9 SECRETS ON HOW TO AVOID VAGINAL TEARS DURING BIRTH
Women are afraid of tearing themselves during birth and want to avoid this at all costs. Although it is impossible to avoid some vaginal tears, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of severe vaginal trauma.
Here’s how to reduce the chances of vaginal tears during birth:
1) Prepare your body
It is essential to ensure that your body is ready for the start of work. Exercise improves circulation, which improves the elasticity of the skin. Good nutrition and hydration are helpful for your skin and your muscle health. Include lots of good fats, especially omega-3s (fish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds) and lean fodder or free diet proteins. A wide range of vegetables complements a healthy diet and includes nutrients such as vitamin E, vitamin C and zinc. These will provide your body with the opportunity to stretch during and recover from the workforce.
2) Pelvic floor exercises
Common advice for pregnant women is to do pelvic floor exercises (called Kegel) to strengthen the muscles in the pelvic floor. The idea is that after birth, the pelvic floor muscles become fit and you are less likely to have incontinence (yourself).
Learning to relax the pelvic muscles is also important and performing the pelvic floor exercises properly can help you identify these muscles and then release them.
3) Work in the water
Immerse yourself in a big warm bath is the ultimate relaxing image. During work, hot water has a multitude of benefits. Many midwives and women swear by softening the warm water of the perineal tissues and relieving the sensation of crowning.
4) Birth position
The position in which you are pushing has a great influence on the risk of tearing. Lying with the hanging legs or the semi-inclined positions puts pressure on your perineum, reduce the size of the pelvic floor and increases the likelihood of tearing.
Women who are free to move during work will find the position that helps them cope with contractions at each particular stage. Some women like to have their feet firmly planted on the ground.
Less stressful positions for the perineum include:
- On all fours, hands and knees.
- Lie forward in a supported standing, kneeling or sitting position
- Sleep on your side.
In squatting and kneeling positions are useful positive positions, if the woman’s knees are very wide, the perineum is stretched aside and can increase the likelihood of tearing.
5) Breathe rather than push the baby
During the push phase, the fetus ejection reflex moves the baby down and out of the uterus, into the vagina, and around the world. These strong contractions of thrust are involuntary and move the baby without the mother pushing or moving. Women gave birth during their sleep and in comas!
When you feel the urge to push, it is actually that your uterus is already contracting and the baby is shaking up. Most women have an instinctive response during these contractions. You must not push with your whole body while holding your breath to give birth to your baby. This reduces the oxygen for you and your baby, and adds your muscles instead of releasing them. Breathing with your contractions allows your baby to descend slowly and with less trauma into your pelvic floor. As your baby’s head grows on the pelvic floor, the perineum begins to fade and stretch.
6) Use hot compresses
A warm compress at the perineum can reduce severe tears. The heat increases the blood flow in the area and if the back pressure is used can feel very relieving. Some women find that warm compression is very comforting and others prefer that their caregivers take a dead-end approach.
7) Perineal massage
The preparation of the perineum during pregnancy has reduced the risk of tearing in mothers with their first vaginal birth. Perineal massage can help a woman become familiar with her own body and have confidence in her ability to stretch and tie her baby. Although it reduces the risk of perineal trauma, it seems that the reduced risk could be due to a decrease in the probability of an episiotomy
8) Choice of place of birth and caregiver
Care providers who are more focused on training during work will compromise your confidence and instinct. This can interfere with the hormones that you devote
9) Episiotomy
An episiotomy is a surgical cut on the skin and muscle of the perineal area, to enlarge the vaginal opening. When choosing a doctor, ask them about their use of episiotomy and their belief in natural tearing during labor. It’s also a great way to reduce stress and tension during work, and help you find positions and methods that help maximize your chances of avoiding a tear.
