How did you prevent tearing during pushing?

I haven't torn with any of my babies (just minor grazes which stung a little). Some of that is genetics, I think, but there's definitely something to be said for panting and breathing through the pushing, as much as you can as the head crowns. Talk to whoever is doing your delivery about wanting to avoid tearing and ask them to help you. (remind you to "blow out the candle") With my first, the nurses placed warm cloths on my perineum as the baby crowned, which felt great, helped me to direct my pushing, and I think helped me not to tear. I also don't get the overwhelming urge to push like some women do. I am usually able to breathe/pant when they tell me to. Some women just can't help pushing with all their might!
Waterbirth also has a much lower tear rate, (as well as being GREAT for pain relief!) so if you can, labour and/or deliver in water.

Both my births I haven't had any tearing. I am another just get it out of me birther - my first was a 15 min 2nd stage vontouse delivery with a graze & my second was 3 mins no tearing.

Both times I was coached by both my Ob & the midwife on breathing and pushing but like someone else mention I think some of it is genetic too. There was a thread a while ago on the link of stretch marks & tearing.

I plan to breath the baby out this time to prevent the massive tearing I had last time but it was pretty much impossible to do last time my body was evacuating that baby and there was nothing I could do to stop it

A question for midwives/doulas and for those who say their body just pushed the baby out too quick - If this happened the first time, Can a change in position of Mum slow this down at the end? Are there better positions to be in to slow things down?

I know from my preg yoga class that downward dog is a good position to slow things down in labour, however I'm not sure that would be possible at the point of crowning ;)

I had to labour on my back due to monitoring etc. I just tried my best to breath her out, I had previously listened to calmbirth cd over and over so counted my breaths. My midwife was very specific about when to let my body push and when to pant or blow out. She also applied pressure when bub was crowning.
I ended up with 3 stitches all internal and to the side not to perineum. So still a little tearing but nothing too bad.
:)

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A question for midwives/doulas and for those who say their body just pushed the baby out too quick - If this happened the first time, Can a change in position of Mum slow this down at the end? Are there better positions to be in to slow things down?

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I'm not a midwife or a doula, sorry, but I'll put in my two cents! :)
I think that squatting is known to be a fast delivery/high tearing kind of position. Great for moving baby down if he/she is stuck, and great for fast progress, but not ideal for the actual delivery. I *think* that semi-reclining and all-fours positions are a little easier on the perineum. And, as I said before, waterbirth is known for low tear rates. The warm water seems to help the perineum relax and stretch. Even laboring in water should help, if you aren't able to deliver in water.

I think a lot of it has to do with positioning, both of the mother and baby. But also relaxing as much as possible and breathing baby out once they reach crowning as has already been mentioned.
In my experience my first birth has been the only one I've torn, technically was only a graze and only needed 2 stitches. But i don't believe I would have had any problem if I actually HADN'T listened to the mw lol.. not what she actually said to me but ds was crowning and I heard the trainee mw say would he be born soon, to which mw said 'oh no definitely not 45mins at least to go'... To which I decided 'hell no! I'm getting him outta here in the next push that'll show you!' Yup in hindsight pretty silly/funny but still. I was also on my back this birth.
Dd1 was tiny at 6wks early so I certainly tried to slow things and breath her out to make her entrance a little easier on her.
Dd2 (my biggest baby so far) was in a HUGE rush to come out! I did not push voluntarily with her but I did lay on my side to slow things down and actually literally held her head in place for a contraction and delivery to allow at least some time for stretching because i was determined.not to tear again... I didn't even get a graze at all and really think those techniques prevented that.
Ds2 was a truely wonderful birth. I birthed on my knees leaning on the bed, which was good for opening up the pelvis fully while also keeping pressure off the perineum. If I hadn't have had a newborn attached to my boob straight after I wouldn't have guessed I'd just given birth everything 'down there' felt completely normal.

ETA- cricket yes all fours is good but nope reclining is not, its actually pretty much hands down the worst position to birth in for lots of reasons (but very convenient for Dr/mw viewing), it compresses the pelvis making babies decent more awkward and puts pressure on perineum also. Having said that my first two were in this position and it is doable just if its possible to be another way its almost always going to be better ;)

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A question for midwives/doulas and for those who say their body just pushed the baby out too quick - If this happened the first time, Can a change in position of Mum slow this down at the end? Are there better positions to be in to slow things down?

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In my research for this last birth i read that if you have really fast labours/second stage that a good way to slow it up is to use gravity...in reverse! get your butt in the air baby :) one midwife asked her birthing lady to get on all fours but leaning down on her elbows with her bum in the air. she was still able to breath baby out and as crowning happened they changed position to her on her knees in a slight recline (i think that was how it panned out...).

For me, i avoided tearing by letting my body do all the work. i wouldnt even say i 'breathed' her out as this might imply that the breathing was what got her out, but in reality i just took a bodily step back and using my breath to slow my adrenaline release and to get through the waves of pressure pushing bubs down. it is really cool letting go like that and feeling your body and baby working together 100% in awesome harmony.

Yep exactly what cassius said... She's just better at wording it than me I think! Lol

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ETA- cricket yes all fours is good but nope reclining is not, its actually pretty much hands down the worst position to birth in for lots of reasons (but very convenient for Dr/mw viewing), it compresses the pelvis making babies decent more awkward and puts pressure on perineum also. Having said that my first two were in this position and it is doable just if its possible to be another way its almost always going to be better ;)

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Funny - all my babies have been born with me semi-reclining. It's the one I've chosen naturally, and moving out of it felt terrible! You can pull your knees up easily and open the pelvis more, although the tailbone will still be somewhat compressed. The old "classic" birth position - lithotomy, with you flat on your back and your legs up in the stirrups was a really lousy one.

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ETA- cricket yes all fours is good but nope reclining is not, its actually pretty much hands down the worst position to birth in for lots of reasons (but very convenient for Dr/mw viewing), it compresses the pelvis making babies decent more awkward and puts pressure on perineum also. Having said that my first two were in this position and it is doable just if its possible to be another way its almost always going to be better ;)

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Funny - all my babies have been born with me semi-reclining. It's the one I've chosen naturally, and moving out of it felt terrible! You can pull your knees up easily and open the pelvis more, although the tailbone will still be somewhat compressed. The old "classic" birth position - lithotomy, with you flat on your back and your legs up in the stirrups was a really lousy one.