Hi I am 26 weeks and due to have baby in August.
I had 3rd degree tear 4 years ago and I am concerned about the birth natural or c-section?.

I had a 3rd degree tear 2 years ago and though i plan no more kids, ig i did have any more i would opt for a section. I still get various problems from my tear and know that if i were to tear again the problems would be made worse. It depends on how you feel really. If you have healed well and have no problems from your tear then perhaps you could go for another natural delivery, you won't necessarily tear again, although you obviously could. However, if you still have problems from the tear then i personally wouldnt risk another natural birth. Repeated tears can cause long term bowel damage. Have you had/been offered an appointment with a consultant to discuss your options? If not, then ask you midwife to arrange one for you so you can have a chat about your options, but if you want a section, bear in mind that your consultant may try and push you towards a natural birth so be prepared to stand your ground. Good luck x

Hi, I cant help but i am interested to hear your decision and how you get on eiwht it come august.
I had a 3rd degree tear almost 17 months ago with my daughter, i was stitched in theatre but had so many problems that i just had it all re done (fentons procedure + removal of scar tissue lump + cosmetic tidy) 5 weeks ago. I still have internal stitches so we cant ttc yet, but will be asap.
I have always been keen to have a natural birth next time as despite the tear i felt i had a great birth, and ive made this clear to consultant, but obviously im still petrified that it could all tear again and leave me incontient, which thank goodness i havent been.
If you want to talk my email is scooby_dav@yahoo,com if its easier. x

I also had 3rd degree tear 2 yrs ago and am pregnant agian, due in November. My midwife has said that there's no extra risk that I'll tear again this time, so I'm going for a natural home birth, like last time.Good luck x

Wow, a home birth is brave! I had to go to theatre to be stitched after 3rd degree tear. Did you have to go to hospital? I think the bleeding was quite bad.
Ive also heard that there is no extra risk of tearing, yet scar tissue isnt stretchy so im not sure if this is really true. But i certainly hope it is, and think im still keen to have a natural birth. I really hope you can let us know how you get on after baby is born x

I had a 3rd degree tear 5 yrs ago with my ds, and I just had dd 11 weeks ago.

I had a very controlled birth. I was on the bed with the consultant and 2 mw's down there!! I had an episiotomy to reduce the risk of the scar tissue being damaged, as there is a risk that the scar tissue can split open. It was okay, and I healed so much better and quicker this time round.

Thanks for that feedback marnb. May i ask which hospital it was? I think some are more open to 2nd natural birth than others. But that sounds exactly like what im planning, very controlled, more mobile this time (had syntocin drip last time), elective episiotomy if nessisary. Glad it can be done!

Hi sarah,

I live in Surrey and had dd at Epsom Hospital.

I was offered a c-section straight away, but I told them I wanted to try and deliver her myself. I think I was lucky as I had 2 fantastic mw's who were with me the whole time.

I'm sure you'lll be fine!!!

Wow, sounds like you had a great experience, and i hope im just as lucky! I will certainly try for natural birth

I did have a wonderful home birth, but was then transferred to hospital straight afterwards to get sewn up!

Hi

I had a third degree tear with my first. My consultant said there was no need to have a section next time. I fell pregnant again quite quickly and also opted for a homebirth which went really well and a much more positive experience than my hospital birth.

Howwever i did end up with a second degree tear second time around which was stitched at home by the midwife and was absolutely nothing compared to the third degree tear i had with my first. However neither actually healed paticularly well (although no problems internally it's all external) and I have a hospital appointment on Monday to see whether I need a further repair.

Next time (am I mad) I may opt for a c-section purely because my poor bits have probably had enough now, but if not I will be at home again.

The reasons for this were it was much more controlled and relaxed at home. I was more mobile, the midwife got me in a good position to push (first time round in stirrups and screamed at too push, The midwife even said we may need to do a cut but didn't actual do the episiotomy - although I don't know which would have been better). The midwife (who was fantastic) second time round, controlled my pushing telling me when to hold back and also tried to keep me together to prevent the tear being any worse. We both knew I would tear again because the original one had not healed correctly so she did everything possible to prevent it and reduce the tearing.

Wow teenytiny, that sounds fantastic. It just goes to show that there are some fantastic midwives out there.
Im feeling much better after my repair, and am so pleased ive had it done as sex was unbearable before but its not until its comfortable again that you realise how bad something was!

Sarah + 1

i have just been to my consultant i am now waiting for my appointment for the Fentons Op. Can you tell me how long it took you to heal after?? He has told me two weeks. Also di you have to stay in overnight or was it just as a day patient - I forgot to ask?

Some parts of mine have overhealed and some hasn't healed and I also have a 'pocket' internally which needs to be corrected.

