Postpartum
Notes
Tearing can be a natural part of the birth process. Tearing doesn’t always happen during birth but it is common. Usually, in a birth without interventions, tears can heal on their own. In hospital settings, women often receive sutures when they tear. Doctors typically don’t even ask the woman for consent and will start suturing immediately after the placenta is birthed. Sutures are not always necessary because our bodies are typically able to heal very well. Sutures can also cause more trauma to the area and cause a longer and more painful healing process. Some medical procedures and interventions result in severe tearing that might even go down to the muscle or completely through to the rectum. It these cases tearing may be beneficial or necessary for healing. I want to emphasize that severe tearing is rarely seen in physiological birth. Severe tearing is caused by interventions and interference with the natural birth process.
Interventions and medical procedures that greatly increase the risk of severe tearing
Episiotomy(obviously)
Mechanical birth(forceps or vacuum)
Epidural
IV drugs
Being forced to push on her back or in an unnatural position
Purple-face forced pushing(hold your breath and count to 10)
Pushing before feeling the urge
Having an outside source telling you when and how to push
Things to prevent severe tears
Collagen powder
Gelatin
Home made bone broth
Beef liver and other organ meats
High protein diet(80-120 grams)
Homebirth/freebirth
Pushing in an intuitive position(whatever feels right!)
Fetal ejection reflex
Pelvic floor therapy
My prenatal yoga birth prep!
Things to encourage healing of tears
Manuka honey
Nori seaweed
Frozen witch hazel pads
Allowing airflow to vulva(Bleed onto a chux pad rather than a diaper)
Yoni steaming
Sitz baths
Nourishing meals
Resting