Me and another BB member who were June 06 Belly Buddies had our babies on the same day and we both had babies with hands up with their heads!!! I don't think either of us tore... i certainly didn't and thankfully i can't remember them threatening to give me an episiotomy (he was my third baby and i had never torn). Mine was a big boy too at 9 pounds. I had a long slow labour and only sustained a graze. I had a doula (Kelly) who was a great advocate against intervention though. It was an induced labour (at 37 weeks) due to me having cholestasis.