine!

kdiddy · 30/05/2012 11:16

I did it - not as much as I could to be fair - and I still tore. Water birth, DS was 7lb 6oz. So I would try not to worry too much as it may or may not happen anyway. Incidentally, I didn't feel it, and until the midwife examined me I'd have sworn blind I hadn't torn.

nickelbarapasaurus · 30/05/2012 11:16

it's more to do with positioning and how you push, i think.

and if you're still working, i recommend you do absolutely nothing else (apart from maybe your pelvic floor exercises)

My DD had her hand on her face, so made herself too big to get out without the cut, but i think she would have been fine without.
I know my big sister had a tiny tear (2 stitches) on her last one and "grazing" with her first.

brettgirl2 · 30/05/2012 11:38

Yes had 2nd degree but baby had hand on her face and flew out in 1 so consider myself quite fortunate!

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 30/05/2012 11:40

Yes.
Correlation does not equal causation though.

Pascha · 30/05/2012 11:41

I didn't do it and I had an episiotomy, but then that was a lot to do with the frankly enormous head my son had and that I was stuck on a bed on my back do to persistent bleeding. It was fine though. The stitches came out early and had to be redone but I had no real pain or difficulty with it.

moogalicious · 30/05/2012 11:42

I tore with all 3 - sorry! I didn't feel a thing though (if that's any help) and had an episiotomy with dc1. Wasn't too bad afterwards either.

GobblersKnob · 30/05/2012 11:43

Did it religiously before ds, when I had time for such things, ended up with a big episiotomy, but he was back to back and I had forceps (not rotational ). Needed about 12 stitches.

Didn't do it at all with dd, had a smallish tear that needed about three stitches.

Lollyheart · 30/05/2012 11:46

I never did it with any of my 4.
Thankfully never tore.

lindsell · 30/05/2012 11:47

I didn't do it either time, had a first degree tear (minor didn't need stitches or anything) with ds1, no tears or anything with ds2.

Iggly · 30/05/2012 11:53

No and I tore both times. First time, ds out his elbow up by his face and he shot out. Second time it wasn't DD's head but her arm which came out by her shoulder.

I read that learning to relax your pelvic floor is just as important. Having given birth I knew what that meant when I was having DD. I relaxed, got her head out with no tearing (and it was a big head), but she decided to cause trouble with the swimming action on exit! MW had to hook her out as I think she was getting stuck (was all so quick though).

BlackOutTheSun · 30/05/2012 11:55

Nope but dd came out with her hand by her head.

ithaka · 30/05/2012 11:56

Never did perineal massage, sounded a bit ick to me. Didn't tear for any of my three babies, all a healthy 7lbs plus.

KatAndKit · 30/05/2012 12:02

Never did this massage, could barely reach down there after 25 weeks anyway.
No perineal tear at all, just 3 stitches for minor labial grazes. 8lb first baby. Despite being forced to labour on my back for many hours, no episiotomy required baby came normally.

ninjasquirrel · 30/05/2012 12:12

Yes,I tore but it healed really well and wasn't a big deal

Graciescotland · 30/05/2012 12:15

I didn't and I just had a small labial tear. 8lbs 9.5 ounces

hazeyjane · 30/05/2012 12:15

did it with dd1 and 2, tore badly both times.

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 30/05/2012 12:24

No- didn't tear, but had a pre-cautionary episiotomy,which I know are the devil's work according to MN, but worked for me.

That said, my Obs is famous in our town for her stitching, so maybe it was that

Pastabee · 30/05/2012 13:23

I did it religiously and had episiotomy and 2nd degree tear. The good thing about doing it was at least I wasn't thinking 'if only I'd done the massage'. Healed fine.

Good luck!

Lunarlyte · 30/05/2012 15:12

I didn't do it, but it wouldn't have made any difference - DD1 got stuck and had to be delivered by ventouse, cue an episiotomy for me. I was sore for a while ... 6 months ... But let's not dwell on that as you haven't gone into labour yet and I don't want to panic you (really used to eff me off when id hear others' tales of woe when i hadnt asked to!) All's well and I completely healed down below (with no complaints from DH!)

Yes, positions for labour help. Try to avoid being flat on your back if you can. Whilst a squatting position is great for helping baby's head to descend, it may lend itself to perineal tears as gravity can make the head 'burst' out. All fours is a good position; apparently gives you control when pushing (I was most comfy like this before being moved onto my back still annoyed 3 years on). It's a kind position for your spine and sacral ligaments, too.

I have read and heard personal accounts that water is a fabulous perineal softner, so spending time in the bath or birth pool is a good thing to try.

Hope that helps, and good luck! x

oikopolis · 30/05/2012 16:36

never given birth, but fwiw have just read a book about birth injuries, and there are fewer tears correlated with side-lying (lie on left side, legs usually a bit bent, right leg supported on shoulder of mw/partner/doula) and all-fours positions.

birthing stools and squatting positions = higher rates of perineal trauma, as others have said.

perineal massage does correlate with fewer tears too. there's speculation that it's not because massage softens the tissue, but because the process of regular massage makes women more aware of how it feels to have pressure on the perineum, and how to relax their pelvic floor to relieve the pressure iyswim

rednellie · 30/05/2012 19:38

Didn't massage either pregnancy and had a 7lb7oz DD and then twin boys with no tearing at all. I think this was partly due to not having any pain relief and therefore could feel what was going on. Btw, one of the twins was born back to back!

I echo the sentiment above that massage probably helps as it draws your attention to that part of your body. i found it really useful to do pelvic floor exercises where I'd try to isolate lifting my urethra, then my vagina, then my anus and making sure I relaxed them fully inbetween. Defo helped during the labour (and after).

tittytittyhanghang · 30/05/2012 19:41

hadn't even heard of it with ds1 - no tear, heard of it with ds2 but couldn't be bothered, luckily again, no tear.

Chocaholics · 30/05/2012 19:43

I did it everyday a from a couple of weeks before having DD. I didn't tear although not sure if that was due to having no real urge to push so the delivery was quite slow and controlled when DD was crowning. MW said that this can give you time to stretch slowly. No idea if this is true or not....

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