Maybe an odd question...

[mj512]

Okay so this may seem like a really odd question and you all may think I'm crazy crazy crazy lol But is there anything I can do to decrease my chances of tearing during labor? Is there a cream or something that increases the elasticity or something?

haha odd question?

[SkippyNXC]

my research: take your time during delivery... don't rush pushing, let the baby sorta guide u when to push... this will allow time for your perineum to stretch w/o tearing...

tho it may be inevitable depending on the size of the baby...

[mj512]

I've heard that slower is better, though I hope I remember that when I'm just trying to get her out haha

[WBandMe]

Isn't there like.. perineal massage? I remember Sarah (Hannah's mom Sarah) saying something or posting an article about how you kind of massage and stretch yourself, not to the point of pain or anything... but it's supposed to help.

Sorry for the lack of detail, it's just a fuzzy memory!

[KMS]

Yep, slowly! I've also heard that if the person that is delivery the baby applies a lot of counter pressure, that will help. Is that a common practice during delivery? I don't know. Also massaging with different oils during labor and delivery is another method that I've heard. I don't remember which oils were recommended though.

We did perineal massage the last couple months of the pregnancy. Chad would do it, actually. :blink: They were not pleasant, I assure you. Oh the bonding experiences of pregnancy...like the creation of the child wasn't intimate enough! Seeing as how I had a csection, I don't know if it did anything. Some docs say it works and some don't...so I guess it's up in the air.

[firespirit]

So I did talk with my OB about this. She said she has found the perennial massage to not really work. However, that might be related to frequency, technique and other things. Some people swear by this, so it's certainly worth looking into.

She did say hot compresses during labor get blood flowing in that area, which help the muscles stretch, so that can help. However she said it's mostly about pushing slow, the position I'm in, and her skills in manipulating the position of the baby. Now chances are if you go natural, you will feel when to slow down. With an epidural you will need to be told, so that is something that you will want to talk to your OB about.

So you might talk to your OB and she what he/she says.

[uptowngirl]

I was gonna do perineal massage, but kinda forgot about it....:blink:

During delivery my OB did do massage and used oil to help me stretch - and some counter pressure as well. I ended up with some tiny "cosmetic" lateral tears but nothing bad (think chapped lips and that's about the situation), and I think it was all her since after two hours of pushing I wasn't about to slow down!

[Goin2thechapel]

I ended up with a 2nd degree tear through my perineum and I tore up through my uretha. They actually had to stitch a cathetor into the urethra for one night.

My OB didn't believe in the massages. She found that they typically don't work for people. Honestly the tearing was not that bad. The upwards tear was pretty painful and it bruned when I peed for a while (like 10 days after)

The post partum hemerroids is what KILLED ME!!! From pushing, I got hemerroids sooooo bad that it literally hurt to sit.

[DanDanNoodleBowl]

You can actually use olive oil to do a massage.
When I was pushing between every psuh the nurse would massage me..awkward.

But it didn't work. I had a pretty bad tear. :(


You won't feel it when it happens though...well, at least I didn't..but my delivery was weird and I had a lot happening.


Ah, childbirth. Haha

[lize566]

I had a c-section, so I can't speak from experience, but I was pretty terrified of this, as well. Along with the things already mentioned, I had read that you can do strengthing excercises to help make the muscle strong, called Kegel excercises. Google the term and lots of things come up with more explanation. Like I said, no idea if it works, but I figured it was worth a shot if it might prevent tearing!

[Danielle9608]

I also heard to push slow. I didn't really follow this. I only pushed for 30 mins before Averi was born. I did tear some but they were all small minor tears. But Averi was also a tiny baby too.

[scarymary48]

Everyone also says to slow down when you push. This might be good advice in theory, but I can promise you when Zac was just about to come out and they were telling me 'one more push!' the absolute last thing on my mind was the state of my vagina. I just wanted him outta there.

Every midwife I ever consulted swore by massage. You are supposed to use olive oil or some other other kind of oil and using your fingers, slowly kind of stretch it outwards and rub it in small circles. I think you are supposed to do this from about 35 weeks, but I could be wrong about that.

[WBandMe]

the absolute last thing on my mind was the state of my vagina.

:rofl: :rofl: Sarah, I love your posts. You remind me of my favorite author, Bill Bryson. He'll say something very true and very serious, but the way he words it is just hysterical. Same with you!

[FFC]

I don't know bout everyone else, but I did feel myself tear even with the epidural. It was the only pain I felt when pushing, and it was on the last push. I have heard olive oil and or vaseline helps but nothing but c section guarantees it. To be honest, that and the epidural were the two things that most scared me most about delivery. Even though my tears were minor, they were the worst part of recovery, imo.