Natural birth after venteuse with 2nd degree tear!

[AmyLouKin]

I've only just had my first baby, 4 weeks ago. After a fairly short labour (4 1/2 hours contracting and 3 pushing) I ended up with venteuse delivery, opted not to have episiotomy and tore. They said it was 2nd degree bit had gone into the muscle a little! Lots of stitches. Am quite happy with the way things turned out, despite the intervention!
I was just wondering, if other people had a similar first birth, how was their second? Did you need intervention again, or was it easier second time around? Did you tear again?
I'm not decided (after all we have lots of time to think about it), if we will have another but I'm curious about other people's experiences!
Oh and my baby boy is now (after having jaundice for ages) happy and healthy and asleep on me, after having a feed!
Thanks in advance for any replies! Mumsnet and all the people on here have been wonderful for info and reassurance throughout my pregnancy!

Watching with interest- I'm pregnant with my second. Had an episiotomy and forcep delivery and naturally a little concerned how the second labour will go!

My first birth was like that, although not as many stitches as you seem to have had OP. Second actually ended in an EMCS! However that was related to baby being in distress. Until then, the labour was going very smoothly and quite quickly, I reckon it would've been about 13 hours from first twinge and maybe 9 hours from realising this was it. Unlike the first which was stop start and had PROM. You do statistically have a pretty high chance of a straightforward VB with your second if you've had a vaginal delivery with your first one, even instrumental, and are still low risk

Very likely to have an uncomplicated, quicker normal birth. Head to your midwifery led unit if you're low risk.
Always risk of requiring instrumental birth, elective CS, emergency CS

With my first I ended up with a second degree tear, didn't need any intervention, did have lots of stitches. With my second a quicker labour a tiny tiny tear, no stitches needed. In fact with my second I was discharged 6 hours after delivery as I requested.

Emcs with dd1, ventouse with episiotomy( which broke down) with dd2 and episiotomy with ventouse with ds1.
Healed very quickly this time round.

Ventouse and episiotomy with my first; normal delivery with episiotomy with my second. Both dropped their heart rates with slow recovery hence indication for intervention.

Just had ds 6 weeks ago. First labour with dd I had epidural and episiotomy with ventouse. Only had one stitch though. On ds I had a natural delivery (not by choice, was too fast to get epi) I had a second degree tear. Dd was 6lbs 12 and ds was 8lbs 2.

I had a ventouse delivery with my son, after an induction and then very fast labour affecting his heart rate. Unluckily I had an episiotomy and still tore quite badly - second degree but quite deep. I was stitched up in surgery so healed fairly well. My daughter was born three years later, natural delivery; I laboured in the pool but had to come out for delivery because of some meconium in the waters, but delivered without intervention. I tore again, second degree but not as badly and was stitched by the midwife and wasn't nearly so sore as I had been the first time. In fact all round the second labour was considerably better, less stressful and less painful than the first and quicker healing.

I had a ventouse with episiotomy with DS, 8lb 10oz, then 19 months later, normal delivery but with tear for DD stitched up by midwife, 9lb 6oz. Made good recovery from both.

Can I ask why you declined an episiotomy?

I'm just curious as under the assumption it's better to cut than tear?

I've never heard of someone refusing.

Dc1 14hours /epidural allowed to wear off /Ventouse plus episiotomy
Dc2 13 hours /epidural only half side /Ventouse only
Dc3 14 hours /natural birth/no pain relief at all Huge tearing/prolapse

Myth 1: ALL second/third births are quicker
Myth 2: ALL second/third births are easier
Myth 3: ALL epidurals cause interventions/are intrinsically 'bad'
Myth 4: EVERY natural birth = urge to push
Myth 5: EVERY natural birth = endorphins/'high' as a reward at the end

I am having no more babies. If I were to get pregnant tomorrow I would be opting for an ELCS like a huge percentage of ob gyns do.
My three births pretty much mirrored each other.

*Due to being fed the line that my body would 'remember what to do' by the third time, plus other people's births being quicker 'no. 3 shot out'.....
*Plus having believed that my epidurals had led to the vacuum births/ that had I held on and got through 'transition phase' I would want to bear down/would not just feel the urge to push but would need to/indeed struggle not to push.....
*Plus having read the epidural could have slowed the process/inhibited Nature.....

.....I went into DC3's birth with nothing but a hypnobirthing book in hand and a big birthing ball, hoping it would exorcise the trauma of dc1 and 2.

Nope. Big mistake. HUGE.

Disclaimer: each woman's birth experience is unique to her and pain thresholds are different for each individual.

Dc1 - 24 hour labour, back-to-back, epidural, episiotomy and 2nd degree tear, ventouse
Dc2 - 4.5 hour labour, small tear

Northernlostsoul i believe the up to date research shows it is better to tear than be cut. Dont have it to hand but i requested no episiotomy on my first which was ventouse

Dd1 - 7lbs:14, srom, induction, epidural, ventouse, second degree tear, recovery ok-ish except stitched too tight

dd2 - 7lbs:9 srom, induction, gas & air only, again second degree tear but recovery excellent. Midwife did great job on stitches

I used the "epi-no" on both births to stretch the perineum before labout. No idea if it helped.

Statistically you have an 11-15% chance of intervention on a second delivery of you had an assisted first delivery. (DS was delivered by forceps- fucking awful, not yet recovered so looked it up).

1st birth with dd 7lb 15 oz was epidural with ventouse episiotomy 2nd degree tear - had to be taken to theatre to be stitched ( internal and external ) and had 2 blood transfusions ( lost litre of blood ) in hospital 4 days and recovery - very painful and couple of weeks before i could properly sit down comfortably ; )
Ds 8lb 10 oz - just gas and air and no interventions needed - still tore and needed few stiches but nothing like the 1st time and was home after 6 hrs . I chose not to have epidural the 2nd time as i felt that was the reason i had to have the interventions the 1st time - dont know if that was true or not but the recovery was so much better and quicker with my 2nd even though the labour was more painful .

First birth induced and 19 hour labour ending in ventouse and second degree tear -9lb 1oz baby. Second baby I had a very quick labour- so much so I didn't think I was in labour till my son was delivered by my OH on the bathroom floor. probably 40 mins start to finish with two pushes, no tearing and an 8lb baby. Twin babies 3 and 4 induced at just over 37 weeks born after twenty minute labour and couple of pushes- no tears and 6lb 7oz and 6lb 11oz babies so, yes, it's perfectly possible!!

Thank you so much everyone, for your replies. They are very interesting and helpful.
To the person who asked why I refused the episiotomy, I had something floating about in my mind that it was (as another poster said) better to tear than be cut, as it healed better! I've no idea if that is true or not but it is feeling better each week!
I don't think I should let the first birth put me off having a second, in a few years, if possible. I have a year or so to decide if I can cope with 2! 😉