2nd Induction after 3rd or 4th degree tear

[Toottoooot]

Hello! I’m really hoping to hear positive and negative experiences from people who had an induction following 3rd or 4th degree tear in an earlier pregnancy. I have the choice or and induction or c-section at 39 weeks and struggling to decide which route to take. My main fear is a repeat tear, with more serious long term consequences.

if you had a induction or 2nd induction after a year how did the birth compare? Did you need any intervention or surgery?

thanks a million in advance

Sorry lots of typos in that message, after a tear not year!

Hey. Honestly I don’t think it will be the induction (which for some people can be positive and some people it can be awful) that leads to potential tearing, I think if you’ve had one that bad previously is it worth risking it again either induction or natural labour?

Id go section - I’ve had an EMCS and would honestly take a section again over an induction again or over tearing this bad.

Sending love, hope you have a more positive birth this time ❤️

I had a third degree tear last time and I'm also due to give birth just after a year from my last.

I have spoken at length with the consultant midwife and she said I won't necessarily tear again, and there's especially no guarantee of tearing to the same degree.

She was more focused on how I've recovered, that seems to have been the guiding factor in how she advised me.

I recovered very well and I am still seeing my women's physio now.

So for me it's the chance of a tear (that I've experienced before so know what I'm dealing with) versus the obvious guarantee of quite major surgery which of course can come with its own complications.

I have an additional factor in my decision making which is that I hate, hate, hate hospital.

I had an amazing home birth last time but I had to go in afterwards to be sewn up, and I'm very keen to avoid hospital completely this time - which obviously wouldn't be possible with a C-section unless they want to come and do it in my living room in!

So, the questions to ask yourself are,

How well did you recover?
Do you have any longer lasting issues from the tear?
Have you spoken to someone about your previous birth to find out if there were factors involved in why your tore?
Can those things be avoided this time?
Did you have a very quick labour with the induction?
Do you have the support for C-section recovery?

Would highly recommend talking to the consultant midwife at your hospital as well as the Obstetric consultant, they may well have different viewpoints to consider.

Saying all that, I'm still not 100% decided and going round in circles as like you I have a lingering worry about further damage but then I think about having a C-section and feel in my bones that I don't want one. I loved giving birth last time and this will be my last time to experience it.

Sorry not sure if that's been helpful in the slightest - just rambling!

The women's physio is private, I go out of choice rather than because I 'need' to because I got pregnant again so quickly I just carried on.

I had a 3rd degree tear in my first pregnancy and was quoted an 8% risk of recurrence of 3rd degree tear.

I'd still go for a vaginal delivery for a second pregnancy I think but I would pay lots of attention to perineal massage in the last weeks of pregnancy.

Thanks everyone definitely helpful to hear how others have/will make the decision.

pros and cons to both obviously. Despite the tear it wasn’t a negative first birth and there’s is real magic to vaginal delivery I’d love to experience again. My tear was likely down to combination of causes, being induced at 38 weeks, Labour stalling and need for oxytocin drip and then epidural. So my position and lack
of feeling and total exhaustion after 4 days meant I needed forceps.

I have heard that second inductions are typically quicker and basically hoping I might be able to avoid a drip…but all so unknown.

thanks

Hey! Just checking in to see what have you decided and how did the birth go? I’m in the same position currently…

thank you x