do you tear less having a baby in water as opposed to laying down on a bed?
ByI’m thinking of doing a water birth, scared of the pain and the tearing. Dont know if I want to feel all that. also considering going to a hospital and getting an epidural. question # 2 Aslo, does it hurt less doing a water birth?
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10 Comments
May 26th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
ive never had one – but ive heard amazing stories about it. ive heard that water births take a lot more pressure off of you and it feels a lot better. especially teh warm water on their backs. yes, ive heard you tear less because you’re more relaxed
BTW the tearing its really teh part that hurts. it jsut burns some- the contractions do- if you have an epidural you cant have a water birth
May 26th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
when u give birth in a bed they apply pressure with a warm wet washcloth to the area prone to tearing. i still tore anyway. i think it just depends on your body. i would definetly recommend the epidural. i can honestly say i enjoyed labour and delivery after the epidural
May 26th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
I’ve heard positive things about a water birth too but I wanted to go more traditional with my first. I ended up having an episiotomy and didn’t feel a thing (your body naturally numbs you down there if you go w/out drugs). I had an epidural and I joked to the dr after I got mine that they should make them mandatory! It was awesome…and also explains why I didn’t feel the cut. Do what you feel comfy with! Good luck!
May 26th, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Water births help to promote relaxation and help manage pain. As for the tearing, it really depends on how you push the baby out. If you relax when your baby is crowning and push a little bit at a time, your labia and perineum will have more time to stretch, thus minimizing tears.
If you want total pain relief, you’ll have to get the epidural. This is a very popular method of pain control and works very well. However, many more women are starting to choose natural births and the percentage of epidurals has declined. I did have an epidural and it was fantastic. I was lucky because I could still move my legs around and feel my contractions. They were not painful but I definitely felt them. Also, my epidural starting wearing off right around the time when I was 9 cm, so my urge to push was not affected.
You also have to ask if your hospital has a birthing tub because not all hospitals can facilitate a water birth. If they do not have birthing tubs, you can still benefit from water therapy by sitting in the shower. A nice warm showerhead blasting water on your back or belly is great for helping you to relax and is good for pain management.
Good luck, and have a happy pregnancy!
May 27th, 2010 at 12:05 am
A water birth would be interesting but I don’t know about myself. I have an epidural so I didn’t feel much at all. But when it wore off and my uterus was contracting back to normal size, that was painful. I was glad I had the epidural for the “real” contractions. But a water birth would be an interesting thing to consider if and when I have another child. It all depends on how well you think you can take the pain, given the meds they can give you with a water birth. It is also said to be much less traumatic for the baby cuz they are going from water to water and eased more into the dry world instead of being thrust into it!
May 27th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Tearing depends on the woman and the size of the baby.
A water birth is not going to stop a woman from tearing.
And the same goes with the pain.
Some woman just take pain better then others.
They do tend to relax you more though.
My sister had one and I was right there by her side.
Much different experience then the natural bed birth!
I definitely recommend the water birth!
May 27th, 2010 at 12:42 am
The hospital I gave birth at didn’t have the option of water birth so I had my son in the shower. The warm water is really relaxing. Also just consider that if you don’t do a water birth try squatting, kneeling or down on all fours and let gravity help the birthing process. When I had my son it actually hurt more to lie down. If you tear you don’t really feel it anyway it’s more like a stinging/burning sensation.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:10 am
I haven’t had my baby yet. I’m 32 weeks now. I have done a lot of research and am planning to do a homebirth. For what I’ve read, it’s very important to try to relax. This makes sense, sorry a little grafic here, but if you think about going #2 or sex, the more relaxed you are the more comfortable the experience (in general). So, I plan to use my jacuzzi tub as much as possible during the labor to help me relax. Many women swear by using hydrotherapy to reduce pain. Laying down on a bed seems to go against gravity. I have read and watched DVDs advocating the use of yoga balls (those huge inflatable balls), getting on your hands and knees, and doing a squatting position to help the baby move through the birth canal. Massage can help people relax and hopefully reduce pain too. Also, one book said that the amount of tension you keep in your mouth and jaw has a direct correlation to the tightness of you cervix. The midwife suggests singing or making noises to help relax the mouth, jaw and throat, and this should help relax your cervix too.
In terms of tearing, I have read about perinium massage. Where you stretch out your perinium during the month prior to labor. My doula says this will help you to tolerate the sensations you will feel during labor and hopefully stretch the skin so you tear less (although I don’t know if this is scientifically proven). I have read that it’s really important to only push when you feel the urge to push and not to force it. Try to push slowly. I know my midwife and doula plan to use the warm compresses on my perenium. I guess that is supposed to help to not tear.
Good Luck!!!
May 27th, 2010 at 1:43 am
Yep, I have had births both ways — lying down in a hospital bed and in water. Water is SO much better.
The bouyancy of the water alleviates the pressure on the perineum (the part where you can tear), making tearing much less common.
Water is also much more comfortable to labor and give birth in. The best way I can express this is that I gave birth to a tiny baby (6 lbs., 1 oz.) in the hospital. Her birth was much harder on me than the birth of her huge sister (150% bigger at 9 lbs., 2 oz.) because this baby was born in water. Huge difference!
Even hospital + epidural is still harder on the woman than water.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:54 am
A water bath is suppost to make you feel more calm and may try to take your mind off the pain (like your controlled breathing). but i do not think it will prevent tearing.
no matter what you do you will most likely tear. but sometimes they cut you ‘down there’ to prevent tearing.
Dont worry about the pain of the tearing ? because tearing/ cutting will hurt alot less than contractions. And im sure in the end it will be worth it. good luck hope this helps. and congrats.