A perineal tear is an injury to the tissue around your vagina and rectum that can happen when your baby's head comes through the vagina. There is no way to prevent perineal tearing, but trust your doctor. You can do it!🤗

Perineal tear

🥼What is a perineal tear?

A perineal tear is a laceration in the perineum from the vagina towards the anus. During a typical vaginal delivery, the skin of your vagina thin out and is stretched to allow your baby's head and body to pass through.👶 When the vagina can't stretch wide enough, the baby is too large, the delivery just happens too quickly, the tear inevitably appears.🙁

🥼How common is perineal tear?

It is very common to see tears in moms having their first child and less common for moms in subsequent deliveries.👩 They often heal on their own.

It's possible to tear even if your doctor performs an episiotomy to widen the vaginal opening. Consult with your doctor to know your case better and learn when and why they would perform it.👩‍⚕️

Different types of perineal tears

🥼First-degree perineal tear

The tear only affects the skin of the perineum and happens around the opening of the vagina or just inside the vagina a little bit. It's the least severe tear.😃 This small injury can heal itself in a few weeks without causing much pain. Your doctor may stitch the tear to speed healing and stop any bleeding🩸. 

🥼Second-degree perineal tear

This is the most commonly seen during childbirth.🙆‍♀️ This bigger tear touches the muscles of the vagina and pelvic floor and can cut deeper into the vagina. It causes pain and discomfort and requires stitches to heal.🙁  

🥼Third-degree perineal tear

This type of tear extends from your vagina to your anus, causing damage to the anal sphincter muscles. It is relatively rare among first-time moms and occurs less than 2% among moms who have had a vaginal birth before.😌

🥼Fourth-degree perineal tear

This is the least common type of perineal tears.😯 The injury begins from the vagina, through the perineal area and anal sphincter muscles and into the rectum. 

Treatment of perineal tears

A tiny first-degree tear will not require much medical inventions.😃 However, other kinds of tears require some sutures. You may need an epidural to control your pain while the laceration is repaired. If the epidural is not working, you may be injected with anesthetic to numb the area first and the laceration repair continues.💉 

The stitches will be dissolved themselves within six weeks. Ice packs🧊 applied on the area can help you ease the pain and discomfort. If you can't bear the pain, you can consult with your doctor for pain relief.👩‍⚕️