To cut or tear...that is the question...

[sweetangel7]

For those of you ladies who have given birth...did you take the cut (episiotomy) or not...did you tear?  Did you make the decision or does the doctor make the decision for you?  At what point is the decision made?

Thanks in advance for sharing!

[motherofan18month]

i started tearing, but wouldn't tear anymore so doc cut me....omg it's been 2 1/2 years since i was cut and sometimes it still hurts!

[sam75]

ive had both and id prefer to tear, the time i was cut it was painful to have intercourse right up until my next son that i tore with.

[GRose]

I did kegels everyday and it wasn't enough, Noah wasn't that big, 7lbs 7 ounces. He just wouldn't come out.

K1990- I don't think I would ever opt for a c-section, only in emergency or if I am pushing for 3 hours. Since my labor lasted so long and my contractions stopped I probably should have had a c-section with Noah but I am glad I didn't. Nothing could beat the amazing feeling I felt when he finally came out after all that work.

[K1990]

For those of you who were cut... next time around would you rather be cut again or would you opt for a c-section?

[ashiepooh]

I didn't tear and didn't need to be cut.  But my doctor had told me to start to kegels around 3 months pregnant.  Makes your muscles down there stronger so you don't need to be cut and don't tear.

[Whitneylauren]

The reason doctors like to cut before you tear is because it is easier to sew you up afterwards. It is a clean cut.... not zig zagged messy edges. My doctor told me that he would not perform the episiotomy unless he had no other choice.
With my son I tore really badly as I had a 45 minutes labor- total. He came out so quickly that my doctor only made it in the room as he was crowning. I had a class 4 tear- I tore upwards through the canal in circles and all the way to my bum. Boy did that hurt! I could feel every bit of his head tearing my skin as he came out.... It took a while to heal.