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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

MSG for MEARS (and/or other midwives out there)

9 replies

beforesunrise · 30/05/2007 19:39

Hi there, didn't want to highjack the other thread so starting a new one. i hope you don't mind me asking you some prof advice.

basically i have a dd who is 15 months. she was born naturally in birthing centre, the birth tbh was great , i felt in control the whole time, great mw etc i delivered in a semistanding position but she came out in one single push (i couldn't not push when the mw told me not to if that makes sense, the urge was too strong) and i had a bad second degree tear. after the birth they took 5 hours to find someone to stitch me up, by which time i was really agitated having lost a lot of blood etc. tearing and something wrong with my stitches were my greatest fears and both materialised, my scar overgranulated which was very uncomfortable, sex was impossible so i had a repair op done last year. since then things have been really good down there (sex is great for starters) and i thought about it no more/ but then i decided i wanted to ttc again and decided to have a look at my bits... was a bit alarmed as i found myself a lot more "open" than before and my perineum is really, really short now! i have since become completely obsessed with the fear of tearing again in a subsequent birht, and i am terrified that this time i could suffer an even worse tear given short perineum, scar tissue less elastic etc.

so my question is this... what are the chances of tearing again second time around? is it true that most damage is done by the frist birth? or do i risk a third degree tear, or worse? is there anything i can do to lessen this risk? i am becoming really obsessed with this... stupidlly i am drawn to birth trauma websites and i have gotten convinced i am headed for massive problems if i give birth again...

thanks for reading so far and for any thoughts..

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MKG · 30/05/2007 19:44

Am not a midwife but just had second baby a week ago. I had a second degree tear with my first, and again with my second. My ob/gyn believes that this tear was from the first scar re-opening.

Bump for professional opinions

hertsnessex · 30/05/2007 19:50

im not 100% sure on this - but i think you dont normally tear in the same places again. i had a 3rd degree tear with my first - and 11months later gave birth to another with no tear - and he was 2lb heavier......

cx

lulumama · 30/05/2007 19:51

My friend tore in the same place 3 times ! but no worse, and did not need stitches the 3rd time....

beforesunrise · 30/05/2007 20:05

Hertsnessex- what did you do differently this time round??

(congratulations btw, and MKG, you too!).

perhaps i am looking at this the wrong way... perhaps tearing is the norm and i shouldn't be so scared of it? it's just the fear of something going really wrong, having hears of so many real horror stories since having dd...

OP posts:
juuule · 30/05/2007 21:08

I had an episiotomy and still had a 3rd degree tear for my 1st baby. I had an episiotomy for 2nd baby (which was 1lb lighter than 1st) but only 4 stitches. I was told that any subsequent babies I would probably tear along the scar.
From 3rd baby onwards (I have 9)no episiotomies, no tearing. So it doesn't always follow that you will tear again.

mears · 31/05/2007 09:28

beforesunrise - it is really difficult to predict what will happen at a birth regards tearing. Some women have naturally short perineums and don't tear at delivery. Women do look 'more open' after delivery so that is not abnormal. Obviously you will have scar issue there so it is possible that will tear, however the risk of tearing is usually less with subsequent births.
You might want to consider perineal massage with almond oil - if you goole it you will get information.
You may also want to think about a different position for delivery such as lying on your side or all fours to be able to deliver the head more slowly. You want to be able to 'breather ' the head out to give the tissues time to stretch.
Sorry I can't be more helpful but it just is impossible to predict. HTH.

herbiemom · 31/05/2007 10:10

I recently supported a lady during the birth of her baby - she had sustained a 3rd degree tear during a previous birth and was terrified of another tear. She gave birth naturally to a 10lb baby, no tear at all.

She was lying on her side for the second stage and did not push forcefully at all - just breathed the baby out gently.

EmilyandLola · 31/05/2007 11:11

Did I read that right? 9???

good going,

beforesunrise · 01/06/2007 13:11

thanks everyone... i am actually quite reassured reading all of this.

now i just need to convince dh to go for no 2...

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