What are the chances that you will tear?
I am rooting for you if want to give birth vaginally! If you are scared of tearing during childbirth and have been searching for tips all over the internet, like me just a few months ago, here are the key things that would have helped me to avoid months of agony. Want to find out helpful ways in how to prevent tearing during vaginal birth? Let’s take a quick crash course. The following are only my opinions, please consult with your medical professional.
When it comes to childbirth, there are wonderful videos on YouTube about relaxing, and laboring down, and breathing, and squatting that you’re probably quite familiar with by now.
I watched them. I did, and I was so ready for birth! …BUT of all the fears that come with this new undertaking of bringing a life into our beautiful world, at the top of my list was the fear that I would tear during the birth process.
Guess what?
I tore.
And now I’m in therapy. I would like to hopefully give you some tips that would have helped me in retrospect.
The overwhelming consensus seems to be that 90-something percent of vaginal births will end with a tear of some sort. Does that mean you have to accept it as almost inevitable? I really don’t think so.
I’m not entirely sure if that statistic includes women who have prepared. I believe that with confidence and putting in the work that can you avoid tearing during childbirth. And after my experience I will definitely be implementing the following tips I will be sharing with you for next time!
Where to prevent tearing?
In order to be able to implement these things, it helps to have a good understanding of the anatomy of your nether regions. The birth canal is very close to the anal canal. The little section between the canals is called the perineum. This is the area that may not have enough time to stretch and give to the pressure during birth and may therefore tear during the process. This area is also, basically, the base of your pelvic floor.
The pelvic floor is the group of muscles that give way to the openings for bladder emptying, your uterus, and rectum. A tear to this area and the effects of carrying a child, can cause your pelvic floor to weaken. A weak pelvic floor gives you trouble controlling your bladder or even controlling your bowel movements.
During the labor process the vaginal opening dilates and starts to stretch out. The basic premise of avoiding the tear to help your body with this process as the area can be very thick and rigid. A thick and rigid perineum is a good thing in general when you’re not giving birth.
dealing with the fear of the tear and how to overcome it
Knowledge is power.
The more you find out about the unknown the more it becomes familiar and therefore less scary. What I would have told myself and what I am asking you to do is know your body.
Your body is undergoing a transitional stage. It will be continually changing for about a year! The knowledge of your body will begin to give the the confidence you need to implement the steps that will help to prevent tearing during vaginal birth.
Although you may not be able to master it completely, I would encourage you to envision the process of your ideal birth, not tearing during childbirth and take the steps that you need to help it happen. As you equip yourself with knowledge, you will feel more empowered.
This will bring you peace when you go into labor knowing that you’ve done your part to ensure that you do not tear.
Reasons why you may teaR
Dryness causing tougher skin
Tightness because of thickness of muscle
Large baby
Other complications such as the baby’s position
Mechanical intervention like forceps.
These are things I have come up with from crawling over the internet…You can learn more about the varying ways that you may tear here.
say no to the back
There are so many different positions you can be in when delivering your bundle of joy. Have a water birth or be in a squatting position or on your side, just DO NOT give birth on your back.
This, for me is one of the most important points of how not to tear during vaginal birth.
But, why? Because, you need to get a huge head out of a smaller space! The point is to be in a position where your bottom is not pressed on anything so that your sacral bone can move! This will ensure that your baby’s head has more room to come out smoothly.
Get acquainted with your perineum
I’m talking about oil massage of the perineum. This is done about a month to a month and a half before birthing. You need your thumb covered with a light oil like coconut oil. Place your thumb inside the opening of your birth canal and push it gently towards the anus as well as to the left and right to get most of that muscle.
It should feel tight but breath through it and do it at least 3 times a week for about a minute or so as this begins to relax the perineum. I’m going through a similar exercise in therapy, but that’s a story for another day.
This step is so important because it is your lovely perineum that you do not want to tear during childbirth.
Be in tune with your body
Yes, even though you feel like a stranger to your own body, eat mindfully. By making sure you are eating mostly nutrient dense foods.
Why? Because it will will really improve your energy levels. It will come in handy for labor. And of course, eat only an adequate serving for one person – you will be thankful you did this.
Trust me that extra serving of ice cream “just because” will ultimately make you feel worse… Almost one hundred pounds later, I can say that this one did me in.
When the moment comes and you are finally in labor, push only when you feel the urge. This is easier said than done though, as you can imagine. But it’s important that you breathe through the process. This seems to be the critical moment and you do not want to tear during childbirth.
So really, just breathe.
Letting go of your fears and your control will also help to prevent tearing during vaginal birth. You were made to do this! You really need to be in touch with your body to really feel what is going on as the sensations of labor are so foreign especially for your first time.
What may help with this process is to perform exercises such as kegels and squats during your pregnancy which may help you get control of the muscles down there to heighten your awareness.
Summary
You are not completely powerless. You have the ability not to tear during childbirth. Knowing the why, the where and the how of basic vaginal tearing during childbirth will arm you with necessary information to hopefully help you prevent it. This is by no way a comprehensive list as I’m just going by things that I have heard or read up along the way that would have been particularly helpful to me. Now you know the basics of how to prevent tearing during vaginal birth. I would suggest talking to your healthcare provider to figure out what is best for you. Have you heard of other ways to prevent tearing? I would love to hear them!