do you feel tearing during birth and how does it affect your recovery?

[dollface85]

So with both natural and epidural birth how do you feel the sensation of tearing? In the heat of the moment can you feel it? Also how is the recovery and how painful is it? How long does it take to heal etc?

 

[Amygdala]

I had a natural birth with a second degree tear. Didn't feel it happen and wasn't sore afterwards either. I don't know how long it took to heal but I never had any pain from it during recovery. Saying that, I had a water birth which is meant to help you heal more easily. No idea if that was the reason or I was just lucky though.

 

[Mum2princessA]

I had a 2nd degree tear with an epidural. The area felt a bit numb for up to 3 days. Not agonisingly sore or anything. I just remember feeling like I couldn't go for run. Honestly it didn't hurt like I thought it would. I had my first bm the day after and everyone was telling me it would hurt but it didn't hurt at all. You're given pain relief tablets I think they help

 

[Mum2princessA]

I forgot to write that I didn't feel any pain from tearing during epidural.

 

[summer rain]

I've always had slight tears (had episiotomy with eldest) just slightly worse than a first degree tear so just about in the 2nd degree tear category and either just gas and air or nothing. Never felt myself tearing and it hasn't been too bad afterwards either xx

 

[mrsparoline]

I tore badly with ds, didn't feel it (no epidural) but recovery hurt! Only for about a week, then it was bearable.

 

[Eleanor ace]

I had a 3rd/4th degree tear, I wasn't on any pain relief and although I felt more pain I wasn't sure it was tearing. I had a quick recovery- no real pain after a week

 

[lozza1uk]

I don't think you feel tearing as such. I remember a burning sensation but at the time you don't think about it! Weeing stung for a few days after, just make sure you have an empty water/sports bottle by the toilet to throw down you as you wee (ad drink loads of water as the more dilute your urine the less it stings). It hurt to sit down for a few days but my midwife actually cut one of my stitches about 5 days after labour as it had been done really tight; once she'd done that it was so much better!

 

[Kess]

I had a water birth with gas and air as my only pain relief at that point, and a second degree tear. I didn't feel a thing at the time. It was sore afterwards, though the graze I had on my labia stung worse! Once the stitches were out it was more comfortable - mostly they dissolved but a couple were a bit tight so MW cut them and that felt better. The worst bit was the scar tissue feeling tight and not having as much sensation in it as the surrounding skin. But that's temporary and not that big a deal. I do have a bit of overlapping skin though which kind of bothers me a smidgen (emotionally not physically).

 

[dan-o]

I didn't feel my 2nd degree (internal) tear or labial graze Didn't feel my stitches either, just a quick scratch when she put the local in, thats all.
The graze on my labia was a fair size, so that took just over 3 weeks to fill back in again completely. The graze stung when I peed or walked too far (stitches rubbed it a little I think)

By 4-5 weeks PP I was able to DTD with hubby again.

 

[dollface85]

Thank you ladies so much! This has been my biggest concern regarding labor and you have really put my mind at ease!

 

[staralfur]

I had a natural birth and tore quite badly, had inner and outer stitches. I didn't feel the tearing I don't think, it was painful but there was no tearing sensation or anything.

Recovery was pretty good, I could feel that things weren't quite "right" until about 5 months PP...which seems like a long time, but it was more uncomfortable than painful.

 

[alette]

I had an epidural and a 2nd degree tear and didn't feel a thing. It wasn't too bad afterword either.. I went running around walmart 3 days PP and was fine.

 

[Larkspur]

I had a third degree tear with no pain relief and didn't feel it at all, nor afterwards, and I had to lie around for four hours waiting to go under a spinal block for quite extensive stitching!

The word 'tear' sounds so horrific but seriously, there's so much going on down there at the time that you won't even differentiate.

 

[dollface85]

And I think I read that while giving birth your body naturally goes pretty numb down there because so much is going on!

 

[rtracey80]

I had a fourth degree tear. I never felt it happen and never felt any pain. Even when I was being looked over I never felt pain. Was down up in theatre and beamed up without any problems

 

[RachA]

I don't remember feeling myself tear - i was more struck with the weird feeling of actually giving birth - call me naive but i honestly didn't realise that when you gave birth you felt all the lumpy bumpy bits of babies arms and legs etc lol.

I had a 3rd degree tear. Recovery wasn't bad. Because of the severity it was expected that i wouldn't be able to sit comfortably but i didn't have any problems in that respect at all. I had pain to start off with so i kept myself dosed up on pain killers for a couple of weeks. When i stopped taking them i was pain free.

It did however take quite a long time to get my muscles sorted out. I had to go to the hospital for physio. I would say that it took a good few months for me to not wee accidentally when laughing etc and i was really worried i would never be able to hold it. It also took me about 6-12 months for me to not have to rush to the loo the minute i felt i need to poo (sorry about the tmi).

 

[teal]

I had an episiotomy and a separate tear into my bowel. I felt more pain but I didn't know what it was at the time. When I had to sit up in theatre for the spinal (wasn't impressed having a spinal after delivery!) it was very painful. It was three hours to get stitched up and I've had complications following a severe tear. I was also referred for physiotherapy. I didn't feel ok'ish until after a year.

 

[tommyg]

I had a water birth gas n air and a 2nd degree tear but I never felt it during or much afterward. Just before I left hospital the MW checked my stiches and she through my brusing was giving me more pain than the tear.

The brusing went within about a week. I was uncomfortable to sit but not overly sore didn't need pain killers or anything - just avoided hard chairs.

 

[xxlovexx]

I had a natural birth (induced) and had second degree tears. I was in so much pain towards the end of labor, that I didn't even know my son came out for about a minute or so after he was born. I have no other experiences to compare it to, but my recovery was terrible for 5-6 weeks. However, I did A LOT right after birth - (cooking, cleaning, lifting heavy stuff, I moved when DS was 3 weeks old, etc; my "normal" routine started back when he was a day old...so I just started doing way too much too soon.)