Anyone had cervical tear in childbirth?

[TaytoCrisp]

Note - this is very unusual - i don't want to worry any first-time mummies! I will be brief...

I have a beautiful DD (3.5yrs). However, it now transpires that i have a significant cervical tear, most likely due to a prolonged second phase of labour with my DD, and her back-to-back position (ending up with emcs). I only learned this a few months ago after some tests.

I am now 14 weeks pregnant, and have just had a cervical stitch, which will hopefully mean that this pregnancy will work out.

However, i am trying to understand how this extensive tear might have occurred, and i can find very little on the internet about cervical tears in childbirth, whereas vaginal tears are common. As i had the stitch just this week, it is on my mind quiet a bit, so i just thought i would ask if anyone had experienced anything similar, what caused it, and how it influenced future pregnancies.

Thanks in advance. I don't expect many replies (which is a good thing really!) but i'd be interested in anyone else's experiences.

Hi tayto (mmm cheese n onion), yes I suffered quite extensive tearing during emcs of ds 2 1/2 years ago. Tore laterally across uterus and down through cervix into top of vagina. Had been fully dilated and ds at top of birth canal but 36 hrs of labour (which I won't go into) and ds was in distress (had true knot in cord so he was never gonna come down the normal way without serious consequences, v lucky we had emcs and not bullied into forceps). Large bleed during cs, whole thing v traumatic in a nutshell.

Not having more partly due to that trauma, issues in pregnancy and since. I had a debrief with a consultant obstetrician who was v reassuring that the cervical / vaginal tear would pose no problems in future pregnancies / deliveries as it is all so thinned and stretched with v good blood flow for healing.

She said the tears are likely to occur in emcs at that stage of labour because of the thinning stretching and muscles working - elcs is into nice thick relaxed tissues so risk of tear lower iyswim? Plus moving ds back up out of top of vag to get him out via cs caused the cervix to tear in her opinion. They knew I'd torn in the emcs and stitched it all at the time - sounds like they didn't pick urs up .

Sorry cant help with the experience in future pregnancies bit!

Good luck with this pregnancy

My cervix tore during my water birth but I only found out a year later at my next cervical smear test!
I was quite shocked to be honest as my DD's birth was not traumatic at all. I was only in labour for four hours; first hour spent in the bath at home, then an hour of waters breaking, laughing between contractions at how ridiculous i felt during each contraction, mad trip to hospital in the car, then hour and a half in birthing pool. I did hypno birthing and didn't even push, DD just came out on her own! So I can only think that it may have been because it was fairly quick?
I certainly don't recall any particular pain from it.