Birthing on all fours

[Danni]

What do you think about birthing all fours and not tearing?

Someone told me that if you birth on all fours with your bum in the air, you lessen the chance of tearing dramatically.

what are your experiences?

[Shanti]

Yeah i'm interested in hearing what others have to say about this too.....

[Lulu]

Wouldn't that be pushing uphill???

I labour on hands and knees but sit/stand right up to use gravity to birth. I have never had a tear, oh one graze.

[~Amy~]

I did it on all fours for a while....probably about 30-45mins. It was a comfy (as comfy as being in labour can be hehe) position for a little bit. I found when i tried to go to a different position it was really painful tho. Thats just me tho. As for tearing, i did tear a little bit, but as i said i did change to a different position & bodhi was a rather large babie

[Von]

I supported a lady who was in the position for the pushing stage and she did tear a little....using gravity is always the best option i say...

[PinkPalace]

i was on all fours for 2 hrs until i was ready to push bubs out. This was the both babies.
ON my back for both births... no tear #1 - 2degree tear #2... so not sure... Wanted to birth squatting or standing but couldnt muster the energy to stand!

[Netix]

I was too exhausted to stand, I actually knelt on the bed, maybe on all fours, or leaning on the headboard? I had two small tears I think, three stitches, nothing serious at all. It seemed the only comfortable way to go at the time. For pretty much all my serious contractions I was laying on my side, and for each new contraction I had to switch sides! ALL my pain was in my back!

I am DEFINATELY going to have to read active birth, and work on my leg muscles! Make that ALL my muscles! One uber unfit and no-stamina chick here!

[Heaven]

Some more things I just read in new active birth about not tearing:

"Use your own hands to feel the baby's head when it begins to crown and to ease the tissues or even massage them with a little oil. Interestingly, mothers who use their own hands to help the baby out rarely tear."

"Giving birth in a darkened room with as few people as possible, so you can let go without feeling 'watched', is the best way to avoid a tear"

"Feel free to shout spontaneously as the baby emerges - as your throat releases, so will your perineum!"

[Ilithyia]

"Feel free to shout spontaneously as the baby emerges - as your throat releases, so will your perineum!"

That could've been the reason I did'nt tear! Cause I did some serious shouting.

Looking back on the video...my peri did some serious stretching!

[Lolli]

I wish I'd been in some other position instead of sitting up and leaning back in the bed (I had a foetal heart rate monitor attached so moving around unfortunatley wasn't an option). I think the position I was in was responsible for the labial tear that i got- five stitches that finished just above my clitoris (I know, that's way too much info).
I did months of peri massage thinking it would help me avoid tears. The irony is it probably did help me avoid peri tears, but made the labial one much worse...

[Gabi]

I had no tearing.

I laboured on a fitball (despite continuous external monitoring) and then when I started having that irresistible urge to push my cervix was checked on the bed. I requested to stand again in order to push but my midwife said there probably wasn't going to be much difference for me. I birthed on my side and held my legs up (I had very sore shoulders the next day haha).

Why didn't I get a tear? My opinion is
* I laboured on a fitball so Bub was in a GREAT position for birth.
* I listened to my midwife and pushed when they said push and panted and 'held in it' when they said to stop.
* I was bathed in a warm liquid 'down there' during the pushing stage to keep my muscles loose.
* I automatically made my mouth into a little 'O' shape and breathed out. It always relaxes those muscles.

IMO the best thing you can do is push at the right times and pant at the right times. Don't birth too quickly. Looking back, I wonder whether be able to stop pushing was even better for us than I thought, my baby's umbilical cord was wrapped 'round his neck and my OB was able to untangle it easily because I 'held the baby in' after I birthed his head.

[Gabi]

I had a foetal heart rate monitor attached so moving around unfortunatley wasn't an option

I would question the midwives about this next time 'round. I was hooked up to the foetal monitor for my entire labour - I was eventually induced about 18 days after my EDD - and I was able to labour on a fitball and to move about occasionally. I'm sure this isn't always possible, but I hope it can be for me again.