Did you tear during childbirth?

[Sparrowlegs248]

And what size baby, quick or slow labour? Episiotomy? How did you recover?

Dc1 10lb 6, long labour 2nd degree tear
DC2 10lb 8, longish labour 2nd degree tear

No problems once healed

DD1: 7lb 3oz, induced, epidural, 12 hour labour, 2nd degree tear upwards and downwards, stitched up by a consultant.

DD2: 7lb 13oz, spontaneous, water birth, 2.5hrs, 2nd degree tear, stitched up twice - once straight after birth and then once again in surgery after they sort of pulled them apart again trying to stop the bleeding after I haemorrhaged. It was a very tidy job second time around!

No long term effects, although positions from behind can be a little sore but I think that's scar tissue rather than stitching related.

8 lb baby, was in labour for 15 hours and no tears...

No episiotomy or instruments. 2nd degree tear, 30+ stitches. Baby was 7lb 9.5oz.. I think I tore because shoulders came out in the same contraction as the head. But after an exhausting couple of hours, I didn't really care. All healed up nicely!

8lb 0.5oz baby. Awful tear after very quick arrival but stitches healed well and quickly. Did need a course of anti biotics for infection but was quickly resolved.
Never had any issues since

8lb 8 baby. No tears, no episiotomy, so no stitches.

Dc1 8lbs- no tears, no grazes, nothing.
Dc2 11lbs- no tears, no grazes, nothing.

Fast labour, episiotomy due to suspected decels. Stitched and out and about walking as soon as I was home. It was uncomfortable for 10 days then totally fine.

9lb 11oz, fast labour, 4th decree tear, hundreds of stitches and surgery after.

7lb 6, long painful induced labour, 2nd degree tear, stitched and healed quickly

8lb 6, relatively quick labour, minor graze, no stitching - stung like a bitch though!

You're more likely to tear if you have a smaller baby as they often put their hands and sharp nails in front of their faces or get into awkward positions whereas big babies can only come out one way! Pushing at the wrong time can make you tear more as well so do listen to the midwife of you go for a VBAC.

Ds 6lb 3oz second degree tear (they cut me as well) very quick labour, ventouse delivery.

Dd 7lb 10oz second degree tear again, also very quick labour. No help with delivery. Recovered fine and quickly with both.

Third degree tear in first labour, 7lb 8oz baby, quite a long pushing stage. Was fixed in theatre. I can't remember how long it took to recover, maybe a couple of weeks before I felt comfortable walking and sitting.

Second degree tear in second labour, 9lb 3oz baby, very fast but controlled, midwife couldn't believe I'd torn as everything had gone so well. Stitched up by a doctor in the delivery room. I felt brilliant within a few days.

I've been lucky and have no issues.

MargaretCabbage,
3rd degree tear in first pregnancy.
Had gas and air then epidural, the rest is very cloudy .
Remember the midwife who was just a trainee and then she was gone.
My husband told me that he was shocked when I told him to get out of the room as he was annoying me.

3rd degree in first labour, v quick. second labour long after induction, bloody horrible and tore all the way through. lots of surgery and physio and 18 months later i'm (nearly) as good as new

Very fast labours x4 - episiotomy with first, tears with all the others. No problems healing - tears healed quicker than episiotomy (but haemorrhoids, which I also ended up with each time, were a hundred times worse than both!). No long term probs either.

Episiotomy, forceps, 9lb 6oz. About 8 weeks for sitting down to stop being unpleasant

Dd1
9lbs 7oz baby
Got a second degree tear but also had an episiotomy
It was a 9 hour labour after being induced
I was up and about the next day walking about 5 miles the following week pushing a pram even after needing blood transfusions, iron drip and antibiotics.

Dd2
5lbs 7oz
Born by elective c section
Worst pain I've ever been in post op, was off my feet barely able to move for a good two weeks. Took at least and took 5 weeks to fully recover.
If anyone ever attempts to make a joke about c section being the easy option I want to punch them

I Would take my 9lb7oz baby with tear and episiotomy any day over my section. But it could just as easily go either way op.

When I was going to have dd2 naturally the consultant adviced extremely low threshold for c section to avoid complications after dd1. However dd2 was breach so the decision was made for me. How you thought of low threshold for c section?

Just to add despite a few weeks of pain it was fine. I'd take that over a csec anyday

Yes to Episiotomy (no pain relief but still don't recall much pain) - small baby though (6lb 5oz), I just couldn't engage the right muscles to push him out as I felt so "full".

OBGYN did an excellent job stitching, was healed within the week and no repercussions. And honestly, that was the thing I was most scared of, having to be cut.

Just a little discomfort but that was really from the bruising of pushing a baby out, rather than the stitches or episiotomy site.

DS2, smaller baby but had epidural in any event and could feel pressure enough to engage my muscles to push him out. 3 pushes, no tearing, nothing.

I had a second degree tear, 6 stitches. No episiotomy. Quick labour, baby was 5lbs 14oz.

Homebirth.

In water, on all fours.

Relatively quick labour depending on when you say it starts! Early labour started 2am, active labour about mid morning, was 8cm by 2.40pm when midwives arrived and daughter born at 4.18pm.

Tore upwards which I think is quite unusual, slight tear of clitoral hood and an abrasion in the vaginal canal. No need for stitches. Tear healed on own.

Re above..

Baby 8 pounds 12.

First baby and no gas &air as second midwife arrived after birth!

Second degree tear, deeper rather than long, she didn't think it needed stitches at first but then saw it was too deep to be left. 7lbs 10oz, labour was just over five hours, pushing stage just under two hours. Did the perineal massage for four weeks prior. Had no issues with the stitches, didn't notice them at all post birth, just felt bruised.