Because we all know that in the absence of pushing, episiotomies just make those babies fall right out…

What a jerk.Im glad I had my midwife.

Because threatening to cut her perineum is a GREAT way to encourage Mom to open and relax it.

If the dr who delivered my first had told me she was about to cut an episiotomy (against my instructions) after I’d been pushing for a while and the baby was having decels, that probably would have been enough incentive for my fatigued body to push just a little harder and get the baby out without one. As it was, I was stealing myself for a big push when it was cut, and she basically flew out, since I was finally listening to my body on how to push…and the dr had widened the opening!

Second baby was delivered with a midwife who almost never cuts, and the small tears were much easier to recover from!