Scared to severely tear and need a colostomy bag
I am 37+4 with first baby. I don’t know if I’ve gotten into my own head but I’ve just found out that if you get a severe tear it’s possible you might end up needing a colostomy bag forever. I am now even more scared of birth and stressed out. Is there anything I can do at this point to reduce the chance of severe tears? I haven’t been so good with my pelvic floor exercises throughout either. I’m so scared 😭😱
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100% to what Lucy said. You should look up positive birth affirmations to help with a better mindset 🙏🏼
Look into positions to minimise tearing as well 😊 listening to your body and moving with it during labour and delivery can help you! All fours is a good one!
All fours is a great one! Like animals do. Or leaning over a medicine ball. The Naked Doula also talks about the importance of relaxing your jaw because it's directly linked to your pelvic floor (she calls it Floppy Face Floppy Fanny 😂) She also says it's not about a crazy pushing exercise until you're blue in the face; listen to your body and take breaks inbetween contractions and breathe the baby out.
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Have a look at The Naked Doula on IG. She talks about the importance of breathing inbetween pushes, to give your perineum a break. It can definitely be done safely. Please try not to worry too much! (Easier said than done!) Our bodies were made to do this. Even if you do have a tear, it will heal swiftly. A warm compress on that area will also really help. As does a water birth. I would suggest perineal massage too, but I struggled with this (couldn't reach) and so just eat dates and take raspberry leaf capsules! But this is mainly in the vain hope of shortening labour. Women have been giving birth since the dawn of time and we're built to cope with it. Ending up with a stoma is a very rare consequence. You have GOT this! (I'm currently 39 weeks and feeling as apprehensive as you, but you need to harness a bit of power over this; you're a goddess and it won't just be "fine"; it'll be a positive experience that will make you feel like superwoman after! 💪✨️)