okay ladies be honest with me. this is my first pregnancy and I am terrified or labor, but mostly its the tearing. I…

Do your Kegels!! It's the best you can do to prevent tearing and it helps with labor, plus tightening back up after birth. I did them daily with my first and didn't have any problems.

I did it all naturally with my 2nd pregnancy it's more of feeling the contractions then feeling yourself tear and your just focusing on wanting to see your baby. They numb you afterwards to stitch you up. For my first I had the epidural and got a shot of numbing medicine and got cut since my son was big and I struggled to get him out. Again didn't feel much since when she stitched me up since I was still a little numb. Your focused on your baby when (s)he is in your arms that it won't bother you when you get stitched up along with the numbing shot.

I had an epidural and I started to have 4th degree before the doctor went ahead with an episiotomy. I didn't feel it till after... recovery is not fun but once you have that baby in your arms its worth it

What hurt the most is contractions. I tore and didn't feel a thing. Didn't even feel them stitch me up and very little pain afterward...mind you I did it alllllllll natural...NO meds at all

my epidural wore off by time baby came out and I tore some. I felt when they we're stitching me up but then they numbed me more so I wouldn't feel it

@kairismommy12.15.15 yes the bad tearing was, I had the epidural but it wore off by the time I had to push and maaaan it hurt, but I didnt even feel myself tear, I just wanted to push that baby out asap! Lol, Im not gonna lie though, the after part is what hurts SO MUCH! Now that does hurt a lot, tmi but I didnt even wanna eat so I wouldnt have to poo after, peeing burned so so so badly 😔

Normally an episiotomy is done if there is a risk of tearing, but they numb you for that. it does hurt afterwards, but that's all part of childbirth! I tore with one of my kids and it was painful! Hurt to pee, cough, sneeze, poop. But they give u Dermoplast, or something similar to it, to spray down there after you clean yourself and that sorta numbs it and eases the pain.

@alicia91, and that was without an epidural?

I had a 4th degree tear with my first and I felt pain all over, no epidural... but I didnt even know I had torn until they told me and they sew me up. I tore yet again with my second, much less only needed 4 stitches but I had the epidural but again didnt feel much. I dont think you even feel it or at least I didnt in my experience. But in the moment its really the last thing on your mind 😂😔