pregnancy after 3rd degree tear

[fuzzymummy]

Hi , I think I might be pregnant again. DS was born 27 weeks ago and I think I am 4 -5 weeks . Does anyone have any experience of an unplanned early pregnancy so soon after a tear . The specialist midwife gave me dire warnings about urinary and faecal incontinence if I decided to have another pregnancy . She also said a doctor would decide if I could have a natural delivery or CS . (homebirth last time ) The doctor who discharged me in the hospital said to wait 2 years for next baby . I don't know what to do ???

Hi, there's some info about third degree tears and subsequent pregnacies in the archives of the Association of Radical Midwives message board. Also, you could see if you could speak to an idependent midwife in your area perhaps, some of them are happy to talk on the phone - they may have experience of this sort of situation. You can find details of local independent midwives in this website: www.independentmidwives.org.uk/?node=722

Babedia , that is a very useful link , thank you . Also ,reading the page that came up has helped my understanding .

fuzzy- you cannot do anything to keep the baby's weight down! if you eat very little, the baby will take everything out of your body, leaving you feeling weak and tired, while it gets on with growing.....subsequent babies are not always bigger...threads on this if you search the archives !

Lulumama, regarding the baby's weight, wouldn't it make a difference to keep your sugar intake down? i.e. eat well but very healthily?

I have read a little about that, but am no expert i;m afraid,, the gowri mothra gentle birth method i think , that cuts out or massively reduces sugar and wheat...which is supposed to keep the pelvis less congested and therefore make birth easier..and also, possibly, not make the baby too big

if you have gestational diabetes, you can have a much larger baby , so that does point to too much sugar having an impact on the babies size..but regular ante natal checks should pick up on any diabetes issue

also, eating well, not eating too much junk is a good idea, in pregnany and in life generally ! as we all know, but the size of my bum says otherwise ! LOL!

i had a craving for strawberry hubba bubba when i was pregnant with DD, 15 packets a day ! ! !

she was 7 lb 8 , smaller than my DS!!

My Sister went through this. She had 3rd degree tears with her first (DD weighed in at 9lb 12oz). She fell pregnant with her second when her DD was 8 months.

She opted for an elective C/S with DS as she was worried that her second would a 10 pounder. However, her DS only weighed 7lb 4oz. The surgeon said that she would have been able to push him out without any problems as he was in a much better position than DD.

She hasn't had any problems with incontinence through her subsequent pregnancies and she is planning a VBAC for her third (due in 10 weeks)

I don't think I actually eat much more than normal . Midwives and friends etc said all my weight was in bump . I don't tend to put weight on bum , thighs etc in pregnancy . Also , I cook meals from scratch 95 % of time .

I don't eat bread very often as a kinesiologist told me it doesn't agree with me . I do pasta once a week at most because DH is not a fan .

Hi I had a 3rd degree tear with nunber one and had nasty complications in surgery during repair. I saw a consultant when preganct with no 2 and was told to ensure I had an experiecned midwife during labour.

Luckily I had two great midwifes who managed to contain the tear to a second degree during a natural labour.

I have been told to ensure I keep up my pelvic floor exercises and toush wood donlt really have nay long term problems.
Hope this helps

Gem had a 3rd degree tear with her 1st, had an elective section with her 2nd (following medical advice) and had a a natural vaginal birth in January.. with a small 2nd degree tear.
I will see if she can post here...

Hello Pupuce contacted me to tell you my story.

After DS I had a 3/4 degree tear following forceps and ventouse (different consultants - different opinions) as he had his hand by his face. He was also 9'11. 18 months later I had DD by c-section as a consultant talked of faecal incontinence issues and I thought it would be the best option. Her birth was lovely (DS's was traumatic) but the recovery was hard with 2 little ones especially as we lived in the country and I had to drive, lift buggies, car seats, etc. She was also a fussy feeder and it took us a long time to get the hang of it. I also felt that at 39 weeks she wasn't quite ready to be born although she was a good weight at 8'3.

When I was pregnant for the 3rd time I was pretty sure I didn't want another c-section but I was really anxious about a vaginal birth. Knowing that I needed a bit of moral support I hired a doula.

I saw 3 different registrars during the pregnancy - one who unhelpfully said we would discuss it later (?!), one who presumed I wanted another c-section (until I burst into tears suprising us both! which indidcated that I didn't) and one who said of course I could go for a vaginal birth. This last one 'allowed' me to go overdue (with monitoring) and DD was born 2 weeks after her due date after 7 hours on gas and air and Tens with only a first degree tear. She was 9'5 so not small and it was just fabulous. The doula was great at convincing me I could do it and the midwives were lovely too. I'm even tempted to do it all again!

However, a friend who had a similar birth to me (and suffered problems afterwards - I was fine) recently had her second baby and had another traumatic birth. Both her babies had to be given oxygen too. She has said she will definitely be having a c-section if she has any more.

So, it's a difficult one. I was fortunate in that I hadn't had any problems from either the tear or the c-section so it was more my choice. You have to take advice from everyone and then work out what applies to you. I would recommend hiring a doula as she was a great sounding board when I was weighing up the options as well as being very supportive to me and DH on the day.

HI , Gem , good to hear your story . I think you are right : it is a process of gathering information and opinions and distilling the best choice taking one's progress into account . I have arranged to have a meeting with a midwife manager regarding my son's birth . The GP has arranged a referral to a consultant to discuss options for the delivery . And obviously , if any new problems arise I will have to take account of those .

P.S. You never know I may sail through hopefully !!

Good luck! It's hard to know the 'answer' and that's what the professionals struggle with too. I'll keep my eyes peeled for your announcement in 8 months time to see how you got on...