Did your perinatal care provider tell you that most perineal tears can heal naturally?
The midwives I hired with my first pregnancy did not! So not knowing any better, I was sutured, and healing was extremely painful.
My Experience
With my most recent birth, I healed my tear naturally and healing was a breeze! No pain. Night and day difference.
I had a third degree tear. I stayed in bed for two weeks and then around my bed for the third week. I was diligent about keeping my legs closed. I took herbal baths with the herbs I was able to get quickly: comfrey, calendula, lavender and rose. I avoided checking my tear for healing until one month postpartum and by then, the tear had healed well.
When is suturing recommended?
While it is recommended for severe, deep tears to be sutured to prevent pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and painful sex, most tears can be healed naturally.
Benefits of healing naturally
Allowing and supporting your tear to heal naturally:
- Less pain while healing
- Less scar tissue
- Faster healing
- Less pain after healing due to tissues naturally coming together where they tore, whereas with sutures, the tissues may be misaligned by the person suturing and therefore heal unevenly, causing pain in the long run
- No possibility of the “husband stitch” by the person suturing. The “husband stitch” is an extra stitch or two that a medical provider may give to create a smaller vaginal opening for more sexual pleasure for the partner. It can cause pain in the long run with sexual intercourse and with daily movement
- More ease with excretion
- No likelihood of sutures becoming infected when foregoing sutures
Degrees of Tears
There are four degrees of tears:
First: surface tear to the perineal skin
Second: tear to the perineal skin and muscles
Third: tear to the perineal skin and muscles, and the anal sphincter
3 sub categories:
- A: Less than 50% of the anal sphincter is torn.
- B: Greater than 50% of the anal sphincter is torn.
- C: External and internal anal sphincters are torn.
Fourth: tear involving the rectum and anus
Labial grazes and tears: tears to the vulva
Use discretion and/or seek counsel from wise women if you are unsure of the severity of your tear and how to best heal it.
How can you decrease the likelihood of tearing?
You can decrease your likelihood of tearing by:
- birthing in an undisturbed environment that is supportive of physiological birth
- choosing only the right people to be present that trust you and aren’t fearful
- having worked through any trauma prior to labor
- trusting the physiological process and your body’s capability to birth
And if you do tear, know that you didn’t fail- your body was wisely designed to birth your baby and to heal!
It is important to stay in bed, legs closed, until tear is healed! I can not stress this enough!
5 ways to support healing a tear naturally:
1. Herbal Soak
Choose herbs:
- Calendula:
- soothing
- beneficial for wound healing
- keeps wounds clean
- helps new tissue to grow, by increasing blood flow and oxygen to the wound
- improves skin hydration and firmness
- helps poorly healing wounds that are showing signs of redness, inflammation, and irritation
- Comfrey:
- known for it’s ability to heal wounds (and even bones????)
- helps new tissue to grow
- relieves pain and inflammation
- can reduce abnormal thickening of the skin, leaving skin feeling smooth
- full of vitamins and minerals
- always apply to clean skin, because comfrey causes tissue to grow and heal quickly
- Plantain leaf:
- stops bleeding
- beneficial for wound healing
- cleanses wounds
- disinfects wounds
- helps new tissue to grow
- Chamomile:
- reduces pain
- reduces inflammation
- Lavender:
- soothing
- disinfects wounds
- helps new tissue to grow
- decreases the appearance of scars
- Rose:
- soothing
- helps heal wounds
- cleansing
- anti-bacterial
- hydrates and moisturizes the skin
- Yarrow:
- stops bleeding
- quickly closes the wound
- anti-microbial, protects from infections
- relieves pain
- relieves inflammation
- increases blood flow
- Uva ursi:
- astringent- tightens tissues
- helps new tissue to grow
- beneficial for wound healing
- relieves inflammation
- anti-fungal
- anti-viral
- Red raspberry leaf:
- soothing
- anti-inflammatory
- anti-bacterial
- astringent
- Witch hazel leaf:
- astringent
- stops bleeding
- soothing
- reduces inflammation
- cleansing
- hydrates and moisturizes the skin
- helps preserve skin elasticity
- Salt (epsom salt with no additives, or sea salt. I used Redmond real salt)
- Breastmilk: healing, cleansing, soothing. I wouldn’t recommend pumping for your bath because that can cause an oversupply. But if you have extra breastmilk from letdowns or from relieving engorgement, this can be added to the bath.
You can also buy pre-mixed herbs, like this one.
(Use code WELLWOMANHOOD for 15% off your order. Can be used with free shipping for orders over $40.)
Create a tea or infusion: Mix equal parts of all the herbs together. Steep 1 cup of dried herbs in 1 quart of hot water for at least 30 minutes or even overnight for a very potent concentration.
Fill your (clean) bathtub or sitz bath with enough warm water to cover your genitalia. Strain out the herbs or pour the tea straight into the bathtub through a strainer. Add 1/2 cup of salt. Add breastmilk if desired. Stir the bath tub to evenly distribute everything.
Sit in the tub for 15-20 minutes. Pat to dry or air dry. Repeat 2-3 times a day for as many days as needed to heal.
Have someone prepare your baths for you if possible!!!
2. Peri Rinse
You can also put the above tea/infusion, warmed, in a peri bottle to use when you pee to ease any discomfort or pain and help reduce inflammation, while also keeping everything clean.
3. Free Bleed
It is beneficial to “free bleed”, or lay on a towel or chux pad with no diaper or underwear, to freely bleed and to allow airflow to speed up the healing process.
4. Manuka Honey
Manuka honey is antibacterial, antimicrobial, and regenerates tissue. It is phenomenal for wound and burn healing. Simply use a clean spoon or spatula to scoop some out and cover the tear. Repeat as needed.
5. Seaweed
You can use seaweed to help heal the tear. It works as a natural adhesive to help fuse tissues together without the invasiveness of sutures.
Use unroasted seaweed (can be found in Asian and health food stores). Cut a piece of seaweed twice the width and length of your tear. Soak the seaweed in clean water (sterile preferably) until soft. Align your perineal tissue together and cover with the seaweed. The salt might sting a little. Replace as needed throughout the day for as many days as necessary to heal.
Where to purchase herbs
I bought my herbs from a dear friend, who harvests her herbs and has a wonderful apothecary. Her website is here:
More reputable websites:
https://mountainroseherbs.com/
You can also find herbs in local apothecaries. This is often the best options because you can ask where they come from, when they were harvested, and if there are pesticides used.
I hope you found this to be helpful! If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below!
