Likelihood of c-section after 2nd & 3rd degree tears

[Babybeesmama]

Pregnant with dc 3 & wondering whether after having 2nd degree with DC1 & 3rd degree with DC2 do we think I'll be advised c-section with no 3?

Both births were extremely quick.. dc2 was literally 45 mins after arriving at hospital & pushing stage was 7 seconds.

Haven't had any problems post either birth.... only that I discovered trampolining is not a good activity for me to participate in .

Be interested to know what anyone's experiences in situations have been. I will obviously do whatever consultant deems best.. but my personal preference would be a vaginal birth (but obvs that's not an informed choice as I don't know the risks yet)

Thanks

I have no experience here but am interested in the answers you'll get as I had a 3rd degree tear with DS1 that required surgery and then a 2nd degree one with DS2 13 months later. The possibility of an ELCS was never even mentioned for DS2, despite the shortness of the age gap and the severity of my previous tear.

They are 4 and 5yo now so am pretty sure I'd get a face and be told to push them out if possible.....

How old is your DC2?

DC2 is now 4... I remember seeing the consultant a few weeks after birth & them saying if we had any more there would need to be discussion of the risks of both vaginal & c section.. but Also that the speed of labour might be an issue & he joked (I think?) that DH would need some advice on the basics incase it happened at home very fast (DH looked horrified)!

I actually found recovery from 3rd degree better than 2nd in a weird way!

Your consultant is unlikely to encourage a c section if they can get away with it so I would do more of your own research and ask them the right questions so you can make an informed decision yourself. You can ask for a scan to see the extent of the muscle damage after the 3rd degree and if another birth is likely to make that worse.

Midwife said most likely will be advised for vaginal birth as 4 years since last birth is a long time in obstetric terms... guess will see what consultant says too. I just don't want to go & have another 3rd degree & have any problems...

I had a 3rd degree tear, and my understanding was that you could request a C-section on the basis of that in order to prevent possible damage in future pregnancies.

I have had two bad third degree tears but managed to recover after both - had extremely quick births - good point by miniholls.
Good luck I am afraid I don't really know what to advise - I feel so lucky that I have recovered ok.

with my second labour I let them mw's know that I had a third degree tear with the first birth during labour and that seemed to help somewhat.

In my experience they will try to steer you down vb route as they want to keep cs numbers down, so if you want cs you may have to push more for it rather than relying on them to advise it. To be honest another vb is completely unpredictable and no one can say what will happen this time round, so if you are very concerned about a bad tear again the only way to prevent it for sure is cs. A cs is a more predictable outcome but obviously not totally without risk.

Your Consultant will advise you based on how well you have healed from your previous 3rd degree tear and that alone (it has nothing to do with keeping CS numbers down).

You can have endoanal scans which look to see how well you have healed - you usually see your Obstetrician and a Colorectal Specialist - it is the Colorectal Specialist who usually says how well your perineum and anal sphincter has healed. If it's healed well then you should been ok for a vaginal birth. If it hasn't then you will probably be recommended to have a caesarean section for your next baby.

If you are really concerned about having a vaginal birth even if your perineum has healed well - you may discuss this with your Obstetrician. There are more risk associated with a CS such as blood clots, increased blood loss, increased likelihood of needing a blood transfusion, infection and problems with wound healing, adhesions etc... - that is why an Obstetrician will not suggest a CS without good reason.

If you still really want a CS for your next baby it may be that your Obstetrician refers you to another Obstetrician for an opinion - this is good practice and not because they 'just want you to have a vaginal birth because its cheaper'.

I hope this helps - good luck xx

Thank you for all the replies! I will let you know what they say next Wednesday. Hopefully they will be happy with how it's healed & I'll be on for a natural birth! X