18/10/2024
There’s a fair chance you may have some sort of tear during your vaginal delivery. Some women do, some women don’t! It’s dependent on many different factors, and sometimes there is not a whole lot you can do to prevent a tear.
Giving birth on your hands and knees MAY reduce the likelihood of a tear. Additionally, a warm compress on your perineum while you are pushing may help prevent tearing. However, many women do tear regardless, so let’s go over each degree!
✴️ 1st degree tear: least severe, involving only the perineal skin — the skin between the vaginal opening and the re**um and the tissue directly beneath the skin. You might experience some mild pain or stinging during urination. These tears might or might not require stitches and typically heal within a few weeks
✴️ 2nd degree tear: go deeper, into the perineal muscles underneath. These tears need to be stitched closed, layer by layer. They’ll cause you some discomfort and usually take a few weeks to heal
✴️ 3rd degree tear: a tear in the perineal muscles that extends into the a**l sphincter (the muscle that surrounds your bu****le)
✴️ 4th degree tear: a tear that extends completely through the to the a**l ca**l or re**um
Remember - 3rd and 4th degree tears are MUCH less common that a 1st or 2nd....being around 2-6%. This means if you tear, you have about a 94-98% chance that you won’t tear your bu****le.
RePosted from • .labornurse
