would you choose ...
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11455
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Topic: would you choose ...
Posted By: Bizzy
Subject: would you choose ...
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 4:57pm
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... to have an episiotomy over tearing????
Saw the rerun of shorty st this am where maia said she would choose that and i wondered why you would choose to be cut instead of tearing naturally... Any thoughts on this one ladies? |
Replies:
Posted By: Bumble
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 5:00pm
I tore, but nearly tore front to back....  not too sure what i aould go for if there is a next time round...------------- formerly known as "Bee" Ethan ~ March 2003 Big 6 year old school boy! Micah ~ Aug 2008 ~ Smiley pants who loves telephones! |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 5:02pm
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apparently tearing heals better (unless it's very bad) as the jagged edges heal together better than the straight cut - or so I've been told.
So I guess on that basis I'd choose to tear. -------------  
 
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Posted By: rosewood
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 5:03pm
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I cant say that an episoiotomy would be on the top of my list! I had a small tear with my daughter which didnt cause me any pain during or after.
Apparently things are so numb down there that you dont feel the midwife doing the cut and some people say that its not until a day later and then it can be uncomfortable. Oh what joys and pleasure in getting to become a mum!! |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 5:12pm
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They normally only cut if they think that you may tear too much and that a cut would be smaller. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 6:02pm
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Being cut scares the hell out of me, but so does tearing. Im not sure what id choose....I guess I'll think about that more as the time coems nearer. ------------- |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 6:24pm
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I would be sh*te scared of someone down there with scissors or a knife while I was in the middle of contractions - so i'm going for the tear. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 7:09pm
| am clenching while reading this. My midwife said that generally unless they needed to use forceps, she let them tear. i tore during and didnt' feel a thing. yet the thought of it makes me feel ill. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 7:31pm
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I had episiotomy with #2 and tore with #3. I could not get out baby #2 and had been pushing for some time and that's why the mw did it. Perhaps it was cause I had an epidural, who knows. But I would choose to not have an episiotomy in the hope that I wouldn't have to tear at all! -------------  |
Posted By: ShellandBella
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 7:45pm
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My MW told me tearing was 'better' because there is a natural line in which you can tear and so you heal up better and quicker as opposed to a cut... ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 7:51pm
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Bearing in mind that I've given birth to a 9lber with a huge head and only ended up with a tiny graze I'd go for tear unless I was having forceps/ventouse coz that way you also get the chance of having no tear OR cut, but if it had to be one or the other I'd opt for the cut coz it's more controlled.
The big issue with cuts/tearing isn't the damage itself it's the way it's stitched, if it's stitched too tight it can cause problems later on. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: BaAsKa
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 8:13pm
i tore with Bay and he was a vontouse bubs but i never even noticed the stitches at all and we were even back to special cuddles at 2 weeks but with Astin it was less of a tear but hurt like hell!!! so i think i would go for the tear just incase its no big deal anyway.
I also tore my wee hole!!  with Astin cos i was pushing so hard that the catheta (SP?) came flying out!! now THAT! was painful!!!! 
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Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 8:26pm
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This was the problem I had -- I had a second degree tear, which I didn't feel at all and didn't mind having stitched up (after giving birth with no pain relief I was like, "Sure, stick needles in my bits, I don't mind! Anything's better than childbirth!") But six months down the line my tear still wasn't totally healed -- and I'd started to grow extra scar tissue that was inflamed and painful. I actually had to have it cut away under local anaesthetic and it's still tender sometimes. Delightful! That said, I think next time I would allow a tear to happen again. But I would be very careful about how it healed and would make sure it was healing properly. |
Maya wrote:Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 8:53pm
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OK Amber you have me in pian with the cathetar ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 9:09pm
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You lot are putting my off trying VBAC with number 2 (which won't be for ages) -------------
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Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 9:22pm
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I tore first time around, second degree, didn't feel a thing and stitches healed up fine, can't tell the difference now. Before that, I was happy to let a tear happen rather than be cut, and I'd go the same way again. ------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 9:44pm
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I had a 2nd degree tear that healed quite fast - we were in hospital for 10 days and I felt fine before we left. If I have the choice next time, I'd choose a tear again in the hope it won't come to that - I did not enjoy the stitching up ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: MummyFreckle
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 9:55pm
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My mw wont do episiotomies, she uses hot flannels to try and avoid tearing, but she swears that tearing heals so much quicker. I would much rather tear than be cut. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Kicker
Date Posted: 11 October 2007 at 10:19pm
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I had an episiotomy due to Madison getting stuck, she needed to get out and a little cut helped that. I only needed two stitches which healed very well. My mw didn't like doing them but in nher and my opinion it was the best option at the time. I think that if you can avoid them do, but if the tearing is going to be bad and a small cut will stop this then do it. All in all you have to trust your midwife to help you make the decision at the time.
And by the way it does hurt but only briefly  -------------  
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Posted By: MissCandice
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 8:38am
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I had a small tear with kylah, and when they were stitching me up an hour later she toldme it would be numb.. well it wasnt and it hurt more than labour!!!
Id prefer to tear cos i couldnt do a cut id freak out.. ------------- ~ Mummy to a beautiful girl ~ |
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 2:22pm
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i saw my friend get cut and i almost passed out-and i watch my dentist i work for cut open peoples gums and stuff on a regular basis
I had a tear, second degree i THINK (its shocking how bad my memory is getting), it wasnt too bad, bit sore afterwards and hurt when peeing ,but i got some stuff called citravescent (sp) which helped, i had a no pain relief labour and i thought getting stiched up wouldnt be so bad, but man, when she numbed that area i nearly went through the roof, except the sneaky mw had given me my newborn baby to hold-knowing full well i wouldnt want to throw her in the air..... cut or tear? ha neither really, but probably tear |
Posted By: mummy_dee
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 3:34pm
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I had a small tear with Ollie which I didn't feel at the time. Later on it hurt to pee, but it healed fine by itself.
I would probably tear again unless my midwife advised otherwise. ------------- Daphne Married Stuart: 19/03/05 Oliver: 9/06/06 Lilia due: 19/03/08 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 8:36pm
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I would prefer not to get cut, since small tears heal better... but if bubs was stuck or they thought that it would be a bad tear (like potential hole-to-hole) then I would let them cut if they thought it would be better. I will just let them know that I would really rather not be cut if they can avoid it, and then trust their judgement. ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 8:54pm
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I would prefer to tear... having said that, after 3 natural births, the only tearing I've done has been in my labia rather than anywhere else (sorry if TMI!)
Actually, I delivered Kiya without pain relief but insisted the midwife give me a local before she stitched up the skin tears! ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |