Tearing second time around

[Kittenrush]

Apologies for the lovely topic.
I’m 21 weeks with my second and after a fairly horrendous 3rd degree tear with my first (which involved my stitches falling out and having to be redone under gas and air with no local?!) I was wondering how likely I am to tear a second time?

I had a 3C tear and the consultant told me the risk of having another as severe was 4%. I chose a c section in the end, and am pleased with that decision.

4% chance, I can live with that!
Thay has definitely eased my worry somewhat, thank you!

Hi Op, I am in the exact same position as you. I suffered a 3rd degree tear first time round and am (only just) now expecting my 2nd. I'm worried about tearing again, but I do think the chances are small. My sister was the same and her 2nd birth was fine, no stitches needed at all. Hope it all goes well for you.

I had a 3rd degree and episiotomy with dc1. I saw a consultant when pregnant with dc2 who said I wasn't likely to tear as badly again. I can't remember exact details as a long time ago.
Dc2 and 3 both had second degree tears which healed well. Nothing as bad as dc1 and no pain after.
I'm expecting dc4 now and fully expect to tear again, I think I'm just a 'tear-er' I also have big overdue babies with massive heads whixh probably doesn't help!

I had a 3c tear with my first 2 years ago. I have birth on Thursday night and had a tear that just tipped into a second degree tear. My midwife was incredible and coached me through the whole thing (in the very limited time she had!). Without her there is no doubt I would have had at least another 3c. As it was, whilst painful and I never wish to give birth again, it was actually a very healing experience and I've been left feeling really proud of myself.

Oh interesting. I had a nasty 3rd degree with ds and am now 34 weeks with dc2. I have been wondering about this and trying to 'prepare' myself for it again. I was given a gyne appointment but unfortunately the first available one is 3 weeks after dc is due so that's unhelpful.

@Whoopsies@ thank you and same to you! Hopefully our lady gardens will fair a bit better this time round. I was wondering about giving some perineal massaging a go, my friend did this and had no tear at all, first baby.
However my DD was 9lb1 so I can’t imagine any amount of stretching and massaging would have been much help.
Hoping for something may slightly smaller this time around

I gave birth Just three weeks ago and as my pregnancy got closer to the end this was something which frightened me loads😩 I had a third degree tear with my first baby which caused a lot of urine incontinence. I was offered the choice of a c section however my water broke the day before My scheduled date. My labour progressed fast and I decided to give birth vaginally and came out with a 1st degree tear. let your midwife know your worries about tearing and I'm sure she will do her best to guide you through the pushing stage, I was told to breath baby out with short breaths instead of the dreaded pushing. From 34 weeks I also tried perineal massage as well as evening primrose oil, I can't say for certain if they helped but you could give it a go. If you decided on a section then good on you!, many people put me down for considering a section however going through the pain of a bad tear and even risking being incontinent is a scary thing to consider. Best of luck with ur decision xx

I gave birth to my second child on Saturday. With my first I had a 2nd/borderline 3rd degree tear. This one I had a tiny first degree tear and a labial graze (which is more painful than the tear). I think your body knows how to handle crowning a bit better in subsequent pregnancies -and it’s all been pre-stretched!

Thanks for your replies. The incontinence is playing on my mind a lot too, I had a lot of trouble with completely losing my bladder for the first couple of weeks, it was pretty mortifying if I was out and about obviously.
Will definitely discuss my options with the midwife. Thanks all

I also had a 3rd degree tear with my first, but never had any side effects from it and healed perfectly. (Well as perfectly as is possible down there 😂) interestingly the surgeon at the time did tell me not to get pregnant for 2 years and if I did to not have a natural birth. Fast forward 10 years I am now having my second and after a discussion and being told I have a 4% chance of it happening again I've decided to go natural. Its a hard choice but I hope when the time comes I've made the right one!

I'm so glad to hear how many of you didn't tear as bad the next time round. This is something I have been dreading and quite worried about tbh.

I thought I had a 3rd degree tear as it was so awful and painful. I remember having stitches and feeling like everything was going to fall out. I wish I knew back then to pour water on yourself when going to the toilet cause it was hell until I worked that one out.

Midwife said I must have had 2nd degree though since I was stitched up on the labour suite and not in theatre / had pain blocker.

I think I will defo do the massage in the weeks running up to my due date just to be sure!

My d/c notes said mine was 3rd degree and I was also stitched in delivery suit. My midwife downplayed how bad it was, probably to keep my calm as I’d just given birth and all that, so it was only when I started having problems that i found out how bad it was.

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