Any mamas have a 4th degree tear and then not tear with a subsequent pregnancy?

Talia

Hi all! I’m 21 weeks with my second child. My first is 5 and when I went into labor with him, it was overall terrible, from the doctors to the hours of pushing, vomiting from pain the whole experience wasn’t great.. and then I had a 4th degree tear and a lot of stitches that were also terrible because I could feel each stitch.

I’m beyond terrified of having another tear like I did with the first and I’ve heard and read research that says if you read once you more than double your chances of having a subsequent tear again, though the overall odds are still low apparently.

So my question is.. any one have a second birth without tearing and want to fill me in on what you think helped you prevent tearing?