Tearing During Delivery Quiz

November 5, 2008

If you are a mama-to-be, it's hard to stomach even talking about tearing during delivery. If you've already given birth, saying the word "episiotomy" is probably no longer taboo. Take this quiz and see how much you know about the subject.
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32 Comments

3 years 35 weeks

I had a third degree tear and it took me a full eight weeks to heal. I couldn't sit right for at least six weeks and at my six week postpartum checkup, the midwife retore my laceration during my PAP.

CarlyHP 4 years 28 weeks

4/5but OOF! man thats scary...I give even more credit to women who have kids now.

CarlyHP 4 years 28 weeks

4/5 but OOF! man thats scary... I give even more credit to women who have kids now.

kia 4 years 28 weeks

I want to have kids soon, and this does scare me.

GlowingMoon 4 years 28 weeks

I don't have children (and we don't plan to), but based on what I heard, I agree with Kellys. It's a case by case issue.My sister-in-laws tore naturally, and it was bad. Unfortunately, big-headed babies with wide shoulders ran in the family, and my sister-in-laws tore CONSIDERABLY. One sister-in-law joked that her three holes became one. She tore all the way to her back. With another sister-in-law, her son had raised both his elbows by the sides of ears when he was coming out ("that little jerk!" :)). Poor lady. She tore enormously, too, and she's petite (under 5 feet tall).I had a co-worker that had an episiotomy, and she liked it. It managed the tearing, and she healed well.

GlowingMoon 4 years 28 weeks

I don't have children (and we don't plan to), but based on what I heard, I agree with Kellys. It's a case by case issue. My sister-in-laws tore naturally, and it was bad. Unfortunately, big-headed babies with wide shoulders ran in the family, and my sister-in-laws tore CONSIDERABLY. One sister-in-law joked that her three holes became one. She tore all the way to her back. With another sister-in-law, her son had raised both his elbows by the sides of ears when he was coming out ("that little jerk!" :)). Poor lady. She tore enormously, too, and she's petite (under 5 feet tall). I had a co-worker that had an episiotomy, and she liked it. It managed the tearing, and she healed well.

masonsmama 4 years 28 weeks

I think that healing from that was FAR worse than anything else childbirth related - I wish someone had warned me about this ahead of time!

Vaadsfweytes 4 years 28 weeks

Blairbear, too much information! Now, I'm scared.

Jessiebanana 4 years 28 weeks

It's this kind of thing that just makes you want to say PASS on birthing children.

jessie 4 years 28 weeks

i tore with all 3 of my kids. the last to kids i healed fine. my 1st one...OMFG! while he was stitching he pulled to hard and ripped the other stitches out.....yea...that felt good. took me almost a year to heal.

honey693 4 years 28 weeks

My doctor doesn't do episiotomies and I would have refused one anyway. I had two tears and they both healed incredibly fast. So fast and well that by 3 weeks later I'm back at spinning classes!

roxtarchic 4 years 28 weeks

my doc didnt warn me it was coming & i think she just assumed the epidural was doing it's job (yeah not so much) so in between pushes i was like... What the *&$# was THAT. but really the actual cutting is NOTHING in the midst of giving birth... w/everything else that's goin on and in terms of pain... it's all part of the process which does kind of get blurred i think (the after birth part was way worse i think). When i got home two days later, the healing... was a very uncomfortable and nerve wrecking feeling (i remember that first time i thought i had to do more than pee and was SOOOOO afraid that stitches were gonna go flying).... but really, in the scheme of things... it's not that big of a deal.

roxtarchic 4 years 28 weeks

kellys 4 years 28 weeks

my doctor explained that she looks at a case by case issue. a terrible tear that can be mitigated by a small cut is going to cause less damage. a "clean" cut means an easier time stitching, potentially less scarring, etc etc. it *is* possible that bad cut in the wrong place might cause more damage than a few cuts sprinkled about, which is where most of the "it's better to tear naturally" philosophy comes from. as for me, my daughter came out so fast that when i asked if she had cut me she replied "i didn't have time!" :)

kellys 4 years 28 weeks

Martini Rossi 4 years 28 weeks

OMG this is one of the thing makes me fear pregnancy! Some of these comments are scary :(

joannakm 4 years 28 weeks

ugh...i think i might throw up reading about this. neither tearing or cutting sound good to me so maybe i'll have to be like amy poehler in baby mama and whip out the olive oil in april.

luckyme 4 years 28 weeks

I have also heard tearing is better, but either way, it probably hurts like hell! I tore...I don't know what degree and I don't know how many stitches. I did not need to know those details. Everything healed up pretty quickly and I was back to normal in a week and half, or so.

meandtheo 4 years 28 weeks

the hospital that i had my daughter in does not do episiotomies at all because they feel it is better to let you tear. i tore, a lot, it hurt during the healing..not at all during delivery.

meandtheo 4 years 28 weeks

the hospital that i had my daughter in does not do episiotomies at all because they feel it is better to let you tear. i tore, a lot, it hurt during the healing..not at all during delivery.

alikat07 4 years 28 weeks

Yikes... my friends have told me a bit about this, but not this graphically. One of the things I am not looking forward to.

Mommy of Three 4 years 28 weeks

3/5 - I think after 3 episiotomies I should have known more !

RosaDilia 4 years 28 weeks

I tore naturally and didn't require any stitches. Although, it did take a bit longer since the tear was from the inside out.

Greggie 4 years 28 weeks

Ok I should amend that I've heard that GENERALLY it's better to tear than to be cut, not always better. :)

BlairBear 4 years 28 weeks

I had an episiotomy with my first tore with my second and requested an episiotomy for my third. Let me tell you, tearing for me was sooo not easier! I tore up towards my clitoris, instead of tearing down towards the anus. My second literally tore me a new one! I would have vaginal reconstruction in a hearbeat.

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