Tearing ... come and reassure me please

[rubyslippers]

Had 2nd degree tear with DS

the whole stitching up thing was horrid and actually was the worst thing about the whole birth - can still remember it whereas huge chunks of my labour are a haze

am now 34 weeks PG with DC2 and am worried about tearing again ... woke up in a bit of cold sweat last night thinking about it (seeing as i am getting fairly close to the birth)

Hopefully DC will have turned head down (crosses fingers) so i can go for my water birth which i hope will help

any advice/experiences really welcome

TIA

Epidural? Well, I know it only help for a few hours (more than enough not to feel them the stitches going in), but every little helps?

I took gas and air, heavily for the stitching up part and was shamelessly sucking in lungfuls of the stuff between yelling at the midwife if I felt so much as a pinch.
It feels worse because someone is 'doing' this to you and you know they could stop. But its better that everything is going to heal up neatly.
Get DP to come and hold your hand at the right time, dance, distract you, hand you the baby?
Not great, but it'll be over soon. Good luck.

ah - i am very unlikely to have an epidural because of some drugs i am taking ...

I had an epidual but insisted they gave me a local down there as well just to be sure

Just also wondering about the water birth......would they still be able to support the area during a water birth to reduce tearing?

I tore quite badly first time around. Second time I delivered in water and hardly tore at all. Don't think I would have torn at all if it hadn't been for some rather hefty scar tissue in fact.

But when they stitched me up it was fine, as they gave me a local anaesthetic. I'm guessing you didn't have one last time? Perhaps you can request one?

abit - i inhaled the gas and air and i felt a bit of pulling but it seemed to take forever (it didn't)

blue - i think a water birth can help minimise tearing - i hope so

the whole thing put a bit of a dampener on what had been a very good birth experience

Are you massaging a little olive oil into your perineum ? There are stretching exercises you can do - can't remember what they are called. I did and think it helped I had small tears at both deliveries neither required stitching.