I found out today at my consultant post natal check up that 3rd degree tears are labelled 3a or 3b depending how deep into the muscle the tear is. I was also told that there is no need to have a c section next time but to monitor any symptoms foever more! x

Hi Tenny tiny, sorry i have only just seen your post. I felt ok the day of the op, pretty rough for 2-3 days after but then felt ok. I was walking into town a week later and would say it was much much better after 2 weeks. But 6 weeks sex was fine for me, and I could sit down, squat, wear tight jeans, all the things i couldnt before because of the pain.
I had more done than the standard fentons as they repaired the internal wall too, but I was still allowed home the same day, but i was first on the list. All being well i think its just a day case.
Honestly, I cant recommend it highly enough. Im so glad i had it done.
When is your op?
Im actually pregnant again and am def planning on a vaginal birth. Spoke to my consultant post op and he said as long as im careful with my diet, and baby doesnt end up huge it should be fine. That said, my dd was only 7lb 1oz. I swear it was the syntocin drip that caused my tear, and thinking back i can remember saying to the midwife that it felt "dry" and burning. I think now this was me tearing internally. But thats ok, i will just try and avoid synoticin next time, but obv ultimatly even a 4th degree tear is fine so long as baby is happy and healthy.
x

Sarah

I am glad the op has made things better for you.

I don't have a date yet for mine I am still waiting to find out just want to get it done now so will chase them on Monday. They have a time limit of 18 weeks which takes me upto October so it should be done by then.

For my second birth my midwife told me to eat plenty of oily fish, drink plenty of water and to massage the scar tissue with oil in the run up to the birth in the hope it would stretch ok.

I only had small babies - my first 6lb 11oz and second 6lb 9oz. i think there are lots of things that contribute to a tear other than baby's weight.

Yes you should chase the op. I had to chase mine. I hope you feel better once its done. If you are like me you will be so pleased you had it done.

Thanks for the advise re fish, water and massage....what a combination hey! The things we do!

i had third degree tear first time due to my son getting stuck and then him been yanked out by forceps rather roughly. i was supposed to have c-section 2nd time but because i'd healed so well there was no reason for me to have c-sect so it was going to be natural. as it turned out my waters broke at home and 20 minutes later there was my son so i had no choice in the matter. he shot out so fast that i had 3rd degree tears again.
1 m/w told me that if he had been born in hospital then a m/w would have been able to prevent tears but other m/ws and hv's have scoffed at this and said the speed he was going there was no chance!!
the hospital i was taken after have special studies on all of this and i had a long op to reconstruct everything after the birth so i am quite lucky that i feel i have no long term damage.
they did insist that i do pelvic floors though as many women even in their 50's who have gone through this now suffer incontinence.. sorry if tmi.

I had a 3a first time round and just had my twelve week scan and meeting the OB today. I was going to ask about vaginal births after 3rd degree tears and then found this already here for me!

My consultant was very concerned as to whether I'd had any bowel incontinence and since I haven't (its only my bladder and I thought I had that under control before this pregnancy!) he says to go for a vaginal birth. But he's put me in the high risk camp so I have to travel to our nearest big hospital to the consultant led unit rather than our local midwife led unit.

The consultant I saw post the first birth reckoned that I shouldn't have problems for a second birth since the first was a forceps and so the "head" was so much larger than it would be normally. But unless he has a crystal ball I can't see how he can know how it will be!

I'm far more scared about labour this time round than I was the first! I think perhaps ignorance is bliss!

I've been reading through all this again with interest as I'm now nearly 16 weeks pregnant with my second child following a 3rd degree tear with the first.

I had a meeting with my consultant a couple of weeks ago who gave me the straight forward facts which are: 3rd degree tear = weakened pelvic floor. Even though I haven't had any problems this time round another vaginal birth will further weaken the pelvic floor which could result in further tearing and therefore further complications. He offered me an elective c-section.

All great and very logical but you can't really bring logic into childbirth from the woman's point of view. I don't want a c-section, I want things to happen naturally, to have the surprise of when it's going to turn up, to even go through all that pain again. I want to be able to pick dd1 up and drive within 6 weeks. I don't want to have another spinal!

Unfortunately dh is seeing it from the more logical point of view and doesn't think a natural birth is worth risking a lifetime of complications. I can see his point but I just feel the odds are in my favour.

I've spoken to the midwife briefly about it and I've decided that, although I'd like a waterbirth like last time, the midwife can help control things better if I'm out of the water. (I tore last time because dd came out in a whoosh in the water and lifted her elbow as she came). I'm also planning to try the perineum massage even though I failed miserably last time. I've also seen another thread about epi-no and someone due in the next month or so is trying this product so I'm going to try and find her and see how she thinks it works. I've got another midwife appointment next week and I'm taking dh along so I can discuss all this with her again and he can ask questions and hopefully put his mind at rest.

Sorry for the long post! Maybe we should try and find summ3r again and see how her birth went in August. If you're getting post notifications Summ3r, please come back and tell us how it all went!

MM
15+4

I am in the very same situation! I am now 22 weeks with my second, as you can see from above i had 3rd degree first time.
I dont see my consultant until 24 weeks. As you have read i was dead set on vaginal birth this time as I enjoyed it so much last time, but now im in the situation of having to decide Im wondering if im being selfish by not having the c.sec. I also dont want the lack of lifting, driving ect. I also think its fear of the unknown. I wonder though if 6 weeks of (i was going to say a pain in the **** but that would be the natural birth!) having serious inconvinience would be easier, not to mention more dignified, than a life time of incontinence.
Its such a hard decission and i totally understand everything you ladies are saying.
I wonder if the consultant would let me have a scan futher in the pregnancy to see how big the baby is and perhaps make a decission from that. Do you know if this is possible?

I second the above, would love to hear how Summ3r got on!

Sarah+1
21+6