Damage to your private parts by childbirth

[cloclo76]

According to "The best friends guide to pregnancy" by Vicky Iodine, it is the first vaginal birth that does all the "damage" to your private parts. Do you agree or do you think that successive births add to it?

According to "The best friends guide to pregnancy" by Vicky Iodine, it is the first vaginal birth that does all the "damage" to your private parts. Do you agree or do you think that successive births add to it?

Mine still perfectly fine after 1st natural birth. I did have an episiotomy but that hasn't affected anything. I think I had strong pelvic floor muscles and so that helped.

Well, my dd1 was 7lb 1oz and I had a 2nd degree tear and a graze.

My dd2 was 8lb 13oz and I had a tiny tear that the mw wasnt bothered about and I didnt notice.

But, for my 1st labour I was lying flat on the bed to deliver and my 2nd I was knelt on the bed over the head board.

I think that you are more experienced after the 1st one and willing to try more IYSWIM.

20 months on, i still dont feel completely back to normal (maybe i never will) i did have a episiotomy and tear and forceps and then a swap left inside me for ten days tho so mayb thats y

I like that book, it makes me laugh, but it is only that womans' experience of 4 natural births.

My experience of that same is different.

1st baby was first degree tear - stitches
2nd baby a small graze (and he was in excess of 10 lbs)
3rd baby first degree - stitches
4th baby 1 first degrees, one high up in vaginal wall, one on the opening - both stitches

Things felt odd after it had all healed after first child, things all felt normal again after healing with all following.
Partly for that reason I will not have a (planned :o ) 5th as I think I have been lucky to have 4 natural births and all seems well downstairs.

To expect my knackered body to spring back a 5th time I think would be greedy!! :o

It does look like a patchwork quilt mind you!!

4th baby is meant to read 2 first degrees - madam decided to come out with a fist wedged under her chin....

Don't mind your poor old mother.... :o

but people can and do tear in 2nd and subsequent births too so don't get how that theory makes sense?? if you have another tear surely its going to add to it, although not to say it can't all heal fine

Thanks for your comments. Firawla, I find that quite strange too. Just to give you more background, according to the book, the author went to see her doctor during her 4th pregnancy and begged him to give her a C-Section as she was fed up of doing pelvic floor exercises. He explained that it was too late as the "damage was done" by the first vb and that subsequent vb were not going to make it any worse.

The way I read it is (about the damage being done) after only one pregnancy/birth your body/boobs/pelvic floor/privates won't ever be quite the same again.

Being pregnant changes your boobs permanently, wether you go on to use them to feed the baby with or not.

A baby passing out of your privates is going to change them no matter how many pelvic floors excercises you do afterwards.

I think that's what is meant. If that makes sense? :)

These parts can of course be perfectly serviceable once more, but never quite the same - a bit like my fantastic 'baby pod' belly that can double as an apron.

Keeps the kids amused for hours though - very useful. :o

ha ha ladyoftheflowers. Good interpretation!

oh i see, okay makes a bit more sense now

I'd agree with the others, most women are probably not the same after giving birth- I went to the doc cos things down there seemed 'different' she said it looked fine and also to bear in mind that whether we go through childbirth or not, things change as we get older - I also had to say goodbye to my lovely flat tum and neat and small belly button- which is now presently stretched over my huge 36wk bump with a few stretch marks on it saying 'x' marks the spot!