[Ellen] "Many women are concerned about tears or a cut that might be made in the vagina at the time of delivery.
And certainly, if you are expecting a large baby, maybe you are even more concerned."
[Dr. Riley] "And I think it's important to recognize that the vast majority of women will have small tears when the baby is coming through the birth canal.
And, even if your baby is large, the tears generally are not large."
[Jaime] "Unfortunately, I did have to have a few stitches.
They were not the most uncomfortable thing I've ever had to have done.
And for me, it was just part ... part of my birth process."
[Ellen] "Tears can happen with any size baby.
They get repaired. And then they heal.
And things go on as normal."
[Sam] "It was hard to sit in a chair, like how I'm sitting now.
And there was pain there for at least a week and a half afterwards."
[Ellen] "An episiotomy is an incision or a cut that is made on the outside of the vagina to make the opening larger.
And it may seem like common sense that, if one is expecting a larger-than-normal baby ...
that this cut would make some more room for that delivery.
And, in fact, the research shows that this is not true.
And the size of the baby ...
passing through the actual bones of the pelvis is what's important, rather than the opening of the vagina.
This would be a great topic to discuss with your care provider ahead of time.
That's part of being involved in your own pregnancy ... being an active participant."
