(Don't) Let Her Rip
“Will I tear?” is one of the most common questions asked by birthing people. There is a lot of fear surrounding this topic and some birthing people fear vaginally birthing their baby more than the labor itself.
While we can’t predict whether or not someone will tear, we can offer suggestions to help minimize the possibility of tearing. Read on to find out those suggestions.
What: Think warm and think wet!
Why: Warm water against the perineum before and during the pushing stage can help the muscle tissue relax and be more pliable so that those tissues can more easily stretch as baby descends into the birh canal and emerges from the body.
How: Sitting in a bath filled with warm water is one option. Another option may be to stand in a warm shower and use a showerhead to gently spray warm water against the vulva. If your provider wants you to be out of water before you start pushing, ask your nurse or care provider to use warm washcloths and press them against your vulva in between pushes.
What: Consider pushing in different positions
Why: Pushing in certain postions may help give you more control when you push. This means you may be able to more easily slow down the pushes, particulary as baby’s head starts to crown. Letting baby slowly stretch the muscles can help minimize tearing.
How: Most birthing people find they have a little more control when they push baby out in one of two positions: side-lying or being on hands and knees. Ask your support team to help you move into these positions.
What: Using mineral oil
Why: The application of oil to the perinuem may help it stretch more easily
How: Your care provider can place the oil on their sterile gloves and massage it into your vagina and around your perineum as baby descends while you push.
What: Perineal massage in the weeks before labor
Why: Perineal massage can help keep the perineal tissues flexilble.
How: You can do this yourself or your partner can do this for you. Sit back with your legs apart. Have your partner place a finger 1-2 inches inside your vagina. They should press fingers to the side of the vaginal wall and then down. Have them gently sweep down and side to side with their thumb or finger. Do this for a few minutes once or twice per week. Interestingly, evidence shows that doing this more frequently than twice a week may actually reduce the benefits of the perineal massage. More info can be found here.
Again, there is no way to predict if someone will experience any tearing during birth. Taking the above measures, however, may help reduce those chances. We hope the knowledge about the above options will help reduce fear surrounding this subject.