Disclaimer: This is not a foolproof list, nor the ONLY 5 things that will work. You can do all the right things and still tear, and you can do NONE of these things and potentially not tear! BUT, these are some things I see repeatedly time and time again that DO help decrease your chances of tearing
1. Pelvic floor stretching and breath work 35 weeks on – I teach this to ALL my OB patients! We work on pelvic floor stretching and relaxation, proper breathing, and perineal mobilization, which helps prepare the pelvic floor to lengthen/relax with pushing and helps prepare the perineal tissue to stretch instead of tear.
2. A weak epidural or no epidural – In general, epidurals typically make pushing more challenging – it’s harder to know WHEN and HOW to push effectively. I see more patients who have no epidural give birth without tearing vs. those who have one.
3. Ability to move during L&D and try different positions is key and often overlooked in many hospital births. Pushing on your back is associated w/ the HIGHEST rates of perineal trauma, forceps/suction delivery, nerve damage. When women are given the opportunity to move during birth or try different positions, this helps open up the pelvis, decreasing the chances of perineal trauma. In my L&D prep, we go through various positions and talk through the pros/cons of each. Many of these CAN be achieved even WITH an epidural.
4. Environment – Research shows that a mom feels safe when her environment is dark, calm, and quiet and when there are fewer interruptions, interventions, and checks. When she can listen to her body’s natural intuition vs. being told when to push or what position to be in, can lend itself to the fetal ejection reflex. This spontaneous bearing down is often associated with a very short delivery phase and less tearing.
After five vaginal births and working with hundreds of pregnant women, I’ve created a Labor and Delivery Checklist w/ all my insight!
If you’d like help consider my OB package! This is a 4-appt package (w/ savings) designed to help you have the BEST pregnancy, L&D and postpartum! Let’s PREVENT problems so you can enjoy this incredible life season.
