I was just curious to know how many ladies had to endure an episiotomy when birthing baby #1 - and how many needed them for consecutive births?

I had an episiotomy with DS and would like to avoid this with baby #2

Definitely dont want to go through that again!

I had a pretty big episiotomy with my first and the second I didn't need one but I did tear a little... but bub was also 9pd3 and I am not a large person so not surprising really

I think the episiotomy healed faster and was less painful than the tear too

Good luck with it!

I didn't have an epesiotomy with either of mine, but I did tear badly with both. Both required lots of needles and stitches. And lots of pain! The problem with tearing is that you never know where you're going to tear (and you could end up with an epesiotomy anyway) and if you give birth in a public hospital it's usually a jnr doctor who stitches you up and according to my GP, it takes experience to be able to ascertain the best way to stitch the different tears, so the jnr doctors dont necessarily do a great job.

This is actually the part of giving birth again that I am dreading.

I have always wondered if an epesiotomy would be quicker to heal than a bad tear.

I had an episiotomy with DS1, DS2 a second degree tear (Hanes, I felt that my epi healed better than my tear) and a slight graze with DS3

I had an episiotomy with DS1, however tore a bit with DS2.

In my experience I 'healed' a lot better second time around. The midwife that did my stitching after DS2 asked who on Earth stitched me up the first time. Nice..

Had an epi. with one child and then not with the next and ended up with tears and grazes that needed stitches.

I didn't have an episiotomy with either child but I did tear and I agree with Hanes, being stitched up was the worst part of the whole labour and birth. I had a second degree tear with number one that was painful for six weeks afterwards and a first degree tear with number two that was fine within a week.

I thought the general idea was that you were supposed to heal better from a tear than an epi? Or perhaps that is just a idea my extremely midwife friendly / intervention-free preferred hospital suggests?

Good luck Casey, it sounds as if you might not have to have another epi afterall...

I had an epi with my 10 pound 3 boy. Did not feel the stitching up at all.

Had teeny 2nd epi with my 9 pound girl. Only needed a stitch or two. Again did not feel it.

Both healed great! Everyone had warned me prior to labour about sitting on popsicles or a bag of frozen peas etc. but each time it was fine. Minimum pain.

I think hanes has it right in that the experience of the person treating you is key.

I agree. My Ob's put it like this "this is why you pay for an Ob's, you don't want any old hack knitting you back together".

I had a rather large epi with my 8lb baby and I didn't feel a thing (besides the needle, but that was a walk in the park compared what the rest of me was going through).

I agree as well. I had a third degree tear and besides from the locals I didn't feel the stitching at all, I went public and the doctor who stitched me up certainly wasn't a junior doctor.

I had one with Keira and then when I had Liam I tore where I was previously cut. My fault though I pushed him all out when I was meant to stop after the head to for a moment to prevent tearing. His head was 1.5cm bigger too so that wouldnt have helped. I recovered well both times though.

Had one with first, not second although a small tear.
Had issues with my first - mostly the stitches didn't dissolve.... and golly it was painful.
All aspects of second birth were a dream

I had an episiotomy with my first, he was delivered by forceps. I also had an epidural so I didn't feel any of the stitching up. I was quite sore afterwards though and it took a while to heal and feel normal there again.

With my second, I didn't need an episiotomy but I did tear and needed stitching up. It was all drug-free and I have no idea what they did to attempt to numb the pain before stitching but I felt like I could feel every stitch, I was crying and telling the doctor to stop, the pain was worse than giving birth! No pain afterwards though, and everything healed very quickly.

I had an epi with #1 and then tore further, 3a in total. Felt every part of the stitching up.

With #2 I tore - I think it ended up being classed 2nd degree, the MW said 1 and then changed to two, but I dont know TBH what the final call was. I again felt every bit of the stitching up and the MW discovered that the anaethetic does zilch for me (id been given about four shots in the first labour - I think they just thought I was being dramatic or such when I kept saying I could feel it and I was quirming) and I was given 3 in the second labour but the MW was kind enough to realise that I really could feel it and tested by giving me another shot then checking.

I think the best thing to do is not worry about tearing or getting an epi, it was one of my big fears going into my second labour and im sure it made my labour harder and longer cos through all the pain I kept thinking about it.

My healing for both was quite good, but the second time was much better and quicker.

I had an episiotomy with my first. I had an epidural so didn't feel it or the stitching. Healing was quick and fine.

With number 2 I had an episiotomy again and tore. My perineum(sp) was not stretching to allow his head through. The hospital I went through didn't like performing episiotomies unless necessary. I felt a small sting when they gave me the local but didn't feel the stitching up. This time the pain afterwards has been worse but then by the sounds of things it was a pretty big cut they had to do.

I didn't have an episiotomy but tore badly both times.

First time I felt the tearing, and the pain post birth and recovery was bad. It hurt to sit months after the birth I would still tense waiting for the pain, I tried go for a walk three weeks post birth and made it to the end of the road before hubby had to get the car and pick me up.

Second time, I was find day after the birth I was home playing with my toddler like nothing had happened the day after the birth.

I only had ice staright after the stitches first time, second time I used ice for most of the first day. First time I had no idea what the qualification were of the person doing the stitching (so much was a bit fuzzy of this birth), second time it was an obs. both were delivered public at the same hospital.

Sounds as if there is a broad range of experience when it comes to epis. Leo was in distress and stuck, I was hemorrhaging and it took time to transfer me across the hall from the birth centre so my epi was performed very quickly. I also ended up with a second degree tear. However my recovery was quick (I was very gentle and iced the wound for 3 days) the stitching wasn't painful (I had a local) and whilst my "tone isn't great" according to my Dr I was running and exercising as well as I was prior to birth less than 4 months later. The only complication I've had is a recurring cyst on the scar tissue which may require follow up surgery, but this may have been the case anyway as I'm not sure if it was the epi or the tear that did it. I'm not too worried about having another epi if it comes to it.

I had a large epi for #1 (3.9kg posterior forceps delivery). It formed scar tissue that I needed to have repaired about 12mths later.
For #2 I had a much easier delivery and only a tiny graze requiring 1 stitch.

I agree with the other and healing comes down to the experience of the person stitching you up.

I had an epi with my first as I needed a forceps delivery. Because of the increase epidural I felt nothing and it was a breeze. Obs who delivered stitched me up - quickly and well. I had no issues other than the stiches dissolved at different rates and needed one cut out as it was hanging out and irritating. Felt back to normal with in the week.

With my second I needed another epi due to a bigger head. I also tore as the epi wasn't done in the correct place. Was stitched up by a young doctor that took for ever and was painful as the epidural had worn off and so needed local as well. It did not heal well, I had so much swelling and it got infected. I couldn't walk, drive or sit properly for 3 weeks. I couldn't believe how bad the pain was. It took me 6 weeks before I felt something close to normal but I still had pain. Still now at 10 months post birth I have pain along my scar tissue during/after sex. I spoke to my GP who was dismissive of it at my six week check up. Saw a gyn at 4 months post birth for an IUD - he said it was fine and it was very normal for recovery to be worse as you will often tear along the original epi sight because of the inhereint weakness. As it is still flaring up its something I need to get looked at.