Delivery after third degree tear..

[slylyeatingbiscuits]

Just wondering for those of you who suffered a third degree tear during one birth but then went on to have another baby:

Did you decide to give birth vaginally again? And if so, did you tear again?

Or did you decide to push for an ELCS?

Thanks

I went for ELCS. I wasn't prepared to take the risk.of tearing again. I didn't have to push particularly hard to get it agreed either

Did it vaginally with DS2 after a 3rd degree tear with DS1, who was only 6lb6oz. Short labour in pool and only a couple of stitches. DS1 turned as the episiotomy was administered, unfortunately.

@SharkSave thanks for the reply think I would end up opting for an ELCS too, but the thought of it terrifies me.. although whether it scares me more than ending up totally incontinent after another 3rd degree tear I don't know!

@ShackUp that's interesting, thanks :) DC1 was 7lb 10 (no immediate plans for DC2 but just trying to get my thoughts in order...)
I don't actually know why I tore - had a water birth, don't think the MW could see what was going on and I delivered her in 3 pushes I think, must have just all been too fast.

It really was a piece of cake 2nd time. I was given a statistic which I can't remember by the consultant obstetrician, but there's quite a low chance of it happening again. DS2 was out in 3 pushes and barely any damage.

My midwife wrote in my second birth plan that I was to have an experienced midwife during the pushing stage, perhaps this is worth asking for?

I think the stats are something like 7-8% chance of reoccurance. Personally for me that was too high a risk to take (especially with the incontinence risk) but I know others may feel differently

Hi! Had third degree year first time round. Had another baby 13 months later and no problems. And then another 23 months after that. Again, no problem!

Year= tear!

Water birth and 3C tear here. I had a CS and I was given the choice but they expected a CS. The actual surgery I found very weird but recovery was good, so much quicker.

Didn’t need to push for an ELCS, asked for one at my booking appointment and got one.

I did go on to have a Birth Choices appointment where a special midwife looked at factors and looked at my scar and worked out my probability of tearing again (mine was high), but it was just a formality really as ELCS already decided by then.

I’d take a c section recovery over year recovery any day! But I had a year of physio and incontinence after 3c year. Was driving in week 3 post c section.

*tear recovery. But ‘year recovery’ also applies! 😄

These responses have been really helpful! Thank you all so much I feel like I'd sway towards ELCS, but always wondered whether the recovery would be harder than with my tear (I recovered really well I think but was still very unpleasant at the time )
I'm not even sure if we'd go for DC2 at any point, I just hate the thought that my fear of another tear would be enough to hold me back!

I opted for a ELCS. Didn’t have to push for it, they gave me the option. It took a year to recover from my 3rd degree tear and I just wasn’t prepared to do it all again! In contrast I was up and about a week post CS with no lasting problems. I was terrified though, having never had open surgery before but it was fine

My consultant recently told me that it's a 1 in 30 chance of a 3rd degree tear for first baby and 1 in 20 chance for your next baby if you tore with your 1st because scar tissue is less stretchy. Size of baby's head is another factor apparently.

1st dc was huge- 99th centile for everything.

This baby is coming out via ELCS as I've already started having urgency issues for bowel movements 18 months down the line. I'm too scared to try natural- I really don't want to be incontinent.

There's a really good private Facebook group with lots of helpful ladies on called Birth Tear Support (severe birth tears). Definitely worth a look.

Good luck x

I had 3a tear 1st time (induction, forceps, episiotomy extended). Also had manual removal of placenta so perhaps I could argue at least they had easy access. Had some loss of sensation coupled with soreness during sex for next 2 years.

Planned home birth next time. Transferred in during labour as baby wasn't descending due to crappy positioning, forceps and episiotomy again, MASSIVE baby (11lb 7oz)...no tearing. Healing was more painful but appears to have sorted out the lack of sensation/soreness.

These are all really helpful! Thanks again for taking the time to reply :)

For those who found it took up to a year to recover, would you mind me asking what was going on in that year that meant you hadn't?

I'm 9 weeks post-birth and overall don't feel too bad. Some discomfort during sex, but don't seem to have any urgency when going to the toilet. I'm doing lots of pelvic floor exercises and walking a lot but haven't dared to do any more energetic exercise.

I’m 19 weeks pp from third degree tear. Had forceps and episiotomy. It was all very traumatic.

100% I will have ELCS for second. I can’t risk having to go through this again. An least I can be in control of CS to a degree.

Recovery for me has been slow. Forceps caused lots of tissue and muscle damage for me an I was black and blue down there. That added with the pain from the tear and I had SPD from the stirrups also. It’s just been hell.

I’m still having some issues with scar tissue. An the muscles in that area on the perineum seem to play me up in my cycle. Ie period and ovulation they ache like hell.

If you feel fairly well at 9 weeks pp 3rd degree tear then you are doing well! 🙌🏻🙌🏻 I had only just managed sex at 9 weeks pp as I was in agony before that with so many issues!

My sister is an obstetrician and says water births are far more likely to result in tears. In a birth out of water the mw controls the head. In water, they can’t touch it too much as doing so can stimulate the baby to begin breathing under the water. Consequently the baby can be born very quickly, via a vagina already a bit boggy from being waterlogged, and therefore tears are more likely. If you have another vb, I’d avoid a water birth. I had a bad second degree tear which got infected and then had to be re-cut and stitched under GA, and after that I had an ELCS. For me it was a really calm, positive experience and I found recovery much more straightforward.

I am 10 weeks PP and if we decided to have another i would opt for a ELCS..

Every time the statistics s

(Accidentally clicked post lol) ....every time the statistics seem to be very low I seem to get the issue...(preeclampsia, 3rd degree tear, precipitous labor) I had a 3C tear and was in theatre for 90 mins, luckily I haven’t experienced any incontinence, maybe slight urgency in terms of bowel movements but I think recovering from a csection you should make a full recovery pretty quickly given the circumstances of the surgery, another tear taking the risk of incontinence is a life long sacrifice I don’t think I would be prepared to take when there’s other options.

I had a 3rd degree with DS1, 3 and a half years later I had DS2 and had grazing. It healed incredibly fast.

I was very concerned about tearing again as I had awful toilet problems for about 6 months afterwards but glad I did go for vaginal birth the second time round. They both weighed 7lbs also, but I birthed differently, I was on my back with an epidural with DS1 and only had gas and air and was upright with DS2.

OP I had an ELCS with dc2 after 4th degree tear with dc1. It was a walk in the park in terms of recovery, and totally calm and untraumatic which helped hugely too. All the best.