Hiya all! I'm new here, so I don't know if this has been discussed, but I'm hoping there are others who have faced the same situation and can give advice/opinions.
Background: I had my first child in October. During my pregnancy, I read everything I could about natural childbirth, took Bradley method classes, even switched from a large hospital/OB to a small hospital/MW where waterbirth was an option. I was totally committed to a drug-free, intervention-free birth, and really felt educated about making that happen.
My labour was good; water broke at 3 am, arrived at the hospital (40 minute drive) at 7:30, fully dialated by 9:00 am. I laboured in the shower and pool and didn't even think of asking for drugs.
When it came time to push (ie, I was 10 cm and feeling a *slight* urge), I tried pushing in the pool, but found I couldn't get a good grip with my feet, so I got out. I squatted pretty much from the get go, leaning into my husband for support. My labia got really swollen right away. I'd only been pushing for about 30 minutes when the MW started to say "Here's the head" and "one more push". The MW had her finger in my vagina most of the time while I pushed. At the time, it seemed like this "helped" me push, but maybe it contributed to the swelling?
Anyway, I pushed and pushed and pushed. Eventually I got tired, and had to move to different positions other than squatting. I tried sidelying and semi-reclined, but not hands and knees (which I just didn't think of at the time). I'd periodically go back to squatting, but I just couldn't keep it up for more than a couple contrax.
At some point, I started tearing. The tear was in my vagina, not in my perineum, though. Around the 2.5 hour mark, they called the backup doctor. She tried to use the vaccuum but it wouldn't stay on. By this time my perineum was tearing, too. She then used forceps and had to try several times to get them positioned.
I felt like I was being split in two!! She did a small episiotomy to try to "direct" the tears that were already happening, but it didn't work and I tore into my anus.
Anyway, baby was born healthy at 12:30 pm, after 3.5 hours of pushing. She was 7 lbs 14 ounces. So not too big, really. Oh, and I did go drug-free... Yeeouch! Forceps were meant to go hand in hand with strong drugs!!
:
I had to be transported to another hospital and put under for surgery to have my pelvic floor repaired. The surgery was successful, and I don't have any long lasting effects from the damage. Sex is more or less normal, and I have normal bowel control, bladder control, etc.
The dr who did the repair surgery is recommending a c-section for any subsequent births. He is worried that further damage may not repair as well... that is, just because I've been "lucky" this time, if I tore badly again, I might have long term problems. He does concede that my next birth could go very differently and I might not tear at all.
Sorry for the long recap.... Finally getting to my questions!
If you were in my situation, would you try for a v-birth again, or schedule a section?
If you do recommend trying a v-birth again, what can I do to reduce the swelling in my labia/vaginal canal? Both my MW and I really feel it was a problem of my soft tissue not expanding normally to allow the baby to pass through; instead, I got so swollen, the birth canal was very narrow.
Are there any dietary measures I can take to increase the elasticity of my skin?
Do you think that the midwife's "help" with her fingers during pushing might have contributed to the problem?
I've heard about "labouring down"... do you think that is something I should try next time?
Agh! I have so many questions and so much anxiety about future births, and I'm not even pregnant yet! I guess I just want to hear from other mamas who have torn badly... what did you do for future births?
Thanks in advance!
Heather
Proud mama to Faith Olivia, born Oct 4, 2004
Background: I had my first child in October. During my pregnancy, I read everything I could about natural childbirth, took Bradley method classes, even switched from a large hospital/OB to a small hospital/MW where waterbirth was an option. I was totally committed to a drug-free, intervention-free birth, and really felt educated about making that happen.
My labour was good; water broke at 3 am, arrived at the hospital (40 minute drive) at 7:30, fully dialated by 9:00 am. I laboured in the shower and pool and didn't even think of asking for drugs.
When it came time to push (ie, I was 10 cm and feeling a *slight* urge), I tried pushing in the pool, but found I couldn't get a good grip with my feet, so I got out. I squatted pretty much from the get go, leaning into my husband for support. My labia got really swollen right away. I'd only been pushing for about 30 minutes when the MW started to say "Here's the head" and "one more push". The MW had her finger in my vagina most of the time while I pushed. At the time, it seemed like this "helped" me push, but maybe it contributed to the swelling?
Anyway, I pushed and pushed and pushed. Eventually I got tired, and had to move to different positions other than squatting. I tried sidelying and semi-reclined, but not hands and knees (which I just didn't think of at the time). I'd periodically go back to squatting, but I just couldn't keep it up for more than a couple contrax.
At some point, I started tearing. The tear was in my vagina, not in my perineum, though. Around the 2.5 hour mark, they called the backup doctor. She tried to use the vaccuum but it wouldn't stay on. By this time my perineum was tearing, too. She then used forceps and had to try several times to get them positioned.
Anyway, baby was born healthy at 12:30 pm, after 3.5 hours of pushing. She was 7 lbs 14 ounces. So not too big, really. Oh, and I did go drug-free... Yeeouch! Forceps were meant to go hand in hand with strong drugs!!
I had to be transported to another hospital and put under for surgery to have my pelvic floor repaired. The surgery was successful, and I don't have any long lasting effects from the damage. Sex is more or less normal, and I have normal bowel control, bladder control, etc.
The dr who did the repair surgery is recommending a c-section for any subsequent births. He is worried that further damage may not repair as well... that is, just because I've been "lucky" this time, if I tore badly again, I might have long term problems. He does concede that my next birth could go very differently and I might not tear at all.
Sorry for the long recap.... Finally getting to my questions!
If you were in my situation, would you try for a v-birth again, or schedule a section?
If you do recommend trying a v-birth again, what can I do to reduce the swelling in my labia/vaginal canal? Both my MW and I really feel it was a problem of my soft tissue not expanding normally to allow the baby to pass through; instead, I got so swollen, the birth canal was very narrow.
Are there any dietary measures I can take to increase the elasticity of my skin?
Do you think that the midwife's "help" with her fingers during pushing might have contributed to the problem?
I've heard about "labouring down"... do you think that is something I should try next time?
Agh! I have so many questions and so much anxiety about future births, and I'm not even pregnant yet! I guess I just want to hear from other mamas who have torn badly... what did you do for future births?
Thanks in advance!
Heather
Proud mama to Faith Olivia, born Oct 4, 2004